Category: Content

The first of the ‘Annuals’ crossovers, and one of the best. It didn’t always hang together as well as it should have, but compared to a lot of the crossovers that followed it (especially the DC ones), it worked very well.

You can see where it fits into the larger timeline here.

Footnotes:

1. All the prologues originally ran as back up features in the eleven annuals, retelling the prior history of the High Evolutionary.
2. Note that these two stories occur in the opposite order to that of the main stories in each Annual.
3. Reveals the fates of Hercules and the High Evolutionary after the events of this crossover.
4. Features an agent of the High Evolutionary who never learned that the war was over.

The one that started it all: the crossover before there were crossovers. Not a great artistic success, but a fantastic commercial one.

You can see where it fits into the larger timeline here.

Footnotes:

1. The entirety of Secret Wars takes place between pages 2 & 3 of Thor #341. In #341, there were three whited out panels – panels which were provided the following month in the letter column of #342.
2. These two sets of three issues all happen at around the same time.
3. This story depicts an expanded version of the origin of Titania seen in Secret Wars #3.
4. The vast majority of this issue takes place at this point.
5. Takes place entirely within Secret Wars #4
6. Appears to take place around the time of Secret Wars #6
7. Jumps around a bit chronologically, but after Secret Wars #9 is the best fit.
8. Takes place entirely within Secret Wars #10
9. Takes place entirely between panels 4 & 5 on page 36 of Secret Wars #12, according to editorial notes in the story.
10. Tells various incidents across the whole span of the original series, but best read here to avoid spoilers.
11. Iron Man returns with the Avengers.
12. Iron Man deals with some fallout from the Secret Wars.
13. An epilogue, but probably the single best issue of the whole storyline.
14. The Thing remained on Battleworld for 12 issues of his own title before returning to Earth.
15. The Thing finally returned to Earth in this issue.
16. Quasar deals with some fallout from Iron Man’s fallout, above.