Annihilators #4

October 8, 2011

Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Pencils: Tan Eng Huat & Timothy Green II
Inks: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: June Chung & Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer: Joe Caramagna & Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Alex Garner
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Publisher: Marvel Comics

So as it turns out, the rising of the Dire Wraiths has all been a ploy by their interstellar cousins, the Skrulls, to regain their lost dominance in the stars. Also, Immortus is attacking with an army of cross-time badasses. Fortunately, on the good guys’ side are the Annihilators, perhaps the most powerful superhero team in the Marvel Universe.

Abnett and Lanning wrap up this miniseries with a pretty impressive fight scene, and get surprisingly final about the whole thing. Even though we know there’s another Annihilators miniseries coming (there’s even an ad for it at the end) the book feels like it has a definite ending, not just a cliffhanger for the next miniseries, which I for one greatly appreciate. I’m glad they’re doing more, don’t get me wrong, but I do get tired of one miniseries after another that just feels like it exists to set up yet another miniseries. I also like how they manage to work in small character beats – Ikon’s obvious infatuation with Quasar, for example.

The artwork is only so-so. While the aliens look pretty good, the humans aren’t that great. Immortus’s giant head that appears on the splash page has truly weird proportions that make him look like a poorly-designed carnival float.

In the back-up story, the conclusion to the Rocket Raccoon/Groot tale, we finally learn the ultimate truth of Rocket Raccoon’s origins, and he and Groot have to work to free the strangest medical care facility in the universe. This story is really funny, which works for the characters, but does make it seem a little incongruous with the main story. Annihilators isn’t exactly a laugh riot, after all, and people who got this title only for the first story may find the back-up a little off-putting.

I got the book for both stories, though. And I enjoyed both stories. And I look forward to more.

Rating: 8/10

Somebody’s First Comic Book: Marvel Team-Up (1972 Series) Annual #5

Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!

TITLE: Serpent Rising

CREDITS:
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Breakdowns: Mark Gruenwald
Embellishment: Jim Mooney
Letters: Diana Albers
Colors: Bob Sharen
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Cover: Ed Hannigan & Al Milgrom
Publisher: Marvel Comics

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: I know Spider-Man, of course, and I remember the Thing from that Fantastic Four movie. Don’t know the other two heroes or the guy riding the giant snake.

IMPRESSIONS: Ah, apparently the snake guy is actually a good guy, Quasar, who also happens to be the head of security at an “energy project,” Project Pegasus. Evidently, the whole project is being invaded by a magic snake-god from ancient times. Quasar gets out a distress signal to the Thing, who comes to the rescue, and Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch (both of whom evidently have had encounters with the thing before) get some sort of psychic wave alerting them to the danger. Spider-Man recruits Dr. Strange for help, but the Scarlet Witch dumps off her red-skinned husband and tells him to call the Avengers if she doesn’t come back. Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to call the Avengers now and have him come with her? Eh, anyway.

This book was kind of hard to figure out, at first, but about a third of the way through Dr. Strange conveniently provided us with a complete history of the Serpent Crown and all the different characters that have encountered it over the years. (Including, apparently, Conan the Barbarian.) That, plus the character beats we get throughout the story, make it possible to get into the story eventually. Ya gotta feel bad for Quasar, though – he gets billing with the rest of the heroes, but he really comes off looking like a chump in this issue.

All things considered, in the end, this book wasn’t bad. I pieced it together and the story made sense.

GRADE: B

Annihilation: Conquest-Quasar #1

July 16, 2007

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

Phyla carries two legacies – against the menace of the Super-Adaptoid!

Writer: Christos N. Gage
Pencils: Mike Lilly
Inks: Bob Almond
Colors: Stephane Peru
Letters: Joe Caramagna
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Cover Art: Matt Wilson
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Phyla-Vell, daughter of Mar-Vell and new wearer of the Quantum Bands, carries with her the legacies of two fallen heroes. During the Phalanx invasion, a strange voice compelled her to seek out the “savior of the Kree.” That quest begins this issue, and she has already run into her first obstacle – the Super-Adaptoid.

The Annihilation crossover evidently isn’t only breathing new life into old heroes, it’s reinvigorating old villains too. I never thought I’d see the Super-Adaptoid again, but here he is, big as life and twice as threatening. Gage demonstrates good knowledge of Marvel history here, using the Adaptoid in an intelligent way and bringing back Moondragon’s history with Wendell Vaughan to reflect on her new relationship with Phyla. The big fight scene here is really very good, and the whole thing has a definite sense that it’s building towards something significant.

Mike Lilly and Bob Almond have a good style for this book. They go from spacescapes to a heavily forested planet to a scene that looks like it was ripped straight from hell. Plenty of different environments, but they handle them all really well.

Like most of Annihilation thus far, this book was quite impressive. Gage is quickly becoming one of those writers I’ll trust on just about any project – he’s really demonstrating that he can do it all.

Rating: 8/10

The Thanos Imperative #4

September 26, 2010
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art: Miguel Sepulveda
Colorist: Jay David Ramos & Wil Quintana
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover: Aleksi Briclot
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Lord Mar-Vell of the Cancerverse has captured Namorita, giving Nova and his squad even more to fight for than they had before. As he leads the Silver Surfer, Quasar, and the other powerhouses of Marvel’s cosmic corner against Mar-Vell, the Guardians of the Galaxy reel from Drax killing Thanos, the one being that could stop all this…

…or did he?

Yeah, It’s one of those stories. But it’s also a story that reveals something brand-new about the fundamental nature of a major character, and you’ll never hear me complaining about that sort of development. I was wary about bringing Thanos back from the death he suffered in Annihilation in the first place, but I also had faith in the writing team of Abnett and Lanning to deliver a good story and not just bring him back to set up a gimmick. There’s a reason, there’s a point, and it changes things for these characters in a big way.

Nice artwork, as well. Miguel Sepulveda and the color team do some wonderful pages – ugly moments, harsh battles waiting to be fought… it’s all to the good. I also love the twisted versions of the Avengers and the other heroes from “our” universe. Some of these visuals are really ugly and freaky. They’ll no doubt make for great action figures. Abnett and Lanning own this corner of the Marvel Universe. I don’t think anything has been announced about its future past this series, but I hope it has one. This series is really kicking ass.

Rating: 8/10

The Thanos Imperative #3

August 28, 2010

Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art: Miguel Sepulveda
Colorist: Jay David Ramos
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover: Aleksi Briclot
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Cancerverse is continuing its war on our universe, and an ever-dwindling army of cosmic heroes is doing its best to toe the line. But there’s hope from the other side – the Cancerverse’s counterparts to robotic heroes like the Vision and Machine Man have resisted the influence of Mar-Vell, and may provide the key to victory… if only Drax can put aside his hatred of Thanos long enough to win the war.

Abnett and Lanning have been telling war stories with these characters for some time now, going back to Annihilation, but they’ve never gotten stale in their telling. The Cancerverse concept itself is wonderfully warped and twisted, making for some dreadful villains for our heroes. We’re seeing Nova really have a chance to step up and demonstrate the depths of his own heroism, and the Guardians of the Galaxy have their own opportunity to shine.

There’s been some speculation about a “Cosmic Avengers” title spinning out of this event, and while that idea may have a little merit, the “line-up” we’re presented with this issue wouldn’t really sustain an ongoing. Quasar, Nova, and even Beta Rey Bill would work well together, but the Silver Surfer doesn’t really come across as a team player, and Ronan and the Gladiator are both kind of bland characters – powerhouses, to be sure, but not necessarily the sort of characters that make for interesting protagonists on an ongoing basis. (Both of them, honestly, are more interesting as antagonists, even if they’re fighting on the right side.) Hopefully if that does turn out to be the case, we’ll see a slightly different team.

Miguel Sepulveda’s artwork has a different kind of flavor to it, a clever mix of high-flying science fiction and superhero adventure, blended with the Cthulhu-style horrors of the Cancerverse. They mix well under his pencils, and give us a good-looking book.

This issue ends on a dandy little cliffhanger that actually calls the title of this event into question. It will be fun to see where the writers take us next.

Rating: 7/10