One of the things that made Secret Wars II ubiquitous and hated is that it was seemingly everywhere: every single Marvel series had a tie-in at some point.
There are way too many of them to make a full review of each one, but no real SWII retrospective would be complete without touching the tie-ins.
As I’ve already done with Dazzler #40, I will only consider three categories:
1) Whether I recommend the story or not
2) Whether I think it needed to be a tie-in in the first place
3) Whether I think the story should’ve been part of the main miniseries
Even like this, with over thirty tie-ins I can’t to all of them at once, so I will split them into smaller groups. And the first is the easy one: these are all basically glorified cameos that are BARELY tie-ins.
New Mutants #30 (1985)
by Chris Claremont & Bill Sienkiewicz
We’ve seen this one because Dazzler is in it. This is set within the first issue of the miniseries, and the Beyonder has no speaking lines: he just observes and has a telepathic fight with Rachel Summers.
Recommended reading? Not for the Beyonder
Unless you are a New Mutants fan of course, then it’s a standard issue of their run. But if you’re curious to pick this up for the tie-in, you’re not missing anything.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
He basically doesn’t do anything.
Should this have been in the miniseries? Yes
Having said that, Rachel Summers plays a surprisingly important role in a couple of scenes of the miniseries: she’s among the heroes that are most obsessed with the Beyonder, and of course she’s the only one who can BARELY fight him because of her connection to the Phoenix.
Having the mental battle there would’ve made sense.
Captain America #308 (1985)
by Mark Gruenwald & Paul Neary
cover by John Byrne
A lot of the tie-ins have a Byrne cover, and I do mean A LOT.
The Beyonder is an invisible presence watching Captain America’s adventure throughout the story, then at the very end he uses him as a template to create his blond body.
Recommended reading? Not for the Beyonder
I’m a huge Gruenwald fan and this issue is a little gem, with Armadillo being a surprisingly sympathetic villain. The main story is definitely recommended, but not for the tie-in.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
Outside of a couple of random captions, he’s only in the very last page.
Should this have been in the miniseries? Yes
The Beyonder shows up in the second issue with his new body, and to learn how you only need to read ONE page of this story. Could’ve easily been in the miniseries.
Uncanny X-Men 1 #196 (1985)
by Chris Claremont & John Romita Jr.
It’s the blond Beyonder! I almost miss that guy and his neverending struggle to understand food.
Claremont sure was interested in the relationship between Rachel and the Beyonder. But nothing comes of it because he teleports away to eat his sandwich.
But there’s also Nightcrawler struggling to reconcile his Christian faith with the fact that the Beyonder is an all-powerful god.
We’re so early in Secret Wars II that there isn’t much to base this on, but Claremont wisely calls back to the original Secret Wars when Nightcrawler saw the Beyonder OBLITERATE AN ENTIRE GALAXY.
I still believe Claremont is overrated as a writer, but I I have no problem admitting the man can write one hell of a scene when he hits the right spot. And he’s just great here.
This issue is somewhat infamous for Kitty Pryde using the N-word.
I didn’t censor this panel: while it was there in the original, it’s censored in the digital version on Marvel Unlimited.
Claremont handles the facets of racism with the subtlety of a sledgehammer but I’m not touching the subject.
The Beyonder has watched the whole issue like an invisible ghost once again, but he vows to quit doing that.
Recommended reading? Yes
Claremont has already lost me in this period as a reader, and I especially found his handling of Magneto’s redemption arc to be a mess. But this is still a well-written story.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
The best part of the tie-in is Nightcrawler’s reaction, and he doesn’t even meet the Beyonder in the story.
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
This is how the tie-ins can show their strength: showing the reaction the heroes have to what is happening in the miniseries.
Iron Man #197 (1985)
by Denny O’Neil & Rich Buckler
cover by John Byrne
Having Byrne draw the majority of the tie-in covers was a great idea, but this is the most generic Iron Man cover he could’ve done.
This is part of the historically significant O’Neil run when Tony Stark fell in disgrace because of his alcoholism: Jim Rhodes is currently Iron Man.
It’s towards the end of the run, so Tony is back to being sober even if he’s not in the armor.
You might remember that Rhodey was ALSO Iron Man during the original Secret Wars, so they could’ve explored his relationship with the Beyonder.
Instead the story focuses on the return of Thundersword after Secret Wars II #1.
Recommended reading? No
The O’Neil run as a whole is HIGHLY recommended: issue #182 in particular is, in my opinion, the best Iron Man story ever and it has one of the top five covers in all of Marvel history.
But there are some really rough patches within it, and while this issue is far from the worst it’s not exactly great.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? He’s not even in it
He wisely skipped this one.
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
Thundersword shouldn’t even have been created in the first place.
Web of Spider-Man #6 (1985)
written by Danny Fingeroth
pencils by Mike Harris & Mike Zeck
cover by John Byrne
Don’t let the fact that it’s written by the main Dazzler writer fool you. This is one of the best Spider-Man stories ever, PERIOD.
It deals with the fallback from the Beyonder transmuting an entire building into solid gold at the end of Secret Wars II #2.
Seriously, this is an underrated masterpiece. It deals with everything, from the technical to the financial aspects…
…to the political intrigue with the government commissioning Kingpin to make the building disappear before the appearance of so much gold destabilizes the economy…
…to the logistics on how to dispose of the gold…
…all acting as the background of Spider-Man incessantly working to saving lives.
Even when the police shot at him to get out of the building, which has been declared government property.
In the end, his morality is shaken when he discovers that Kingpin is being paid a fortune to help the government sink the gold into the ocean.
Can you blame Spider-Man for snapping!?
This results in him “stealing” a notepad that had been thrown into the garbage before it was turned into solid gold. It will take him FOREVER before he eventually sells it.
As if THAT wasn’t enough, it includes a great exploration of Mary Jane figuring out her feelings for both Peter Parker and Spider-Man.
I stand by it: this is one of the best Spider-Man stories ever published, and it’s written BY THE DAZZLER GUY. Why couldn’t he write THAT one this good!?!?
Recommended reading? Yes
As if I hadn’t made myself clear, READ THIS ONE!
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? Once again, he’s not here
Considering he could’ve solved everything in the blink of an eye, it’s for the better.
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
The building being transformed is basically a throwaway scene in the miniseries; the fact that it can be explored in such an amazing tie-in is proof enough that crossovers CAN be a good idea.
Amazing Spider-Man #268 (1985)
by Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
cover by John Byrne
As if you couldn’t tell from the cover, this is the follow-up on the golden building story.
Spider-Man was constantly switching between his original and his black costume in this period; he has the black costume on the cover, but in the story he’s in red and blue.
Remember how I said the government was going to sink all those tons of gold into the ocean?
The Kingpin has a plan to keep SOME of that gold for himself.
Spider-Man stops the Kingpin’s plan, even earning the respect of the government agent (who is not Gyrich despite looking exactly like him) that was basically the villain of the previous story.
It’s a fine story, but it really misses the introspection that made the previous one so special.
Recommended reading? No
If you’re interested in the follow-up to the previous one, which YOU SHOULD READ.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? Once again, he’s not here
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
Fantastic Four #282 (1985)
by John Byrne
One of the best Byrne covers on his legendary run.
The Beyonder’s only in a throwaway scene when Reed thinks the team should be dealing with him stead of the current storyline.
Recommended reading? Not for the tie-in
IT’S THE BYRNE RUN, so you should read it regardless, but not for the Beyonder.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
He’s BARELY in it.
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
This is basically already a scene from the third issue.
Incredible Hulk #312 (1985)
by Bill Mantlo & Mike Mignola
cover by Mike Mignola & Bill Sienkiewicz
When you have both Mignola AND Sienkiewicz on the cover, I guess you don’t need Byrne.
This is one of the most influential Hulk stories EVER, being mostly a flashback to his origin story and showing how his father was the worst human being ever.
The tie-in is in the present day, when the Beyonder watches over Bruce Banner: he’s been exiled into another dimension in this period.
So much for promising you’d never do this exact thing again, Beyonder.
Recommended reading? Not for the tie-in
The flashback is MASSIVELY important for the Hulk. But the Beyonder is basically an afterthought.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
There’s some GORGEOUS artwork when he explores the other dimension, but that’s about it.
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
The Beyonder shouldn’t even have been in this tie-in.
Avengers #260 (1985)
by Roger Stern & John Buscema
cover by John Byrne
Interesting stylistic choice from Byrne.
This story is the origin of one of the Beyonder’s iconic looks: other than his white outfit, it’s the giant-shoulder armor designed by John Buscema.
And he puts it on when playing superhero to help the Avengers.
Being the Beyonder, he royally screws this up: when he learns that the Avengers want to get rid of space super-pirate Nebula, he teleports her away. Too bad the Avengers wanted to CAPTURE her.
Recommended reading? Yes
IT’S THE STERN RUN, of course it’s highly recommended! It’s one of the best Avengers run ever!!!
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
Even in-universe, he just made things worse.
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
I’m grateful he never uses the armor there because I shudder at the thought of how Al Milgrom would’ve drawn it. Buscema clearly wanted the armor to be absurdly over-the-top, so who knows what monstrosity would’ve been if Milgrom played it straight.
Avengers #261 (1985)
by Roger Stern & John Buscema
I guess they realized you don’t need Byrne to do a cover if you have John Buscema.
Captain America has deduced that the being they saw in the previous issue was the Beyonder. Strangely enough, he doesn’t seem to realize he has his body with a different hairstyle.
Sterns writes the Beyonder as basically a kid, literally playing tag to impress the Avengers.
He’s basically back to his Blond Beyonder persona, so of course him being annoying ends up being funny instead of frustrating. Though your mileage may vary on this.
This being written by Roger Stern, the heroes DON’T ACT LIKE BRAINDEAD IDIOTS.
Since the Beyonder is in “I want to help others” phase, Wasp tries to recruit him into the Avengers.
Compare THIS Captain America, who reasons that the Beyonder hasn’t done anything evil and that the fact he’s powerful isn’t enough to condemn him…
…with this guy.
Too bad that Secret Wars II’s failure meant this event is not likely to ever get callbacks, because I want to read a “What If the Beyonder joined the Avengers” so bad right now.
Recommended reading? Yes
IT’S THE STERN RUN, plus it actually uses the Beyonder to great effect.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? Yes
If only to show how well he could’ve been written.
Should this have been in the miniseries? Yes
The heroes should’ve made at least SOME effort to listen to the Beyonder before losing their minds and attacking him on sight.
Alpha Flight #28 (1985)
by John Byrne
This is the last Byrne story on the title. And it surprisingly fits with one of the previous tie-ins, because something he did in the Hulk story will lead to him being brought back to Earth’s dimension in this one.
But that has nothing to do with the Beyonder’s appearance. This is an extension of the scene in Secret Wars II #4 where he retrieved a ring to woo Dazzler and saved Talisman as an afterthought.
Recommended reading? Yes
IT’S THE BYRNE RUN
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
Even in-universe, he immediately tosses the ring he took for Dazzler
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
Even what was in the miniseries shouldn’t have been there, because it interrupted the Dazzler plot for a truly pointless detour.
Power Pack #18 (1986)
written by Louise Simonson
pencils by Brent Anderson & Scott Williams
cover by Walt Simonson
Speaking of extension of random scenes from team-ups…
Kurse was created by the Beyonder, so when he accidentally hurts the mother of the Power Pack kids he offers to help.
Beyonder, if you really wanted to help you could’ve used your powers to cure their mother!!!
Recommended reading? Not for the tie-in
Power Pack is an underrated series, so it’s worth checking out, but definitely not for the Beyonder.
Did the Beyonder REALLY need to show up? No
He basically doesn’t do anything
Should this have been in the miniseries? No
He shouldn’t even have created Kurse in the first place.
And I think that’s a good point to stop for now; I’ll cover the rest of the minor tie-ins in the next batch.
Then we’ll look at the few real gems, at a couple of oddballs, and at the stories that SHOULD have been in the miniseries since they have major plot points.
Always liked UXM#196, especially the stand-off between Rachel and Magneto. I have to confess that I used Kitty’s reply in high school when a black kid asked an offensive query to me.
I suppose the “What if the Beyonder joined the Avengers?” Or at least, see how much good the Beyonder could have done if he was written as a competent hero, was kind of explored in SWII # 6. Cure all disease and hunger, and eventually destroy Death. (And then feel compelled to restore it.)