Common knowledge would dictate that with the announcement that Secret Wars was being stretched out to include a ninth issue, it would give writer Jonathan Hickman much more space to expand the story. Such is not the case with this latest installment however as too much detail is left missing from the pages. Readers are told what has transpired instead of shown the actual events, and because of this are tasked with blindly accepting everything that has happened between issues five and six as casually as if they happened on panel. Secret Wars #6 is a letdown in this miniseries that has otherwise been a fun and justified event. Heres hoping for lucky number seven.

Not only is Secret Wars #7 an enjoyable issue, it gets the train back on the tracks at such a crucial point in the miniseries. Questions raised in previous installments are answered, even if readers will feel at times as if they missed something between issues #6 and #7. It is safe to say however, with the cliffhangers of this and the previous issues, and with only two more issues to go before the miniseries concludes, Secret Wars is rounding out into form and promises to end with a boisterous bang.

With one chapter remaining of Marvel's biggest event ever, Hickman and Ribic give readers their very best effort and provide the best issue of the series since the opening issues. The most important aspect of this issue is that every single thing that occurs on these pages matter. From Thanos' confrontation with Doom, Galactus vs. Thing, and the cliffhanger, readers are equally rewarded with great moments, but left eagerly awaiting the final issue of this great event series. Hickman and Ribic opened up this series with a bang, and by all indications, they aim to close with an even bigger bang in Secret Wars #8.

Amidst the rumors that Marvel CEO Isaac Perlmutter has been trying to dismantle the Fantastic Four franchise, Marvel gave them the perfect send off. Hickman manages to dig to the very core of the Reed Richards/Dr. Doom dynamic while making the Richards family act as architects of the new multiverse. It would have been nice to see the Human Torch and Franklin Richards have bigger roles in such a FF-centric story, but in truth, Secret Wars was really a story about Reed and Doom. Its a story that shows the biggest difference between the two in how they went about saving reality; Doom would rather preserve where Reed would seek to expand. With no ongoing title of their own, the team disassembled and their future uncertain, the Fantastic Four franchise has never seen darker days. Given all the behind the scenes corporate controversy, its only fitting that Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic give them the happy ending they all deserved. Even Dr. Doom.

No matter how good the art is (and it really is quite good), it can't compensate for the directionless narrative. Although each artist is perfectly suited to draw the scenes they were tasked with, it can't save this issue. Brian Michael Bendis makes issue #600 seems less like a tribute to the X-Men mythos, and more like a self-satisfied tribute to himself.