Nova #29

DnA are still populating Marvel space with a ton of new characters along with re-imagined cast-offs, making for a fascinating read. This issue has Nova and a team of his Nova Corps trainees heading out to a derelict Nova Corps spacecraft. The ship drifted in from the Rift, the tear in space time created at the end of War of Kings. After setting the scene nicely with some good space horror elements, DnA turn things around by having a good guy jump Nova. The original centurion posted on the ship is still up and running and bringing down bad guys. After being banished to another universe 35 years ago, he's just been doing his job ever since. I had figured the guy would be a villain in Nova-gear, but it seems that the other guest-star, Monark Starstalker, actually knows this centurion to be a stick in the mud policeman. I love the idea that Richard Ryder is no longer the senior centurion in the corps. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this new character's arrival will affect the delicate relationships within the reforming Nova Corps.

And of course the big last page reveal of the Black Hole Suns just made me smile. You have to be a big nerd to get the reference, but having a group of "ultra-tough space miners turned villains" end up being Mindless Ones? That's just the joy of comics in action. Once again, highly recommended.

Kevin Sharpe is turning out to be a great fill-in artist for this book. I love Andrea De Vito's pencils on a normal basis, but Sharpe keeps things looking so consistent I'm fine with him too. This is a top-tier comic.

Good

War of Kings: Who Will Rule? #1

Gladiator is a pimp. His mourning costume (all black) makes him look bad-ass, I'm so pleased he's getting such a big role in cosmic Marvel. There is little plot movement here, but there are some nice character scenes as the Inhumans arrive on the Shi'ar throneworld and eventually decide to place Gladiator in charge of the Empire. I loved the idea that the Imperial Guard wouldn't honor the Shi'ar surrender until Gladiator accepted the mantle of leadership. They know the toughest guy around. DnA plant some seeds for the upcoming Realm of Kings storyline. The neatest bits show that Gladiator's main advisor is in fact a disguised Talon, who will be working against the altruistic nature of the new Shi'ar praetor. Magus and the rift in space time will be a central location for both the Kree and Inhumans moving forward. It seems Crystal and Ronan the Accuser's relationship could continue to develop too, based on how Crystal reacts to Polaris' teasing.

I can't recommend cosmic Marvel highly enough. DnA's cohesive vision have made this entire branch of the Marvel U an integrated, intriguing place where anything can happen, yet the stories still retain a "classic" feel. These guys love classic characters and it shows in their handling of even side-characters like Maximus the Mad. (He's convinced he should be placed in charge of the Shi'ar. When the royal family is attacked, he comments "this never would have happened under my rule.")

Heck, the Imperial Guard and Gladiator are an "homage" to the Legion of Super-Heroes and Superboy, yet I'm digging the Marvel version more than DC these days.

Paul Pelletier's work is always so fun. Gladiator's black costume is strikingly cool. The Imperial Guard members look right, some dark, some shiny, he even gets their different textures right. I liked the mourning costumes for the Inhumans too, with Medusa's hanging facemask and Crystal's domino mask.

Good

War of Kings: Warriors 1&2

With issue 1 written by Christos Gage and issue 2 penned by Jay Faerber, I had high expectations for this limited series. Unfortunately, we don't really get too impressive of stories. I suppose it is the layout of the issues (each issue is split between lead characters, with Gladiator, Blastaar, Crystal, and Lilandra getting the headline roles), but these stories really felt generic. I don't think the leads were really that enhanced by what we got here, this was really filler material. I believe these issues are collections of material originally presented on Marvel.com. I'm going to use this as a learning experience and stay away from this type of reprint material in the future. I think the content generated for the website must be superfluous by design, so there really isn't any driving reason to seek it out.

Gladiator's origin makes him seem more mundane, as does Blastaar's. I think these characters benefited from their mysterious pasts, and seeing their roots makes them a bit less interesting. Crystal's story has her facing off against generic terrorist and espousing her views that were already made clear in the core War of Kings mini. Lilandra has never really interested me as anything more than a supporting character, so I had to strain just to finish her chapter.

The art is fine throughout the issues, but the subject matter is so generic that there were no moments or characters worth going crazy over.

Average

Guardians of the Galaxy #17

Well, I didn't see that coming. DnA are wrapping up the final elements from their War of Kings mini-series here and they cover some important stuff. It seems that Black Bolt's T-Bomb has opened a rift in space/time (don't you hate it when that happens?) and it is up to Adam Warlock to fix it. I love the idea that Warlock has to seek out early series antagonists the Church of Universal Harmony to power his spell to fix the tear in reality. Some of the Guardians are still missing in the future, so it is up to Rocket Raccoon's band of heroes to give Warlock the time he needs to accomplish his repair spell. Maximus the Mad and Groot are a huge help as they construct a complicated device to help stop the expansion of the tear. Oh, and Groot? It turns out the one thing Groot can say, "I am GROOT," is in fact a nuanced, complicated way of communication that most of us are not smart enough to hear. Maximus is positively delighted to discuss science with the wooden giant. Is Maximus crazy on this? I don't think so, since Groot is actually drawn helping to construct the life-saving device.

The shocking part of the issue hits when Warlock "ties reality to an unused future." That's some nice comic-science and it kicks off a startling chain of events. Phyla, as the champion of Death, kills Adam Warlock. Then Gamora avenges Adam by slaying Phyla. Then Adam Warlock rises as the Magus and kills Gamorra. Read that again, that's some packed pages! Now I'm sure that some or all of those characters will return, but damn, this is an exciting comic.

Brad Walker's detailed pencils are a fantastic fit for this title. His take on the Inhuman guest-stars is strong too. He draws pretty ladies, so Medusa and Crystal look great.

Excellent

War of Kings: Ascension #1-4

So this was basically an oddly-titled Darkhawk limited series. As a fan of the early 90s series, I really enjoyed it. Chris Powell and his armored alter-ego got a significant power up from DnA in this, and I'm excited to see where the character goes. I believe Darkhawk is slated to become a supporting character in Nova. That's a great spot for the hero going forward.

The basic plot is that a fraternity of plotters and assassins called the Raptors is returning after centuries of exile to shape and guide the Shi'ar Empire. The first Raptor to return, Talon, seeks out his malfunctioning companion Razor. It seems that Razor's host has taken over the armored body they share. Razor, of course, is Darkhawk. After tricking Chris Powell into letting Razor take over, Powell uses his human-powered anger to retake control of his powered form. The middle chapters deal heavily with the metaphysical, other-dimensional stuff of Powell seizing his identity back. The most interesting parts hit in the closing chapter when Powell has to flee Gladiator and the Starjammers. While Razor was in control, he did a bad thing. He killed Empress Lilandra of the Shi'ar. So there are some powerful people mad at ol' Darkhawk these days. Darkhawk does get to take out the manipulative Talon, but the story ends with Darkhawk kind of on the run, the most wanted man in Marvel space. Powell swears to hunt down the other Raptor gems and destroy them, setting up a pretty strong ongoing story that could send Darkhawk all over the Marvel U. DnA's effort to turn Darkhawk into a lead character worked for me.

Wellinton Alves does a decent job on pencils. The Starjammers have such odd costumes; I'd love to see him draw the more classic takes on the characters. The central Raptor characters all look cool and unique, a difficult feat with such similar armors.

Good

Nova #28

I'm pleased that DnA took the path they did in the newest issue of Nova. Last issue, the book ended with the cliffhanger that Strontian, Gladiator's cousin, had killed Nova's brother. It turns out that the younger Ryder actually survived his battle. It's odd, I'm glad DnA took that option, but at the same time, it definitely took a little of the drama out of the conflict. It is also nice to see the new status quo with the Nova Corps reforming. Having a regular group for Nova to bounce off of is essential, and casting him as the teaching veteran is a fun concept.

I'm kind of amused at how much I like Nova as a character. He's getting more and more confident, and using his head to solve more problems. He defuses a confrontation with "King" Blastaar this issue in a pretty neat way. I've realized that Nova is essentially a modern version of Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern in the late 90s. No wonder I like him so much.

Andrea DeVito is as consistent and entertaining as always. I really like how he's drawing the powers of the Nova centurions differently depending on their specialties.

Good

Chicago Comic-con News and Announcements!

Comic Book Resources has some great articles recapping Chicago's announcements. As always, I'm just posting these in the order of my interest.

• Dan Slott supposedly dropped hints that Thor would be entering Dark Reign through Mighty Avengers. We couldn't be lucky enough to have him join that team, could we?
  
• Realm of Kings - DnA's new status quo for Marvel Cosmic. It kicks off with a one-shot starring Quasar and will continue in two new limiteds; Imperial Guard by DnA and Kev Walker and Inhumans by DnA and Pablo Ramiondi. I love cosmic Marvel!
• It sounds like Darkhawk will be a featured character in the Nova ongoing too! Combined with Guardians and we're getting like 4 DnA books a month for the forseeable future.
  
• Jeff Parker is taking over the Thunderbolts, and he's promising to keep focusing on both teams of T-bolts. Excellent news!
• Assault on New Olympus is the next arc of Incredible Hercules. The New and Mighty Avengers will be guest-starring, so I'm psyched.
• Paul Cornell & Leonard Kirk are writing Dark X-Men, a new mini starting this fall. As you know, Cornell's work on Captain Britain guarantees I will purchase this.
  
• DC's co-features will be getting their own trades, which is good to hear (so I can get the Captain Atom stuff after all).
• Spider-Man & the Secret Wars tells the old series' story from Spidey's point of view. Sounds like another Marvel Adventures-style treat I can read with my daughter. (ALthough this is not an "Adventures" title, it sure looks that way.)
  
• S.W.O.R.D. - a new ongoing starring Agent Brand, Beast, and Lockheed written by Kieron Gillen and Steven Sanders. I'm not sold yet, but I'm intrigued...
  

Nova #27

Things aren't looking good for Robbie Ryder. I'm really hoping that Rich can get to his brother before he dies, since that would really darken the feel of the Nova comic. I've said before that one of my favorite things about this comic is how "normal" Rich is when he's on Earth. I can't think of any other hero who called his Dad to get a ride to a secret base when he lost his powers. Setting the sibling rivalry between Rich and Robbie in the Nova Corps during the War of Kings has led to some neat development for Robbie, but I do think he bit off more than he could chew in taking on Strontian. Strontian is Gladiator's cousin and she's got all the immense power he does. If she did succeed in killing the junior Ryder, then I think Nova will be unloading some serious hurt on her next issue.

I also enjoyed the little confrontation Nova had with Blastaar. These two are former allies against the Phalanx and I believe the Annihilation Wave, but Blastaar is still a villain. Nova should know better than to trust any of these scumbags, but I suppose it made sense seeing how Blastaar reacted to Nova's surprise appearance. Seeing this aspect of the War of Kings is fun, I am still very curious to see how the Nova Corps survives the conflict.

Andrea De Vito is a great fit for the book. He's got the clean storytelling abilities I love and he draws great heroes and space-girls. Good stuff.

Good

War of Kings #6

DnA wrapped up their sci-fi epic nicely, finally delivering the huge brawl we all wanted; Vulcan vs. Black Bolt. Much of the issue shows this fight in detail. You know things are getting hard core when Black Bolt actually has to speak on more than one occasion. Vulcan brought everything BB could handle, and it was fun seeing such powerful characters battle it out. Even after BB shouts directly at Vulcan, seemingly killing him, Vulcan rises a few moments later and starts ranting about how as an Omega Level Mutant, there is no way to kill him. The battle ended with a huge explosion, probably taking both characters off the board for a bit. Pretty cool stuff.

The other stars of the issue are probably the folks who will end up leading their respective factions after the War of Kings. Gladiator of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard strides into the streets, carrying the Imperial Scepter after it was dropped by Lilandra. He is immediately greeted by cries of "Majestor!" What a cool idea. The ultra-loyal Gladiator may end up leading the Empire he has served so long. It is a fantastic idea that I can't believe took this long to get to. As for the Inhumans and Kree, the issue ends with Medusa wracked with anguish over her husbsand's death (as I said, that won't stick though). Crystal is standing strong after taking action to stop BB's over-reaching plan to forcefully mutate the galaxy with the Terrigen Mists. I think Crystal and her husband Ronan will be the leaders of the Kree after this. Cosmic Marvel is going to be an interesting place for awhile!

Paul Pelletier brought the house down with the violent collision between Black Bolt and Vulcan. The fight atomized their surroundings and Pelletier did a great job portraying the raw power being thrown around.

Good

War of Kings #5

DnA remain a consistent asset to the Marvel U. The newest issue of War of Kings gives us the alternate Inhuman plan that has been hinted at for a few issues now. Black Bolt plans on sacrificing himself to detonate weaponized Terrigen Mists, forcibly evolving the universe, making everyone an "Inhuman" and therefore equal. It seems a little simplistic a plan, and one that I don't think would actually stop the Shi'ar, so I was disappointed to see that the Inhumans actually thought it would work. The rest of the issue deals with some great combat with Gladiator and the Starjammers taking out their frustrations on the Shi'ar Death Commandos. Gladiator is brutal here, ripping people apart and taking his rage out on anyone he can get his hands on. He's going to be in a neat place at the conclusion of this series. Could he join the Starjammers? That might be pretty neat to see. After seeing how Starbolt was portrayed in the War of Kings: Skaar special, I don't think the Imperial Guard is going to be a team of tweeners anymore, they are going to be full-on villains. The high point is of course the final page of the issue, where Vulcan finally confronts Black Bolt. It's about time these two powerhouses met up, and I bet the conclusion of this story will be a doozy.

Paul Pelletier's art shines with this cosmic stuff. From the echo-sentinels to Maximus' new uniform to Gladiator's combat, everything looks wonderful. I'm a big enough fan of Pelletier to say his art actually elevates most of the stories he works on.

Excellent

Guardians of the Galaxy #15

There are a lot of cheer-able moments in this issue of Guardians of the Galaxy. The issue starts off with most of the team caught between the Shi'ar Imperial Guard and some of the Inhuman royal family. I loved how insulted Starlord was that the Inhumans didn't immediately throw in with the Guardians. Lockjaw waking up Cosmo, with Cosmo asking "Are you God?" was a wonderful moment too. The best part about the opening chaos was Crystal tossing away Phyla, showing that Crystal had never been in danger. She's too tough a character to be used as a hostage and DnA showed their comic bonafides with the scene.

After the Inhumans depart, it's down to the Imperial Guard and the Guardians, since the Luminals and other denizens of Knowwhere want nothing to do with the conflict. Things look grim, especially when Starhawk gets free and zaps Starlord, Jack Flagg, Mantis, and Cosmo off to the future. Bug might have been there too, I can't remember. In any case, the remnants of the team go up against the Shi'ar, and then in another great moment, Rocket Racoon returns with his team and they start absolutely whipping up on the Shi'ar. Mentor II has no chance against the angry rodent. There are great bits of dialogue mixed in as always, from Jack Flagg's "For Cleveland!" to another wonderful use of "I am Groot!" This remains one of my favorite comics.

Brad Walker is one of my favorite new pencillers. His figures look great and his faces are expressive. He's one of the best new pencillers I've seen in years.

Excellent

War of Kings #4

The craziest part of this issue is the last page. Leading up to that point, the book is filled with a lot of house-keeping and checkups on our principal players. We have Crystal and Ronan the Accuser discussing the Kree/Inhuman relationship. We get Vulcan and his advisors discussing the state of the Shi'Ar Empire. Gladiator and the Starjammers bring Lilandra back home so she can make a claim for her throne. And most importantly, we get Talon the Darkhawk showing up and pledging his service to Vulcan. Talon immediately makes a big impact on the conflict, bringing along Blastaar from issue 2 of the War of Kings: Ascension limited series. There is no sign of the Chris Powell red-visored DH, but I'm sure he's on the way. I am glad that Blastaar got involved, but it does seem like new factions shouldn't be coming into the book in issue 4 of a 6 issue series. The Guardians of the Galaxy are out of the story in the core mini, it seems. The biggest development is that last page cliffhanger. I wonder if DnA have the pull to actually have that character killed off. I would argue that while she is integral to quite a few stories, I don't think she actually has a single fan. I would say she's fair game to knock off. Certainly aspects of cosmic Marvel can be totally changed around if that person truly is dead.

While this wasn't as stellar as issues 1 or 3, this was about as good as issue 2. Very entertaining.

Paul Pelletier is awesome. I love how he's drawing the improving condition of Ronan the Accuser. I hope the big green jerk is back up for the finale. The bright colors really bring out the action in Pelletier's pencils.

Good

Nova #25

War of Kings takes a backseat for an issue, letting Richard Rider get the Nova Centurions in order. Not a bad issue, especially since as an "interlude" type of thing, it is still packed with action. Sure, the Shi'ar aren't involved much, but Ego makes for a helluva villain. The whole idea of a hyper-successful merge between the Worldmind and Ego is a great idea, since Nova can't just blame Ego, it seems like there was some sort of symbiotic thing going on. The idea that Worldmind had maintained some data in the old centurion personalities was neat too, especially when Quasar gets to comment "Well, we've all died once or twice in the line of duty." I hope that DnA keep Quasar as a buddy for Nova since they make a lot of sense hanging out together. The interaction with the Worldmind's new dominant personality will be fun to watch too. I always liked Ko-Rel as a centurion, so now we'll get the benefit of her personality even though she died months ago.

The bits of the issue that do deal with War of Kings are pretty interesting too. It looks like Mentor II of the Imperial Guard has no problem with torturing Tarcell, the current Nova Prime. Vulcan's involvement in the torture makes a lot of sense, if there is any part of ruling that he'd keep a hand in, it would be in torturing his foes. He's a great maniacal villain who obviously relishes the chance to personally hurt his opponents. Looks like we won't be able to count on Mentor II turning good though, huh? I do worry that the Super Nova who shows up at the end is a good guy. I always liked him as a villain. (That is who that is, right? The old Super Nova from Byrne's Avengers run?)

Kevin Sharpe does a good job keeping a consistent look with Andrea De Vito. He's not as clean with his pencils, and Richard looked a little bulky as Quasar, but not too bad. Sharpe's pencils looked better than the last time I remember (in an X-title).

Good

Guardians of the Galaxy #14

Ok, we're all sure that Warlock is really Magus now, right? As the battle between Vulcan and Warlock heats up this issue, Warlock starts to turn purple. I didn't see the white hair, but I've got to figure that Magus is on the team and Warlock is really still in his cocoon. I'm a little disappointed in that, actually, since this is the most I've ever liked the character. He's usually so darn boring, but in this volume of Guardians he's been pretty likable and cool. DnA's use of the Imperial Guard is fun too. There is no mention of what Gladiator has been up to, but with him gone it seems Mentor II is in charge of the Guard. I can't help but like the Imperial Guard, and when they showed up I found myself rooting for them a little bit.

The B-story of Starlord's team trying to talk the Inhumans out of fighting was a bit weird. Phyla seems to have gone off the deep end. She repeatedly sabotages the peace talks and won't back down when the team calls her on it. I did like Bug's attempt at diplomacy too. I love the use of him as a charmer who can't help but comment on Medusa's -tik - eyes.

Brad Walker is the perfect artist for this book. He mixes the normal humans and aliens wonderfully. His Inhumans were spot-on, especially Medusa who looked beautiful and regal. I'm not sure I care for Jack Flagg's new mask, but that is a small complaint.

Good

War of Kings #3

What a fantastic, exciting issue. Abnett & Lanning check in on each of the sub-plots making up the main story of War of Kings, and each one develops in an interesting way. We see Vulcan spare Lilandra's life, as he would like her publicly tried and executed. During the opening scenes, we see how much all of this is upsetting Gladiator, the most powerful member of the Imperial Guard. Gladiator also gives us a great recap of how things stand in the military conflict with the Kree. I'm loving the repeated use of battle group names and locations. I'm hearing them in 3 or 4 books a month, so now I actually go "oh yeah" when I hear what battle group Wolfspider is up to. Back on the Kree homeworld, Crystal is bringing Ronan up to speed on what is going on. The battered Ronan has been transformed into a noble, tragic figure, which fascinates me. This guy was a big-time villain! Crystal's affection for him and the entire Kree people is quite well done and clearly her kindness will put her up against the rest of the royal family soon. I'm worried that the royal family may be heading down a questionable path, but we'll see. The rest of the book features the only clear-cut heroes of the story, the Starjammers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The attack on Lilandra's transport is fantastic. The splash page where the Guardians appear almost made me cheer. Rocket Racoon's handling of Gladiator was tremendous too and almost had me cheering. Follow that up with "Would you hurt someone with fur so soft? Feel." What a wonderful character Rocket is, he may actually make my top 5 these days. Then the incredible conclusion. DnA and others have spent so much time dealing with this character that the turn is shocking, satisfying, and exciting all at the same time.

Paul Pelletier is perfect here. He gets the big moments like the Guardians' arrival. He nails the little details like the Thing chew toy with Lockjaw. And his art is what sells the Ronan tragedy. This book is about perfect.

Excellent

Nova #24

I'm not sure what status quo Abnett & Lanning are going for with the quantum bands. From what we see in this issue, Wendell Vaughn can't actually show up and be Quasar as long as Richard Rider is using the Quasar powers. That makes sense, so that when Rider goes back to being Nova, we'll have Quasar returned as a viable character. I like using Vaughn in the advisor role too, since it is so classic for both Quasar and Nova. Quasar always had Eon or Epoch giving him backstory and Rider always had the World Mind, so while the roles are mixed up, all the characters should already be generally used to this status quo. The bulk of the issue follows the swarms of new-Nova centrurions as they attempt to push the Shi'ar off some Kree worlds and re-establish galactic borders. Things are moving along just fine until the Imperial Guard show up, then they proceed to demolish the Nova Corps. Pretty much everyone not killed is captured, and then executed by evil Shi'ar operatives after Gladiator turns his back and leaves the area. Very cool and dramatic stuff that just reinforces Richard Rider's worst fears about the new Corps. There is a great little reveal about the World Mind and Ego leading into the next issue that should make things very interesting moving forward too.

Andrea DeVito's art is excellent. It was great seeing him draw the Imperial Guard, they looked extremely tough and intimidating, and the Novas looked out of their depths even with only 1/2 their faces showing. I will say I'm not sure if I like Richard Rider's Quasar suit though. Maybe I'm just not used to it yet.

Good

Guardians of the Galaxy #13

Oh Abnett & Lanning, you tricky dudes. The pair just keeps adding to their lineup, and best of all making it cooler and cooler. I LOVE the idea of the team splitting up, with Rocket and Star Lord each taking a team to stop a side of the War of Kings. Just a tremendous idea, especially the way Rocket Racoon claims all the big hitters right off the bat. The relationship between new member Jack Flagg and Star Lord is a really neat one, the characters are very similar with SL constantly prepping and explaining cosmic life to Jack. I also almost laughed out loud at the telepathy scene where Cosmo the telepathic dog sends a joke directly to Mantis and Moonstone's brains, that's just genius and one of the great little touches that makes this my favorite comic. Bug's constant ire about being left out of the first team is a great recurring bit too, especially how no one will ever answer him. I'm not sold on the new "Martyr" identity for Phyla-Vell, but having the characters be a little ill-at-ease makes it more palatable. It is amazing that a book with this many character moments can be crammed with this much plot. The teams actually arrive at their destinations, meet up with the Starjammers, and set up cliffhangers for next issue. (Ooh, maybe some of the Guardians might transfer over and reinforce the depleted Starjammers.) I never would have guessed this would be my favorite comic, but it is, and I'm not sure it is close.

Brad Walker's art is stellar. His new mask design for Jack Flagg is awesome, but I love how he draws the little things too. The leather couches in the Guardians briefing room, the way the body language varies from character to character (check out Martyr's slumped posture).

Excellent

X-Men: Kingbreaker #4

Well, that was anti-climactic. We had a whole set up with new villains and a big confrontation between Havok and Vulcan, but when it comes time to resolve anything, the groups split up, promising to face off again soon (see War of Kings, True Believers!). Chris Yost did a decent job building up his new villains, many with ties to the cosmic Marvel U, but he was unable to provide any type of closure in this story. I realize that was editorially driven, but I can't imagine people will satisfied reading only this series. I did think it was interesting that Korvus and Marvel Girl lost the Phoenix force, and having Deathbird taking out of circulation like this in War of Kings is an interesting choice. I am bummed that Raza didn't make it out with the Starjammers, but I'm even more bummed that I've been reading War of Kings and didn't realize he was missing. The Starjammers are absolutely decimated these days. They are barely recognizable as the team I dug back in my youth (with Corsair, Binary, and Hepzibah among my favorites on the team). We all know that they will stay the Starjammers as long as Ch'od is on the team though, he's the top tier guy of that group as far as I'm concerned. Yost did do a good job showing the remaining 'Jammers kicking some butt, especially the ultra-powered Havok just wailing on Vulcan. I loved seeing Vulcan so torn up and scared dealing with his brother. Havok is a neat character, and I liked how he was willing to finish the job in their confrontation, but again, the editorial interference kept Havok from getting anything real accomplished. I also hope we don't see Gladiator's cousin again, I think having two characters like that weakens the coolness of the original.

Dustin Weaver has an Al Rio-type style that works well on Polaris and Marvel Girl, but not as well on other stuff. His male characters and aliens have a Jim Lee style, but lumpier and scratchier. His ladies look good though!

Average

War of Kings #2

There was basically no way the second issue of this series could match the first for break-neck thrills and action. Sure enough, this issue is solid, but doesn't have quite the same level of breathless excitement that came from reading issue 1. That's partially because this is the strikeback issue, where the Kree get to get their licks in and start smashing up the Shi'ar. The other reason is that of our principal characters, only Havok and Triton really "do" a lot here, the others kind of recover, talk, or fly ships. That's not saying this issue is boring, because the characters are developing nicely. The idea of Crystal as a princess of the people is very interesting and I love the jealousy that I'm hearing in Medusa's voice when she talks about her sister. In fact, it seems Polaris has been more supportive of Crystal in this book than her own sis. Maximus creates some giant robots to mess up the Shi'ar and I find myself really enjoying him as this mad-inventor type, he's been a villain so long, it is neat seeing him in this role now that Black Bolt is giving him some kind of direction.

The big cliffhanger is a strong one. Vulcan is getting more and more annoyed that the Kree are actually having some success against him, so he starts crying and screaming about how he'll "kill them all" starting with Lillandra. Gladiator is the closest to the scene, and I'm fascinated to see how he reacts. Will he really let his former queen die? Gladiator narrates most of the issue (although it is easy to lose track that it is him) and I'm really not sure what he'll do.

Paul Pelletier turns in another great looking issue. I do wish the new chorus-bots looked a little more like Kree Sentries though, not just like big robot Black Bolts.

Good

War of Kings: Darkhawk #2

This is a tale of two reviews. I liked the backstory introduced about the raptors as cosmic gardeners shaping the development of galactic culture. The morphing armor and inclusion of a neat legacy really increases the potential for further Darkhawk stories. I didn't care for the silly anger management and rage issues or the artificial-feeling confrontation with Mickey at the hospital. Mickey/Turbo came off looking pretty selfish here, yelling and blaming her boyfriend while his Mom is lying in intensive care, so I totally ended up siding with DH and thinking he's better off without her. I think the Losers worked better as a throwaway idea rather than a concept that needs revisiting. If these heroes can't handle it, they should just retire, not follow around other heroes and convince them to give up. If I had to guess, I'd suppose that much of the raptor plot is set up by DnA for War of Kings, and the Losers-related material is CB Cebulski's contribution. No matter how it was created, the overall package remains average.

Harvey Tolibao's work has looked better in Avengers the Initiative. I could barely figure out what was happening in most of the fight with the hunter. It felt like a Transformers movie flashback, the spikes and glowing parts were so tangled together I couldn't figure out who was fighting whom.

Average