Secret Love

“Secret Wars: Secret Love” #1 is an anthology of romance tales set within the “Secret Wars” event. It’s a clever idea with a fun title, and the five stories eagerly take opportunity of the possibilities, either to use the Marvel Multiverse to revisit couples from other continuities or timelines or to pair up newer characters without worrying about long-term consequences. “Guilty Pleasure” by Michel Fiffe brings back Karen Page, Daredevil’s longest-running love interest. Both the art and story have a retro vibe but, even allowing for that intent, Fiffe leans too heavily on textbook voiceovers. Over half of the story is heavily expository; Karen tells the reader about her love for Matt and her suspicions and there’s also an information dump about Typhoid Mary. The dialogue works well, but some panels are cluttered and the space looks off when he fails to nail the perspective. There’s an excellent plot twist in the middle of the action, though. The ending is surprisingly bittersweet, a