SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR BEGINS! Love 'em or hate 'em, big event comics were a defining feature of the Iron Age, cramming a whole universe of superheroes into a single miniseries and/or spreading a single story out over multiple titles. We begin three months of surveying the crossover phenomenon with one of the first major examples: Marvel’s Secret Wars II, written and architected by friend-of-the-podcast* Jim Shooter. Whereas the original Secret Wars was designed to take place relatively unobtrusively between issues of the regular monthly books, the sequel sprawled across the Marvel Universe for nine months. 

The cosmic being known as the Beyonder has come to Earth seeking the meaning of existence, and his limitless power—coupled with childlike curiosity and naivete—makes him a potential threat to the entire multiverse. But, in contrast with its action-packed predecessor, the frequently bizarre Secret Wars II spends much of its time on fish-out-of-water hijinks, thinly veiled attacks on former Marvel creators, mild satire of '80s consumer culture, and some uncomfortable fixations regarding women and relationships. 

Discussed in this episode: Secret Wars II #1-9, plus various tie-ins.

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* (Not really.)

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