Secret Wars #4
Continuing from where we left off last issue, Strange tells the 616 survivors that this new world was cobbled together from remnants of the broken Earths, meaning it's in constant conflict, and needs a god with a firm hand: Doom. "Long may he wear his crown." Him talking like this, unsurprisingly, makes the others unhappy. Strange tells them that he and Doom defeated the Beyonders and took their power for themselves: "I looked into the abyss that was omnipotence and ran from it. Doom did not. Then he saved all that there was left to save."
They're interrupted by one of the Thor guards: there's a battle going on between the Thors and the Cabal. Doom is also alerted to this, but doesn't feel that he needs to intervene after he sees Strange arrive to take care of things. However, Valeria notices that the 616/Ultimateverse survivors seem distinct from the many similar alt versions on the Battleworld, and then Sue spots someone who stands out to her as having something special about him: 616 Reed. Doom mutters to himself: "I spent years looking in every corner of every kingdom for some version of you... and now here you are. Brought before me." (Aw. You just can't live without him, can you, Victor?)
Doom goes to join the battle. (There's a fun little moment of interplay where Doom says: "Richards." and Ultimate Reed is all, "Is he talking to me? I don't really care for his tone." Maximus - is this 616 Maximus? I've lost track - says, "No. He is most certainly not talking to you." Only one Reed for 616 Doom! Accept no substitutes.)
Reed tells Doom his world is amazing. "Look at what you've made." Doom says he did what Reed and his allies couldn't, and that he's a miracle worker, but Reed must be one too, since he's here. Reed acknowledges that all they managed to save was themselves, but says he can't help but notice that Doom decided to put himself on a throne. Doom points out that he already had a throne, and now he's considerably higher up than that. (Seriously, you two, get a room.)
Doom is his version of merciful, and offers them all a moment to readjust to the new reality and bow before him. Naturally, this is not graciously received; Cyclops attacks him, and Doom ends up snapping his neck. Strange promptly uses his magic to scatter everybody else across Battleworld. Doom asks him why: "Because we both know what was about to happen." They would have fought, Doom would have killed them, and Strange couldn't allow that. Doom says they both know that they're going to come back and try anyway: "It's their nature. It's his." Strange says that maybe it's his own as well. He says the survivors are people he lived a lifetime with and did great things with. Doom asks if he and Doom haven't done great things together as well. Strange agrees that they have, but won't bring the others back from where he sent them.
Strange tells Doom that he hasn't told Reed what he's done, that Doom stole Reed's entire life. (I was wondering about that! It seemed cruel of him to be dancing around actually telling Reed that his family had been saved, but the fact it was due to divided loyalties and shielding Doom from being hit with Reed's full angry focus is fascinating.) Strange says to Doom, "Even with all this power, you're still afraid of him. Well, you know what, old friend? I think you should be."
Naturally, Doom takes this about as well as you'd expect, and he strikes Strange down; the book ends with Strange smouldering at his feet and Doom's look of determination.
So we reach the midpoint of the story! When I first read this issue, it seemed to go much quicker and be more plot-driven than the earlier parts, but on reread there is some neat, meaty character stuff going on too. The first reunion between Reed and Doom is really pretty amazing: the way they obviously instantly recognise each other as 'their' versions, the verbal fencing that's laced with one-upmanship on Doom's part and condemnation on Reed's but also mixed with almost an incidental acknowledgement of each other's impressive achievements - exactly how I like my Doom-Reed rivalry served!
And then there's the way the Doom-Strange friendship is being played; the ending of this issue may change things, of course, but even after Doom kills Cyclops, Strange is still protecting him from Reed to an extent with deliberate lies of omission, and it feels like this may well continue to be a tale of divided loyalties rather than a straightforward case of Strange switching sides and going wholly over to the good guys.
Ribic's art continues gorgeous - I'm being repetitive here, but what can you say? - and there's some lovely moody colouring from Ive Svorcina. That said, in this issue for the first time I'm noticing that a few individual panels seem... I don't want to say 'rushed', since that's doing the quality of the art a disservice, but a bit stylistically inconsistent somehow, veering a tad more cartoony than the more realistic style of most of it, with heavier black lines and slightly more exaggerated/simplified features. I don't know if that's being pressed for time or just a style thing that I haven't noticed before.
Anyway, to sum up, I'm getting the definite impression the core of the Secret Wars story is going to be formed around Doom's respective relationships with Reed and with Strange. Which makes me a very happy bunny! It's definitely long overdue to have a big event focused on the Doom-Reed rivalry, and all the stuff with Doom and Strange's unexpectedly strong friendship is a lovely unanticipated bonus. Still very fascinated to see where all this goes - I trust Hickman to do something good with it.
They're interrupted by one of the Thor guards: there's a battle going on between the Thors and the Cabal. Doom is also alerted to this, but doesn't feel that he needs to intervene after he sees Strange arrive to take care of things. However, Valeria notices that the 616/Ultimateverse survivors seem distinct from the many similar alt versions on the Battleworld, and then Sue spots someone who stands out to her as having something special about him: 616 Reed. Doom mutters to himself: "I spent years looking in every corner of every kingdom for some version of you... and now here you are. Brought before me." (Aw. You just can't live without him, can you, Victor?)
Doom goes to join the battle. (There's a fun little moment of interplay where Doom says: "Richards." and Ultimate Reed is all, "Is he talking to me? I don't really care for his tone." Maximus - is this 616 Maximus? I've lost track - says, "No. He is most certainly not talking to you." Only one Reed for 616 Doom! Accept no substitutes.)
Reed tells Doom his world is amazing. "Look at what you've made." Doom says he did what Reed and his allies couldn't, and that he's a miracle worker, but Reed must be one too, since he's here. Reed acknowledges that all they managed to save was themselves, but says he can't help but notice that Doom decided to put himself on a throne. Doom points out that he already had a throne, and now he's considerably higher up than that. (Seriously, you two, get a room.)
Doom is his version of merciful, and offers them all a moment to readjust to the new reality and bow before him. Naturally, this is not graciously received; Cyclops attacks him, and Doom ends up snapping his neck. Strange promptly uses his magic to scatter everybody else across Battleworld. Doom asks him why: "Because we both know what was about to happen." They would have fought, Doom would have killed them, and Strange couldn't allow that. Doom says they both know that they're going to come back and try anyway: "It's their nature. It's his." Strange says that maybe it's his own as well. He says the survivors are people he lived a lifetime with and did great things with. Doom asks if he and Doom haven't done great things together as well. Strange agrees that they have, but won't bring the others back from where he sent them.
Strange tells Doom that he hasn't told Reed what he's done, that Doom stole Reed's entire life. (I was wondering about that! It seemed cruel of him to be dancing around actually telling Reed that his family had been saved, but the fact it was due to divided loyalties and shielding Doom from being hit with Reed's full angry focus is fascinating.) Strange says to Doom, "Even with all this power, you're still afraid of him. Well, you know what, old friend? I think you should be."
Naturally, Doom takes this about as well as you'd expect, and he strikes Strange down; the book ends with Strange smouldering at his feet and Doom's look of determination.
So we reach the midpoint of the story! When I first read this issue, it seemed to go much quicker and be more plot-driven than the earlier parts, but on reread there is some neat, meaty character stuff going on too. The first reunion between Reed and Doom is really pretty amazing: the way they obviously instantly recognise each other as 'their' versions, the verbal fencing that's laced with one-upmanship on Doom's part and condemnation on Reed's but also mixed with almost an incidental acknowledgement of each other's impressive achievements - exactly how I like my Doom-Reed rivalry served!
And then there's the way the Doom-Strange friendship is being played; the ending of this issue may change things, of course, but even after Doom kills Cyclops, Strange is still protecting him from Reed to an extent with deliberate lies of omission, and it feels like this may well continue to be a tale of divided loyalties rather than a straightforward case of Strange switching sides and going wholly over to the good guys.
Ribic's art continues gorgeous - I'm being repetitive here, but what can you say? - and there's some lovely moody colouring from Ive Svorcina. That said, in this issue for the first time I'm noticing that a few individual panels seem... I don't want to say 'rushed', since that's doing the quality of the art a disservice, but a bit stylistically inconsistent somehow, veering a tad more cartoony than the more realistic style of most of it, with heavier black lines and slightly more exaggerated/simplified features. I don't know if that's being pressed for time or just a style thing that I haven't noticed before.
Anyway, to sum up, I'm getting the definite impression the core of the Secret Wars story is going to be formed around Doom's respective relationships with Reed and with Strange. Which makes me a very happy bunny! It's definitely long overdue to have a big event focused on the Doom-Reed rivalry, and all the stuff with Doom and Strange's unexpectedly strong friendship is a lovely unanticipated bonus. Still very fascinated to see where all this goes - I trust Hickman to do something good with it.