What If...Annihilation (...Reached Earth?)

   Maybe this should have been part of my Annihilation Week event, but, to be honest, I didn't even remember I had this until a couple of days ago. In this alternate earth tale, Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave reach our planet because Drax failed in freeing Galactus and the Silver Surfer from his clutches.

    The invasion fleet arrives during the events of Civil War right when it appears that Captain America is about to kill Tony Stark. So when a giant bug crashes into the Empire State Building, the two opposing forces must put aside their past differences and fight together with Nova to save the planet and the rest of the universe from total destruction.

    Featuring a cast of hundreds (many of which die a gruesome death being swarmed by massively huge bugs), the real stars of this 'What If...' one-shot are the Inhumans and the Watcher, two players that don't even factor into either Annihilation or Civil War.

    The art was amazing and stunning. The story itself was just as good if not in some ways a little better than the last couple of issues of the actual Annihilation miniseries. About the only part of this book I didn't enjoy was the last couple of pages which seems to leave the story tragically open-ended. However, knowing Marvel's history of turning stories from 'What If...' into Universe-616 canon, I would be pleasantly surprised if someone one day turned XXXXXXXXXX into the next Nova. It would make for an exciting new story or even series.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out 10 stars

Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files One-Shot

 

This primer into the events of Annihilation is very cleverly crafted. It's designed as a monitor hooked up to the central computer of the Nova Corps. Written in the voice of the Worldmind computer of Xandar, each entry includes information about planet of origin, level of intergalactic threat, recommended methods of capture and rehabilitation, and personal history.
 
  Marvel usually has it's character histories published as supplements of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. While they provide lots of information, their published with extremely small print and have an almost anal-retentive level of detail can make the personal histories very exhausting to read. This was a refreshing change of pace.

  The only thing that I was not 100% happy with this book is the level of quality in some of the art. The handbooks are filled with lots of great art. Each entry boasts a portrait if the selection's topic and those pictures are clean, colorful, and all-new. That's not the case with this one-shot. Some portraits are just recycle covers or scenes from the various books covered in the omnibus. Some pics are from older titles and haven't been remastered at all. Maybe it's supposed to give it a more 'Wikipedia' type fell using different artworks but it's just not my cup of tea.

  Worth Consuming

 Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

ANNIHILATION: HERALDS OF GALACTUS #1-2 (Annihilation Week)

Cover to Issue #2

This two-part series focuses on the aftermath of Annihilation in terms of some of the surviving heralds of Galactus that survived: Firelord, Stardust, Terrax, and the Silver Surfer. Okay- I had thought that Terrax died during the Annihilation Wave at the hands of Gamora. But it appears that you can survive a beheading.

    The best story involved Firelord, who enacts his cosmic brand of justice on the allies of Annihilus who survived it's atrocities and managed to sue for peace. Peace treaties be damned. In the eyes of Firelord, once a force of evil, always a force of evil and justice will be served flaming hot.

   I actually thought that this could have been a great ongoing series. From my research this never really happened but if it had, I would've been adding it to my wish list. Missed opportunities once again from Marvel.

   This Silver Surfer tale ends with a 'To Be Continued..." and I was about to be really angry. I mean doesn't omnibus mean that it contains everything involved with the subject at hand? In this case, that would be Annihilation. However, there is a sequel called Annihilation: Conquest that picks up with the galaxy trying to rebuild after the onslaught from the Negative Zone. So, the next thing I need to read would be the Conquest Omnibus right? Wrong!

Up Next: Annihilation: Nova Corps Files

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Annihilation #1-6 (Annihilation Week)

Variant Cover to Issue #1

 The battle is taken to Annihilus by a combined force of Kree, Skrull, heralds of Galactus, and assorted intergalactic rogues, lead by Richard Rider, the last Nova. The opening scene pits Nova's coalition against the bug warriors of the Negative Zone. That opening chapter was insane. It so very much seemed like a scene from 'Starship Troopers.' I'm starting to think that writer Keith Giffen always wanted to script a version of Robert A Heinlein's classic work.

  Well, Giffen got his wish.

   The plot thickens when Nova's army is stretched to its limits of survival when Annihilus and Thanos capture Galactus and the Silver Surfer and turn them into an ultimate weapon of destruction. When it's clear that the armies of the Negative Zone have their sights set on Earth as their next target, Nova and Drax the Destroyer will have to eliminate Annihilus and the Mad Titan separately or all of humanity (and a large majority of the Marvel Universe's superhero community) will become annihilated.

   Annihilation was worth the build up of several miniseries if only for that opening chapter I mentioned. The war scenes were stunning and action-packed, but I was enthralled by the scenes that lead up to the warfare. Those scenes were perfectly crafted and made me feel like there was a real war occurring. Giffen thought of everything.

    I was quite happy with the finale of this series but it's left open for a sequel (Note: there is a sequel to Annihilation called Annihilation: Conquest and I hope to come across it's omnibus library sometime soon.) The art for this series was very good and at times ultra-graphic.

If you love sci-fi then you'll love this book. However, it might surprise you to know that fans of traditional war epics will enjoy this series as well and you could enjoy this series without needing to read the prequels and not be too very lost about what's happened up till now.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Up Next: Annhilation: Heralds of Galactus

Annihilation: Ronan #1-4 (Annihilation Week)

Cover to Issue #1.

   Ronan the Accuser is no more! No, he's not dead. He's been stripped of his title after being falsely accused of acts of sedition against the new ruling house of the Kree Empire. (With the reputation of the attempted assassination of the Supreme Intelligence, those charges might not be so trumped up.) Now, Ronan faces death if he ever returns to the confines of the Empire.

   Betrayed and oh so pissed, Ronan is on the hunt for the woman who bore false witness to the House of Fiyero. That leads him to a distant planet that just happens to be in the path of Annihilus's Annihilation Wave and Gamora, step-daughter of Thanos!

    Will Ronan find his own personal accuser? Will he meet his doom at the hands of the Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy, Gamora? Will everybody become the next meal for the ravenous drones of the invaders of the Negative Zone?

    Of the Annihilation minis, this one wasn't my favorite. The art was as sketchy and poorly inked as was some of the art in the Annhilation Prologue. However, the story in that book was fantastic. This tale wasn't so great. Also, what little I knew about Gamora was obviously not much. I did know she had a soul sword similar to that Magik uses in the Uncanny X-Men. I didn't know that she was a crime lord of sorts over a gang of crazy Amazons called the Graces. And I had know clue that Gamora originally dressed like a necromantic pole dancer! Hokey Smokes!

   Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Up Next: Annihilation

Annihilation: Super Skrull #1-4 (Annihilation Week)

Cover to Issue #2

  The Annihilation Wave is swarming at the edge of Skrull space ready to devour. With infighting amongst Skrull warlords, the only one who sees the oncoming threat is the Super Skrull. As the homeworld of his only offspring is in the immediate crosshairs of Annihilus, the warrior Skrull decides to take the battle to the Negative Zone.

    Skrull's mission is to scour the Zone in search of a weapon powerful enough to cause the amount of damage that Annihilus is leveling in our universe. What Super Skrull finds is a Negative Zone penal colony full of misfit prisoners, used in weapons testing, ready to take their frustrations out on the allies of Annihilus. Now the race is one for Super Skrull to bust through to our universe again and save his only child before the Annihilation Wave can strike.

   This was a gritty war story in the vein of the Dirty Dozen or the original Expendables movie. I loved the story's tone and thought that its deliberate lack of humor was a smart move. The Super Skrull has a personal stake in this war and to have him cracking jokes would be inappropriate. There is a side-kick to Super Skrull, a dwarf Skrull mechanic desperate to one day become a warrior. But he's more of the Jiminy Cricket to Super Skrull's Pinnochio and any humor he might postulate is balanced by the horrors of war that the diminutive sidekick experiences for the first time.

   Worth Consuming with a final chapter that will leave you stunned.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   Next Up: Annihilation: Ronan.

Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4 (Annihilation Week)

Cover to Issue #3

 I'm going to commit a little act of Marvel Comic fandom heresy: I'm not really a fan of the Silver Surfer.  He's a cool looking character and some stories starring him are good. Case in point: issues #48-50 of Fantastic Four (AKA: The Galactus Trilogy.) But with his doomed to exile on earth and the microcosmos (it's like outer space but occurs in the space between atoms) that often results in melodrama and Christ references galore, I find the being formerly known as Norin Radd to be whiny. It gets irritating. In fact, his opus with Alicia in the final chapter of the Galactus Trilogy is perhaps my least favorite moment in that classic story (okay- two acts of heresy in one paragraph!)

  But that all changes (albeit probably only temporary) when agents of Annihilus seek out all of the former heralds of the World Devourer as an addition b[power source for his Annihilation Wave. If you've ever wanted to see every one of Galactus' former envoys in one comic fighting it out in epic space glory- these are the four issues for you! They might not all be together at once, but it's like a Royal Rumble of characters who wield the Power Cosmic. Plus, there's several players who will later impact the Marvel Universe in recent Marvel Now! issues of Avengers.

   One little spoiler for you- Silver Surfer is forgiven by Galactus for his betrayal during the Galactus Trilogy and is bestowed with more power than ever before. This is the Silver Surfer I wish I could have read in years past.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

 Up Next: Annihilation: Super Skrull #1-4

Annihilation: Nova #1-4 (Annihilation Week)

Cover to issue #1.

After the destruction of the Nova Corps, it's up to Nova to carry the torch- literally! As the last living Nova, it's Richard Rider's duty to absorb the Worldmind, the source of a Nova Corpsman's power and intelligence gathering. But there's a catch, the last Nova to fully absorb the Worldmind went crazy and destroyed worlds, allies, and innocents.

   Enter Drax the Destroyer, who along with Cami survives the first onslaught of the Annihilation wave. Drax has had years of experience learning to temper himself. If he didn't he'd go on a berserker rampage that would make Wolverine jealous. When the combined trio of Drax, Cami, and Richard Rider meet with a squadron of refugees stranded in the way of the wave of destruction of Annhilus, the escape plan will  be the last Nova's greatest test to see if Drax's training was successful or not.

    Another great chapter in the Annihilation crossover event. The art is much better than in the Prologue. The storyline is just as fresh and exciting and the duo of Drax and Cami are just the perfect comic relief for this book. With billions dying on almost every page, they really lighten the mood considerably. Be on the look out for the scene where Nova and Drax both have private conversations with the Worldmind. It's both informative and very, very funny.

    Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Up Next: Annihilation: Silver Surfer 1-4

Annihilation Prologue #1 (Annihilation Week)

  

   This jumbo sized special shows what all of the major players in the Annihilation storyline were doing the day Annihilus' annihilation wave hit ground zero and began its tear through the galaxy. Drax and Cami, Silver Surfer, Ronan the Accuser, and the Super-Skrull will all play a part in the road to the Annihilation in 4-issue mini-series of their own (technically, Drax's occurred prior, but hopefully, you get my drift.) The main star of this issue is Richard Rider, the Nova Corpsman of Earth and his fellow peacekeepers. They will be the first line of defense in protecting the universe from Annihilus.

    Nova is a superhero that I'm not very familiar with. I know he's a member of Spider-Man's SHIELD team on Ultimate Spider-Man on Marvel XD, but that's a cartoon. In the comics, I've had very little to do with Nova. It's not that I hate the character or anything. It's just that in all of my readings, I've probably come across the character twice, maybe three times. I just don't seem to either read stuff that he's a major character in or I've never really come across any Nova trades or back issues.

    In this issue, I learned quite a lot about the hero and his compatriots. First of all, the Nova Corps is a lot like the Green Lantern Corps. Novas do not seem to have any weaknesses as a Green Lantern's ring is powerless against the color yellow. Secondly, Novas have special powers imbued to them by the Worldmind, a sentient computer similar to Oa's great lantern. However, while a Green Lantern uses a ring to create anything that they can imagine, Novas have power blasts and literally turn into human rockets.
   Still, Nova Corps/ Green Lantern Corps. I'm very surprised that DC hasn't ever sued of the similarities between the two creations and that Marvel never came up with the idea to team the two groups up in a giant cosmic epic against Sinestro and Thanos. (BTW, if Marvel and DC decide to ever team-up these two teams, I claim a creative contributor credit!)

    A very good issue with great action, really smart plotting, funny dialogue, and amazing characters. However, the inking was quite poor. The first 5 pages were really well done but once we get to Nova and his fellow Corpsmen, something goes awry. It was almost as if the inker stop using India ink and went to magic markers. Even when the action really picks up, the art doesn't seem to improve. It's the only downside to an otherwise flawless book.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

UP Next: Annihilation: Nova #1-4

Drax The Destroyer #1-4 (Annihilation Week)

Cover to Drax #1

  This prequel series to Annihilation starts out with Drax the Destroyer, but this isn't the Drax you've fallen in love with in the pages of Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2014 feature film. Yes, he's green and mean but mentally, he's got a couple screws loose. Speaking mostly gibberish, when he does speak, he'll only get smarter the more to you pummel him. It's like the Hulk but in reverse.
     Drax's story starts out like in the film, as he is imprisoned for mass genocide and wanton destruction. When Drax's prison ship crash lands  in the woods of Alaska, his life is suddenly cut short. But thanks to some impressive genetics, the Destroyer is restored to life, gains some red tribal markings and becomes more like the Drax we're used to.
     The story turns into a sort of buddy cop movie when Drax is bonded to a young girl named Cami. Together, they seek to save Cami's hometown from the surviving prisoners who've taken the small Northwestern burg hostage in efforts to possibly salvage a rescue ship. This duo of Drax and Cami are the perfect odd couple. One's a super strong destroyer, the other is Drax. I kid, but these two are have such strong personalities that they might just kill each.
     A very good opening servo in the Annihilation storyline. It's quite good, but it didn't start off that way. For one, not having Drax be like the hero in the books or movie, it was a little confusing. Also, the story didn't really pick up until Cami and Drax became a team. I look forward to their future exploits.
   Up Next: Annihilation Prologue

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Welcome to Annihilation Week...

 A couple of weeks ago I found a copy of the Annihilation Omnibus at my local library. It was a massive 500-page plus volume that weighs a good 5lbs. It's huge! But I've been wanting to read this series for quite a while and I jumped at the chance to read it for free (SRP is $125.00!)
 
   But with this massive book I didn't think it was fair to rate the book as a whole. There are at least 7 different one-shots or mini-series that comprise this series. While Keith Giffen writes most of the books, he's not the author of all of these books. Also, there is a host of artists, inkers, and colorists involved in the visuals of this cross-over event. So, I've decided to break this book down and review it in chapters over this week.

  One thing I did quite differently was that instead of reviewing each issue individually, I'm reviewing by title. So if the series is just one issue, four, or seven, I'm grouping things together. It's not exactly a new thing. If I read a collection, I review the book as a whole. But like I said, I think it doesn't do this series justice to give it just one single judgment.

So with that... let Annihilation Week begin.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Prelude to Annihilation Week)

Finally, I saw the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm not 100% sure why it's taken me this long. It's been a weird mash of financial shortfalls, injury, and surgeries that have culminated in me putting off seeing it and putting it off, and putting it off- until now. So, what changed?

  Recently at my local library, I found the Annihilation Omnibus. Having read it and granted a free PPV rental by DISH Network, I was finally inspired to check it out. More on this later. But first let's discuss the film.

  The movie begins with a young Peter Quill being abducted by aliens in 1988 after his mother dies of what is assumed to be cancer. We then jump 26-years to find an adult Quill now calling himself Star-Lord. When Quill finds a mysterious orb, he becomes the target of the Scavengers, a ragtag bunch of aliens who abducted Quill for some reason and now have a bounty for his capture, bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon and Groot, and Gamora, daughter of Thanos and associate of the crazed Ronan.

   After the group ends up in Nova Corps prison, they meet up with Drax the Destroyer whose got a blood lust against Ronan for killing his wife and child. With this fifth member, the line-up for the Guardians of the Galaxy is complete. Together they trek across the universe seeking to sell the stolen orb to the Collector. There, the Guardians learn that the orb contains another of the Infinity Gems and has the power to destroy worlds. When Ronan steals the orb, the team must race back to the Nova homeworld of Xandar to protect it and the rest of the galaxy from being destroyed by a now power-mad Ronan.
 
   With any superhero film that begins a franchise and an origin, the film starts off a little slow. It really isn't until the group finally all meet that it became an instant classic. Many consider lovable Groot, the living tree, to be the fan favorite of the film, but I really like Drax. He's very droll, but he's given some of the funniest lines. I felt like he stole the show though Groot does give the Destroyer a run for his money.

  Another element that stole this flick was its soundtrack. Peter has an old Sony Walkman that belts out some classic 70s tunes such as Blue Suede's 'Hooked on a Feeling.' It's these catchy songs that help make this cosmic odyssey seem more familiar and more like 'home.'

    One part of this film that I thought was hit or miss was the special effects. The home world of Xandar looked like Starfleet Academy's's wet dream. It was beautiful, but many of that's planet's residents looked fake. Some characters like Yondu, the Alpha-Centurian with the musical arrow, has blue skin. However, the skin looked like an FX computer tech just painted the image of actor Michael Rooker, in facial prosthetics, navy. I swear I was ready for him to move off screen quickly and his blue hue to follow him off screen. Zoe Saldana's green Gamora looked like that was her real skin tone but the pink-hued attendant to the Collector and many other characters looked like someone was playing around with the color on their computer monitor in order to get their desired effect and it just fell flat.

    There're lots of great Easter eggs in this film. The character of Yondu was a member of the original Guardians team from the year 3,000 (maybe this was his great-grandfather?) There's several minor characters in the background and zoo of the Collector (as well as a few baddies from previous Marvel Films.) Perhaps the biggest Easter Egg is that Thanos and his army are the same mystery characters from the first Avengers film. It's just another bit of evidence that though Marvel may not be following the comic books to an exact 'T' they do have an all-encompassing plan for their films and live-action series to help create a true live-action Marvel Universe.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

(Wait a minute---- Didn't I say I was going to come back to Annihilation? About that- I was able to get my hands on a copy of the Annihilation Omnibus recently. In that massive 500-page plus tome, Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Thanos, Ronan, Nebula, Korath, and the Nova Corps play important roles. Since they were in that book as well as this film, I broke down and finally set aside time to watch GOG. 
    So, starting tomorrow I will begin a week-long review of the series Annihilation and its many prequels and companion pieces. 
     My friends, welcome to Annihilation Week.)