A Big Thanks goes to Viz Media and Net Galley for the chance to review this title.
What happens when you mix Yu-Gi-Oh and the Marvel Universe? Secret Reverse! Another collaboration with Marvel, and Shueisha brings us a brand new story from Yu-Gi-Oh Creator, Kazuki Takahashi.
Secret Reverse was one of the stories that are part of the Marvel x Shōnen Jump+ Super Collaboration One-Shot Stories. I had a chance to review one of the stories featured in the collab, Deadpool Samurai Volume One.
In this new adventure, Tony Stark heads to Japan for a Gaming Convention. Awaiting his arrival was Reijiro Kaioh, the CEO of a world-famous card game company. Kaioh plans to unveil the amazing new gaming machine, but the inventor and his device are not at all what they appear to be. Joining Iron-Man is Spider-Man in one of the Strangest Tales yet.
By all means, when I said it was strange, that didn’t mean I was tearing it down. Kaioh wouldn’t have been the strangest villain the two avengers have fought in their long history, but the idea of a villain using trading cards for world domination sounds like a toy line idea from the 1980s. Kaioh wields a game system that is similar to a Kaiba Corp Duel Disc, except this, will do actual harm and aren’t holograms.
Fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh series will recognize the nods, and how similar Kaioh’s character design was not only inspired by his previous work but also similar to American Comic Book Super-Villains. You may be looking at this review with confusion but I assure you, that you can tell that this was a creation of love. Iron-Man and Spider-Man were great to bring in for this story, both heroes are familiar with technology and science, and in this case, defending Earth against intergalactic/Interdimensional threats.
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Secret Reverse is a perfect blend of American Comic Books and Japanese Manga. The action is well-drawn, with great dialogue and a decent script, but I feel that this is a story that isn’t worth buying unless you’re a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. It was a clever experiment and worth looking into for fans of Marvel.
Final Grade:
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