Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: The Epic 1980s Saga

Explore the Stories Behind the Legends

In 1984, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter brought Marvel's heroes and villains together for an epic battle that became the template for comic book crossovers and impacted Marvel's storylines for decades, including major changes to the Spider-Man mythos and the introduction of a new villain.

Within the 12-part storyline, characters who had never met before would find themselves thrown together to achieve a common goal. They formed shaky alliances. There were tremendous power struggles. Teams within teams would form. Relationships would be tested, and both heroes and villains would never be the same. Neither would the Marvel Universe.

Illustrated with full-color art, Tom Mason's entry in the MARVEL AGE OF COMICS takes a deep dive into how Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars became the modern comics industry's first true blockbuster.

Author: Tom K. Mason
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: 10/15/2026
Pages: 192
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 7.75h x 5.00w x 1.00d
ISBN13: 9798765141694
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Comics & Graphic Novels
- Social Science | Popular Culture
- Social Science | Media Studies

About the Author
Tom K. Mason is an Emmy-winning television writer with credits as writer, story editor, or head writer on more than 600 episodes of children's entertainment. As a cofounder of Malibu Comics, he edited more than 1,000 comics and wrote close to 100 of them. He was a founding editor of Bravura, the comic book imprint created by Howard Chaykin, Walter Simonson, Jim Starlin, and others. He recently wrote a Lilo & Stitch graphic novel, and currently co-writes the Captain Awesome books under the name "Stan Kirby."