There is a lot of criticism surrounding Marvel’s newest event comic, “Secret Wars.” Most of it centers on how inaccessible the event is to new readers. Yes, this new series is steeped in three years of recent continuity and could benefit from some preliminary reading. But, new readers shouldn’t be afraid to dive in. Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s “Secret Wars” is surprisingly accessible.

As a reader new to Hickman’s world, but familiar with the writer’s tropes, I approached “Secret Wars” with some trepidation. I knew the broad strokes of the conflict that precedes the series, and I knew the characters involved. (For the uninitiated it’s literally everyone from both the Ultimate Marvel Universe and the standard Marvel Universe aka The 616) But, somehow without any prior reading I was engaged and thoroughly enthralled by the conflict on the page. And chances are great that you will be too.

If you have so much as a brief understanding of Marvel’s pantheon of superheroes then “Secret Wars” shouldn’t be hard to digest. The event deals with the “death” of the Marvel Universe as we’ve known it. There are events called incursions that are causing gigantic planets to collide and collapse upon one another. The multiverse is no more. Secret Wars begins with the final moments leading up to the last incursion event. That means the Ultimate Universe and The 616 are smashing into one another – it’s all out war.

Now, obviously there are tons of characters at play here. What’s clear is that Hickman has already established all the key players in the event and makes their motivations come naturally through the page. So while it may be rewarding to long time readers, a brief understanding of general character alignment and regular characteristics will be enough to head into the insanity of Secret Wars.

If you’re exclusive a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie-goer and looking to jump into comics, this may be the best place to do it. There will be plenty of familiar faces for you, but a ton of new things to discover. It’s strange because the first issue strives because it comes across so frantic and intense. There are two massive worlds ending. They’ve existed for years and are about to become a blip in the timeline of continuity. So don’t be overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment.

If you embrace the first issue of Secret Wars you’ll find a ton of small character moments, absolutely stellar artwork, and a high stakes event comic that readers have craved for so long. As you dive in a little further you’ll see that the new world Secret Wars is building is quite unlike anything Marvel has done before. Yet, it’s so fully realized and dense, that many are making the comparison to Game of Thrones. What at first may seem like a lazy comparison is indeed accurate.

If you’re on the fence about Secret Wars – don’t be. It’s a thoroughly engaging story that manages to take your expectations from continuity and use them against you. So if you’ve skipped out on the “required reading” you don’t have to worry. There is still plenty to enjoy, and hell you can be here on the ground floor for the birth of an entirely new comics universe. One in which we’ve never seen the like.

And if you still don’t believe, our review of “Secret Wars” #2 might change your mind.