Grade: B+, aka, not quite top 10, but really, really, really good…
Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders by Al Ewing and the great Alan Davis. I did not expect to like this book, as Ewing’s previous work has always been pretty bland, but I really enjoyed it. I don’t understand why some people remember the pre-Secret Wars universe and others don’t, but the first issue of this book showed Doom’s universe beginning to unravel, and the new Captain Britain is an interesting character. Well written, fun, funny, and it “mattered.” Really can’t ask for more.
Civil War by Charles Soule and Leinil Yu. The most What-Iffy of all the stories so far, this is basically an alternate way Civil War could have gone.
Hail Hydra by Rick Remender and Roland Boschi. It starts with a box that has nothing but words in it, and has page after page of internal dialog. In other words, it’s written by Rick Remender. But I do like where he’s taking Captain America’s son in this, and the story is a solid one—particularly in light of the SW concept. If SW is about realities clashing, this one literally has them crashing into each other.
Master of Kung Fu by Haden Blackman and Dalibor Talajic. Issue #1 was almost a rip off of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master (but it was good, because that source material is terrific); issue #2 kind of floundered; and #3 was fantastic. If you like 1970s karate movies and the Wu Tang Clan, you’ll probably like this. And it really does something different with the reimagined Marvel characters, too (see above).
Planet Hulk by Sam Humphries and Marc Laming.
X-Men ’92 by Chris Sims, Chad Bowers and Scott Koblish. It’s the team from the cartoon, written in that style. It can be a little clunky at times, but mostly it’s hilarious, corny, and probably the most fun of all the SW books.
Hit Next: The Top Ten Secret Wars books!
Grade: A….