Annihilation #5

December 26, 2006

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Ascension
Rating: T+

With Thanos dead, can anyone free Galactus?

Writer: Keith Giffen
Art: Andrea DiVito
Colors: Laura Villari
Letters:Cory Petit
Editor: Andy Schmidt
Cover Art: Gabrielle Dell’otto
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Drax has killed Thanos, supposedly the one being with the power to free Galactus – and only Galactus has the power to stop Annihilus on his path of destruction through the universe. As Drax and Moondragon seek a new way to free the devourer of worlds, Nova’s team plans a last stand and Ronan and the Super-Skrull go to war with the Kree Empire.

Keith Giffen really has done a masterful job with this storyline, weaving the sort of war story combined with action combined with an air of last-stand desperation that really makes for an exciting cosmic event. What’s more, in the process he’s refined characters like Ronan the Accuser, who in the past have been little more than plot devices to make things a little more difficult on the Avengers, and turned them into people to root for. The same goes for the likes of the Super-Skrull and Blastaar. Meanwhile, we see a real evolution of Nova – he’s become much more than the teen superhero he used to be – now he’s a genuine general, and it’s a role that suits him in this book.

Mixed in with a strong story is some truly wonderful artwork. Andrea DiVito has long been one of the best traditional artists in Marvel’s stable, but his style is particularly well suited for this sort of space opera. There’s a lot of superhero style in here, but he mixes it with the sort of aliens and sci-fi energy effects (no doubt aided by Laura Villari’s fantastic colors) to give the book just the right look.

Ronan’s final scene is perhaps what puts this book over the top for me. It’s one of those final moments that really tugs at you, which is something that a character like Ronan never would have been able to pull off prior to this story. That’s a pretty good summation, in fact, as to what makes this issue good.

Rating: 8/10

(2010 Note: I later went back and got the hardcover Annihilation collections. They were well worth the money.)