Quick thoughts on SECRET WARS

Hey pals, been a while, I know. Just some quick thoughts to get them off my chest on the details we've heard so far on SECRET WARS.

Axel Alonso and Tom Brevoort held a press conference this past week to clear the air a little and take a few questions about SECRET WARS, the Jonathan Hickman-helmed book that promises to break down the Marvel Universe (with an assist, it seems, by a couple of fateful incursions and the development of a patchwork planet called Battleworld). Alonso and Brevoort were a little dodgy on the details, of course, and refused to give an answer about whether or not this would constitute as a "reboot," as many fans are fearing. Of course, reboot is a pretty broad category to apply to something that could be very specific, so I doubt that's what Marvel is doing, particularly given how successful the line is and how successful the company as a whole is right now. Doesn't mean I don't think they're aiming to significantly change things. I don't think this is going to be a Stan Lee-style mandate of "appearance of change leading to no change." I think there will be a serious reshuffling but the cards will all remain in the deck.

That said, of course I'm nervous about it. As readers, we all feel a certain (misguided) ownership over these characters and these histories. Events in total scare me and oftentimes disappoint me. Big broad changes are worrying, certainly, but I think we all have to trust in the system that's given us such great comics through the years (and, particularly to this situation, through the most recent years). If the creators are all still there and the talent, especially the talent in finding such talent, remains, the product should remain good.

The other less-worrying part, at least in the immediate, is Jonathan Hickman. Jonathan Hickman has been writing absolutely excellent comics for years now and I don't think he's ever been stronger than he is right now, in this moment in time. After completing a very interesting FANTASTIC FOUR run with Marvel, he's done excellent work with both AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS (not to mention INFINITY, easily the best event of the event-strewn last few years) and unbelievable work on other, non-Marvel creations like THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS and EAST OF WEST. Speaking of EAST OF WEST (I usually am), I looked at the interactive Battleworld map Marvel has put on their SECRET WARS site and immediately began to think about EAST OF WEST, a comic set in a world with a very different timeline and, as such, a very different map. For my money (and I've spent enough of it, thanks), EAST OF WEST is the best book to come out these last few years and one of my favorite ever. Hickman certainly won't be porting his creator-owned book over to the Marvel continuity, but it's reassuring to know he's definitely up to the task of running a full-fledged new world. The tie-ins, sure, they worry me, and the release schedule as a whole is sure to flummox all of us (though, going back to INFINITY, Marvel has obviously gotten better at explaining which books tie to what), but there is reason for hope.

So final thoughts? Yes, I'm very nervous. I adore these characters. That's why I ran this blog into the dang ol' ground for two years (and haven't given up on any of this, obviously). That's what brought me to Marvel and to comics in the first place. But change and evolution is necessary, and Hickman is more than capable of using a steady hand to guide that change. We'll see how much this actually brings.