It's taken a few months, but it looks like Time Finally Ran Out, and now, Everything Ends. Or, Everything has already Ended. Everything is beginning to End? This is getting confusing. Start again: over the past few months, the Avengers and New Avengers titles have bore the foreboding banner over their titles on every cover. A timer counting down every month until TIME RUNS OUT! If you actually cracked the covers of those comics you'd get your first look at Marvel's big summer event, Secret Wars. Right now that apocalyptic event is knocking on your door, with the first issue of Secret Wars hitting shelves this week. The crossover has been teased for months now, in the Avengers books and other alternate reality Marvel storylines (like Spider-Verse), and now it's finally here. Chances are you're not quite prepared for what's coming, though. Marvel have been purposefully vague, keeping a tight lid on the particulars of this multiverse-spanning event. Plus you might want to jump into it not being aware of writer Jonathan Hickman's huge epic plans that he's been building up over literal years. Then there's all the tie-in books... it can be a little intimidating. Whether you're a Marvel junkie or a fan of the films looking to dip your toe into the world of funnybooks, this is going to be a huge, exciting event - if a somewhat confounding, confusing one. For the lowdown on the build up, the plot, the players, and the aftermath, here's everything you need to know about Secret Wars.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
