Secret Wars II #2 Review - Secret Wars II

Issue Review
Secret Wars II #2

Direct Market Release Date: April 23, 1985

Credits

Title: "I'll Take Manhattan..."
Scripter: Jim Shooter
Penciler: Al Milgrom
Inkers: Steve Leialoha & Joe Rubinstein
Letterers: Rick Parker & Joe Rosen
Colorist: M. Hands
Editor: Bob Budiansky

Summary

New York City is under siege as Psycho Man and his android Hate Monger incites mass rioting and civil unrest. The Fantastic Four, currently occupying the Avengers Mansion, try to resolve the crisis. In the midst of this, the Hate Monger employs his Hate-Stimulus to turn Sue Richards into Malice, the Mistress of Hate.

Meanwhile, having settled on a physical form, the Beyonder begins to explore the concept of being human, experience pain and hunger, and curiosity about clothing and food. He tracks down Peter Parker for help. Realizing that the Beyonder is out of his league, Parker refers him to Reed Richards. The Beyonder obeys, but not until after learning how to use the bathroom.

Back in Midtown, Sue Richards has broken free of the Hate Monger's control, and the Fantastic Four are beginning to turn the tide, when the Beyonder appears, shocking the quartet. Reed Richards attempts to communicate with him, but the Beyonder disappears. Sue Richards, distraught by her transformation into Malice, is left to wonder what is more important to Reed; the Beyonder? Or comforting his wife.

The Beyonder encounters a homeless woman named Elsie, and gets assaulted by some thugs looking to rob them. After the beating, Elsie give the Beyonder a business card for Heroes For Hire, and tells him that he can get protection from them. The Beyonder enters the offices of Heroes For Hire at night, and realizing that Power Man and Iron Fist aren't there, plucks them from a moment in the past.

After a brief physical confrontation, the two heroes attempt to describe the way of the world, with Iron Fist taking a more philosophical approach, and Luke Cage explaining that money makes the world go round. Realizing that a shortage of money prevents people from achieving their desires, the Beyonder turns the Heroes for Hire skyscraper into gold, upon which it immediately collapses under it's own weight.

Thinking the problem solved, the Beyonder returns Power Man and Iron Fist to the point in time in which he retrieved them, and then disappears, leaving a stunned Spider-Man wondering what to do.

Quotes

Peter Parker: Boy, I guess I've been a rotten host! Is there anything I can get you? A drink of water, maybe?
The Beyonder: Will that relieve this strange pressure -- this fullness I feel in my lower abdomen?
Peter Parker: Uh... no, it'll probably make it worse! Sounds like you have to, uh... go to the bathroom!
The Beyonder: Explain!
Peter Parker: Oboy...
Caption: Moments later
Peter Parker: Right in there... Just call me if there's a problem! "If there's a problem..." IF there's a problem--! The Beyonder's in your bathroom, jerk, of course there's a problem! But what am I going to do? I hardly believe this is happening!
The Beyonder: The experience is consummated!

Reed Richards: He's gone! GONE! Blast it! I had a chance to reach him... Communicate...
Sue Richards: Reed, I don't know what all this is about, but I NEED you! I need you NOW! Don't you understand?
Reed Richards: I -- I.. Of course, darling, but... That was the Beyonder! He... his power is unimaginable! Godlike! A chance to communicate with such a being...! It It's important that...
Sue Richards: Not now, Reed! I need you now! Am I not important?

The Beyonder: I am from Beyond!
Elsie: Oh! I'm from McKee's Rocks, myself!

Iron Fist: You actually are a being from... somewhere else, aren't you? And you're here to learn the ways of men--?
The Beyonder: Yes!
Iron Fist: Friend, if you truly come from a place of unity, wholeness and completeness... you already KNOW what we humans dream of and strive to attain!

The Beyonder: Multiplicity results in incompleteness! Incompleteness results in desire! Desire may be sated, but someone must pay! Cash is for paying! Cash stands for gold, of which there is not enough! I understand!

Luke Cage (after the Beyonder turned a skyscraper into solid gold): Wh--what'd you do that for!?
The Beyonder: To pay for the services of Heroes for Hire! Somebody must pay!
Spider-Man: C-couldn't you have written them a check?

Commentary

Secret Wars II begins to pick up steam in this issue. The first few pages devoted to the Beyonder's reactions to the world at large are well done, and scratch the surface of one of the central themes of Secret Wars II, which is the examination of late 20th Century culture. Even the scene where Peter Parker teaches the Beyonder how to use the bathroom isn't as out of place as you might think.

The end of the story kicks off a great run in the crossovers, as Spider-Man deals with the collapse of the golden skyscraper.

Joe Rubinstien assisted on the inks in this issue, and his approach lends a cleaner, more finished line to Milgrom's pencils than Leialoha. The transition between inkers is very noticeable, and does tend to pull you out of the story at points, especially where the two of them seemed to share inking duties on the same page.

Shooter also does a great job at giving us a glimpse into the Beyonder's thoughts. I'm not entirely sure how the Beyonder, who was able to speak perfect english in the first Secret Wars, has trouble with the language here, but it's a minor point - perhaps he's just learning how to use his physical form to speak.

The issue is not perfect however. If the Fantastic Four's involvement seems rushed, that's because it is - technically, after reaching page 5, you should check out Fantastic Four issues #280 and #281 before continuing on to page 12, even though they came out 3 months prior to Secret Wars II #2, and don't have a "Secret Wars II Continues In This Issue" triangle. Psycho Man and the Hate Monger's attack has no explanation or context without reading these issues.

Equally confusing is the 'death' of the android Hate Monger, shot by someone off panel who is not identified in the book. The attacker was later revealed to be Scourge, who was soon to be killing off minor Marvel villains in nearly every Marvel title in the mid to late 1980's. It works in hindsight, but at the time, it must have been slightly confusing.

Without being aware of Scourge and the Fantastic Four issues mentioned above, parts of this issue are a bit of a muddled mess, and prevents this read from being a full 5 star rating for me.

As for interesting trivia, one of the World Trade Center buildings is involved in the book's opening scene. Elsie, the homeless woman, made a previous appearance with her attacker, Charlie Carcrash, in Marvel Fanfare #20. And the Beyonder never appears as a plasma energy being in the story, despite being depicted as such on the cover. Perhaps this is more evidence to support the theory that Marvel Editorial continually changed the Beyonder's appearance (For more on this, visit the Secrets of Secret Wars II page!).

And, contrary to the cover blurb, the Beyonder never utters the phrase "I'll take Manhattan!"...

Up next...

Secret Wars II continues in Web of Spider-Man #6!