Books like Secret Wars

\ Let them fight!\ This TPB edition collects “Secret Wars” (1984-85) #1-12, plus excerpts from “Amazing Spider-Man” #251, “Uncanny X-Men” #180, “Incredible Hulk” #294, “Invincible Iron Man” #181, “The Thing” #10, “Fantastic Four” #265, “Thor” #341 and “Avengers” #242 (which was the same excerpt originally presented in “Captain America” #292).Creative Team:Writer: Jim StarlinIllustrators: Mike Zeck & Bob LaytonSpecial Anniversary Cover: Alex Ross\ CROSSOVERS & TOYS\ While Secret Wars (this storyline from 80’s, don’t confuse with the 2015 event with the same title) is considered the first major crossover of Marvel and even beating by a year to the first crossover event by their Distinguished Competition,......but technically, it isn’t true,......since in 1982, Marvel published too the Contest of Champions that, a year ago, I wouldn’t mind even mention it, since it was a small event of barely 3 issues, BUT......if you research it on its premise and characters involved, where Grandmaster and Death call battling teams, well, I wouldn’t be surprised that after the incoming movie “Thor: Ragnarok” (where Grandmaster will appear and many fans speculating that Hela will play the role of a “Death” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) there would be a resurging interest to read that first obscure crossover storyline.Other fun fact about Secret Wars is that the storyline born out of the interest in selling toys,......more specifically action figures,......since the Distinguished Competition already have a business deal with Kenner, and while Hasbro was already doing “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, they want to make a deal with Marvel just in case that thing of “super-heroes” would become profitable, hey! Who knows? Maybe 30 years later they would be making billion-dollar box offices at cinema theaters……yes, I know it sound so far-fetched but anything is possible. Hehehe.\ FIRST BATTLES AND REINFORCEMENTS\ I was positively surprised when I began to read Secret Wars that it was managed like a real war, not just a cool word to use in the event’s title, where Jim Starlin was using Captain America as indeed a military tactician (that many writers forget that he is indeed) and even some hints to Lord of the Rings battles, where what started as just two groups, heroes and villains, evolved in more complicated teams, however……that was in the first issues only.When the 12-issue event advanced, it was reduced to your cliché super-hero rumble with a big bunch of characters battling uninspired action scenes.Also, I don’t know why selecting some characters like Doctor Octopus and The Lizard just to barely use them in the storyline without exploiting them in a proper way; while others like Ultron and Kang were reduced to pawns or easily dispatched, when they had been major threats to The Avengers.Even more insulting, the two initial groups were transported to an artificial world created by the all-powerful Beyonder, and it was supposed to have only those characters in the event, but without explanations (or some pretty weak ones) suddenly new characters started to appear in following issues where even the original characters didn’t know how the new arrivals got there, which I asume was a lack of thoughtful planning before starting to make the event OR the usual intervention of the high powers (Marvel Editorial Chiefhood and/or Mattel executives).\ BATTLE SCARS\ While I think that Secret Wars degenerated into your usual super big battle without any plot depth……I can’t deny that Secret Wars provoked what any fair story aspired to do that it’s causing changings in the status quo, where the characters don’t end in the same as they were before the story.Spider-Man (aka Peter Parker) changed his famous costume to a new black suit, with mysterious advantages, that I’m sure all of you know that it was so important that Spider-Man’s life never was the same anymore and the rising of a new villain eclipsing the classic villains in his amazing rogues’ gallery.The Thing (aka Ben Grimm) left The Fantastic Four, causing the first major change in the original roster of the team and the sensational inclusion there of She-Hulk.The first appearance of Julia Carpenter as a new Spider-Woman, that I already told that I didn’t like arrivals of other characters after selecting the original teams in the event, but I can’t deny that it’s quite relevant that it was here that Julia Carpenter was introduced to the fans.Colossus (aka Peter Rasputin) and Kitty Pryde were no longer a couple after the event.And the absence for a year of major players in The Avengers, allow that underused characters, at that moment, proved their worth and rising to a whole new level of respect as characters in the team.