Now, as devastated as I was that Marvel and Hasbro stopped making the beloved Marvel Legends line of action figures, (though the sculpts were admittedly much better looking when they used to be made by Toybiz), I was delighted to find out that the new 3 and 3/4 inch Marvel Universe Line from Hasbro was set to include 25th Anniversary Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars.

There’s six 2 figure sets in all, each set coming with a reprint of issue of the series. The first wave includes a 2-pack of Captain America and villain Klaw, (I freaking LOVE Klaw! I’ve been dying for a Bowen bust of him for years!), along with issue #1. Then there’s the Human Torch and Wolverine with issue 2, and Thunderball and Spider-Man with issue 3.

I zipped over to Target, and now I’m the proud owner of all three sets from Wave 1. I think they’re pretty cool looking. They’re well-articulated, though some of the paint jobs seem to be a bit sloppy. I still prefer the larger Marvel legends, still and all.

Despite that, I’ll still probably pick up Wave 2, which includes an angry Hulk and Cyclops with issue 4, Iron Man and Spider-Woman with issue 7, and Spider-Man in his iconic black costume along with Magneto and issue 8.

Nostalgia, and my uncontrollable need to be a consumer, will compel me to seek out every Secret Wars tie-in that Marvel sees fit to produce. It may not be good for my bank account, but really… who needs money?

Whether it was with my own money or my parents’, I ended up buying that first issue, as well as the next 11 subsequent issues of Marvel’s first company-wide crossover. I honestly don’t know how I did it. I mean, I was only 10. I didn’t have money back then. There were no nearby comic shops I had access to, never mind eBay. But I managed to do it. I remember that I saw #3 sitting on the shelf at Big V, a local pharmacy. I went back a couple of days later to purchase it, and it was gone. I asked a woman who worked there if it had been sold, or was maybe taken off the shelf and was in the back. I waited anxiously as she went to check, and was elated when she came back carrying the last remaining copy.

As it turns out, this year is the 25th Anniversary of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. In reading online reaction to the series, it’s easy to see that fan reaction was polarized. Most either loved it or hated it, with few opinions in between. Needless to say, I was one of the readers on the loved it side. In fact, this may very well be my very favorite mini-series ever.

Admittedly, the premise is kind of flimsy. A God-like Entity, the Beyonder, was able to observe Marvel’s earth through a hole in space. Intrigued by what he saw, he absconded with most of the Marvel U’s major heroes and villains. He set them against each other on a world… dubbed, appropriately enough, Battleworld, for his amusement. “Slay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours!” he told them, thus setting off an epic battle.

The series, written by then Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, featured gorgeous art by Mike Zeck and was a showcase for MANY senses-shattering moments Including: Spiderman THRASHING the X-Men when he found out that they were going to abandon the Heroes to ally with Magneto in Issue #3; The Hulk holding up a mountain that the villains dropped on the heroes after they had been defeated and tried to escape in Issue #4; the “death” of the Wasp in Issue #7; And, most importantly, the debut of Spiderman’s iconic black costume. As Marvel fans know, the suit turned out to be an Alien Symbiote, and later became insanely popular Spiderman villain Venom.

The series was a smashing success. Each issue sold nearly 750,000 copies, and it spawned a dreadful sequel, Secret Wars II, in which the Beyonder comes to Earth and takes human form, dressing in a white leather jumpsuit and having a black perm. *sigh* I try to forget it ever happened. Secret Wars also inspired THE Marvel toy line of the ‘80s, which carried the same name as the comics. Each of the figures came with their own “secret shield”, which came with inserts you could place in the shield to show off changing images when you moved it back and forth. I had the Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, And Dr. Doom figures. There were also vehicles, playsets, coloring books, puffy stickers, etc. Check out http://www.toymania.com/archives/secretwars/ for an overview of both the comics, toys, and other products inspired by the series.

It’s hard to believe all that was 25 years ago. Being the collector that I am today, I have near mint copies of the series bagged and boarded and safely stashed away in a long box. It’s actually been a long time since I’ve read the series, and I think I’m due. Time to sit down in my jimmies with some Count Chocula and get to readin’. Guess I’ll be sending you Marvel Zombies another Blast from the Past when I’m done. Until then, I’ll see you at the comic shop.

Here are some current "Marvel Super Heroes Secret War" auctions from eBay:

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Best Match Time: ending soonest Time: newly listed Price: lowest first Price: highest first Price + Shipping: lowest first Price + Shipping: highest first

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars 8 Spider Man Black Costume    US $17.99

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars 3 CGC 96 1984    US $39.99

Marvel Super Heroes SECRET WARS 4 Aug 1984 VG    US $5.53

Marvel Super Heroes SECRET WARS 7 Nov 1984 FN    US $5.53

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars 8 CGC 98 WP Origin Spider Man Black Costume    US $89.95

MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS 8 1st Venom VFN    US $22.49

1984 Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars Secret Messages    US $15.99

MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS 8 NEAR MINT 94 BLACK COSTUME FIRST VENOM AS AL    US $47.38

Marvel Super Heroes DOOM CYCLE Secret Wars SEALED Vintage 1984 Mattel Villains    US $34.95

MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS 1984 Leaf Sticker Album FNVF Unused^    US $4.99

Marvel Super heroes Secret Wars 9 jan 1985    US $.99

MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS 1986 PANINI Stickers Mint Loose Choose 10]    US $8.99

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