I was a huge fan of the 2099 line of comics when Marvel introduced them back in 1992. What a cool concept, I thought; a new world, with all new characters to explore and stories to be told. I was partial to X-Men 2099 and the short lived X-Nation 2099 series, but Marvel also rolled out future versions of Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk and Ghost Rider, to name a few. So when Secret Wars was announced, and solicits for a 2099 story being told was advertised, I felt the same excitement I felt back in the 90s. And then I read Secret Wars 2099 #1….and the excitement was gone.

I know I probably shouldn’t have had the expectation of going back to the 2099 I knew and loved, seeing as this Battleworld is a mash up of worlds from the multiverse that were destroyed in the Incursions. But I hoped and I dove in. We’re introduced to Nueva York, a bustling city where mega corporations are in control of every aspect of daily life. We also get a good look at the Captain America of this ‘world’, and then the slash page reveal of the Avengers..2099. Led by a female Captain America, we (of course) have an Iron Man, Hawkeye now sporting wings and talons and Hercules, who I’m assuming is the original given he is the son of Zeus and all. Then enter the bad guys, usual super hero banter, the timely arrival of Black Widow (to round out the team), Hercules bucking for a sexual harrasment suit with a female bystander, and Hawkeye made to look useful by Cap asking for a lift….but later Cap showing off wings of her own ( so why the lift?)Anyways… Bad guys stopped, round up banter, and the team heads to headquarters, to report in and we’re shown a glimpe of the people behind the masks. Other then seeing Captain America’s identity, I didn’t really care.

The story and the characters didn’t really grab me. I know the Avengers are Marvel’s cash cow and they’re going to feature whenever they get the chance, but I would have enjoyed this title more if it focused on a different group of characters. Sure, they took Hulk out and added Hercules, but it wasn’t a big enough change for me. And there wasn’t much of a backstory to this 2099 world, or explanation as to what made it tick. I knew what it was going in, but a new reader may not make sense of it. And Will Sliney’s art isn’t terrible, but some of his facial expression and panels featuring Black Widow didn’t do much for me.

Overall, I’m hesitant about picking up issue #2. I wasn’t grabbed and pulled into this story, unlike others I have read in Secret Wars. I can’t say I would reccomend the read if you were a fan of 2099 from back in the day, but if you’re going to pull all the tie-ins from Secret Wars, I suggest you keep your expectations low on this one.

Story: Peter David Art: Will Sliney
Story: 4 Art: 5 Overall: 4.5 Recommendation: Pass