Anyway, what does all this "Time Runs Out" business mean? Well, in the Avengers books the arrival of alternate Earths is said to mean the destruction of either one or both planets. Secret Wars is like that on a massive scale, where every Earth collapses in on each other, with every alternate reality smooshed together into one delicious multi-topping pizza. That sounds facetious, but it's literally how Marvel editors have described the book. It's like a pizza with all the best toppings. And in this case, the base for this tasty Italian savoury pie is Battleworld, a new creation - country, planet, reality, nobody knows - that's made up of lots of old and new alternate realities and eras in Marvel history. That's the setting for Secret Wars. It won't be the New York City, United States or even planet Earth that has served the main Marvel universe well for so long (that reality is designated 616, which may or may not be important). All of those cities, countries and worlds have been flattened down into one huge battleground, a mash-up of alternate realities. Oh yeah: there will be fighting.
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/
