I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars for a little bit on this one and decided to err on the side of four.

What I'm not wild about is the revelation that the oft-mentioned, unseen Ivory Kings are the Beyonders - I had hoped that Secret Wars was just going to be a reference in name only and wouldn't require any space gods to get things going (well, beyond the ones who are already superheroes). The revelation that they've been hunting down the Celestials and the higher levels of the cosmic hierarchy feels less like the "oh crap" moment I think Hickman wants us to have, and more like an attempt to quickly build up a new villain by showing them destroying an already powerful villain, which is something I've gotten pretty tired of in comics.

That said, with the big play finally going down against the Cabal and the introduction of the 1610 Reed into the mix, I'm REALLY curious to see where all of this is going. I know I've said it time and time again while reading Hickman's Avengers, but it feels like the wheels are just coming off the world entirely at this point, and I love the feeling that where we go from here is anyone's guess (unless you've been reading solicitations I guess) ( )

2.5 because it's a little better than vol 2 but not enough to raise to 3 stars.

I'm excited for Secret Wars but there is few redeeming characters in this event. Reed thinks because he's smart that he can make any call he wants. Black Panther doesn't care anymore except for his revenge. Steve Rogers is an angry old man that isn't focusing on what matters.

Only good thing is Sunspot's story line. ( )