This is a spoiler free review.

Marvel’s Secret Reverse was an interesting comic book / anime / Yu-Gi-Oh amalgamation. Thank you Viz Media, Marvel Comics, and NetGalley for a digital ARC copy to review.

I love Spider-man comics and Yu-Gi-Oh cartoons but I had a hard time with this book. The story was awesome and I was engaged to see what would happen next. Also, the usage of a card game giving people power as the crux of the story was awesome. I really enjoyed the similarities to Yu-Gi-Oh. The character designs and their powers reminded me of anime cartoons and Yu-Gi-Oh.

The artwork was where I had issues. I found it hard to follow what was going on. There was so much going on in every panel that it was hard to follow. I think I would have enjoyed the story more had the illustrations been in full color in the ARC I was reading. The artwork would have been easier to understand in full color rather than in black and white.

After I finished reading Marvel’s Secret Reverse Kazuki Takashi passed away. That sad news was an awful way to finish reading his last book. I was hoping Kazuki Takashi would try this again with more Marvel characters and see if a second try at this mash up would be better.

RIP Kazuki Takashi. I’m glad I got to read your Spider-man / Yu-Gi-Oh comic book.

If you like Yu-Gi-Oh anime cartoons then you should give Marvel’s Secret Reverse a try. You’ll enjoy the story and maybe like the artwork more than I did.

Stay awesome and keep reading.


Marvel’s Secret Reverse

Creative team:

Written and Illustrated Kazuki Takashi

It’s hard to look at anything from Kazuki Takahashi now and not feel a little emotional. His sudden passing earlier this year has me longing for Yu-Gi-Oh nostalgia, and his Jump+ one-shot Secret Reverse satisfies. It doesn’t have the trademark Yu-Gi-Oh stakes, but it’s a beautiful comic/manga mashup featuring two Marvel heavyweights.

Iron Man and Spider-Man have been called to visit Tokyo, while Tony Stark gets a demonstration of state-of-the-art-tech. Using something called a Deathal machine, game creator Kaioh can bring his card game Secret Reverse to life. Some extraterrestrial brainwashing aliens control the machine and Kaioh, which is why his daughter Hiromi ask the two for assistance. What follows is a tale that pits the duo up against a villain in trademark Takahashi fashion.

I must say, Takahashi’s art is superb. As this manga-that-reads-like-an-American-comic is in full color, the designs pop out immensely. It’s similar to Deadpool Samurai, and honestly I hope Marvel can make more of these collaborations with lesser known heroes. However, like Deadpool Samurai, the plot is straightforward and very basic; you’re not getting a Civil War storyline here. It’s even more apparent as the cast outside the main two heroes are flat and uninspiring. The other character is a card-loving boy named Masaru who wouldn’t look out of place as a JoJo tagalong sidekick. (The ones that can’t do anything in a fight, I mean.)

That said, I like how Takahashi used the characterizations of the MCU for Spidey and Stark. It’s a very cool surrogate father/son dynamic, and the two play off each other quite well. For a Japanese interpretation of Spider-Man, he gets the quirkiness and sharp mouth down! The action scenes in the second half are vivid and entertaining, and I loved my time looking at the illustrations. I hope that we can get more Marvel collaborations with famous mangaka.

In the meantime, rest in peace to a legend indeed.

Not a huge fan of this one but really did enjoy the artwork. Tony Stark going to a gaming convention seemed out of character but they gave reasons for it. Still a good read to check out.

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.

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.

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.

While I enjoyed the art, it felt like I was reading about Pokémon and not the Marvel universe. I really liked the way that both Iron Man and Spider Man were there and did not overshadow one another.

Honestly, if I payed money for this I would have returned it. I've never read a worse manga in my life. Not only was the story not the best, I could not stand the artwork either. It was literally Yu-Gi-Oh with Spiderman and Iron Man shoehorned into the story. I just can't give this a good rating it was so bad.

**Thanks to Viz Media and Netgalley for a egalley copy for review**

When I heard about this I was super excited about the idea of a Marvel x Card Game type cross over. But what I had in my head vs. what this ended up being were completely different.

The story feels very run of the mill, the card game aspect while a central feature really is not a playable card game like the story telling of yugioh and others of its ilk. It was just your run of the mill Marvel story, which isn't a bad thing but as I said before it wasn't what I though I was getting..

It just felt like a bit of a let down overall.

Kazuki Takahashi is known for the Yugioh series, and this book has a lot of fun nods to the franchise in terms of original character designs and the use of a card game plot. The end notes reveal that he's always wanted to try doing an American style comic book and honestly? This is a really solid effort in trying to mimic the art and writing style! It's a fun experiment to see, for sure!