The Annihilators #2 (of 4)

What an odd comic this is.

The Annihilators are an unlikely team of some of the galaxy's heaviest-hitters, including the Silver Surfer, Gladiator, Quasar, Beta-Ray Bill and Ronan. They've teamed up to tackle the big threats, and they find one here.

On the planet Galador, home of the Spaceknights, we see space ripped open to allow the Black Sun to appear, which heralds the return of the Wraiths.

That sentence will actually make sense to fans of the comic Rom, which was based on a toy (presumably writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning fall in that group). Marvel no longer holds the rights to that character, so Rom is only mentioned in passing (he's missing for some mysterious reason).

In the meantime, we have lots of shots of The Annihilators fighting the monsters created by the Dire Wraiths, loads of energy blasts and a mystery to solve. In other words, lots of sturm and drang and not much actual story.

I could forgive that if the art had been stronger - but it doesn't really work for me. Tan Eng Huat and Victor Olazaba have some strong pages in there, but too often the anatomy is off, and the faces change from panel to panel. Worst of all, the Silver Surfer looks dingy - here he's the Grey Surfer.

The backup feature with Rocket Raccoon and Groot has its moments, but there are too many questions to be answered before we'll know if the story actually works. So far, it's pretty funny - but a bit thin.

This book is loaded with great characters and has lots of potential - but it hasn't quite arrived yet.

Grade: B-

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Annihilators #1 (of 4)

It's the "Superman Problem."

When you have a really powerful hero on your super-team, it makes it tough for the writer to come up with an opponent that can challenge the powerful but not overwhelm that less-powerful members of the team.

It's not easy to overcome, and it's an even bigger challenge in the limited series starring the team known as Annihilators, since every member of the team is an incredibly powerful cosmic hero.

Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning tackle the problem head-on and bring back a space franchise that will delight older fans - the Spaceknights (although no direct mention can be made of Rom, since Marvel no longer has the rights to the character).

(Interesting that Marvel has at least three characters who played a big part in past continuity, but can't be mentioned by name in modern comics - Rom, Fu Manchu and Godzilla).

Where was I? Oh yes, the Annihilators are a heavy-hitting team, and they find themselves up against a deadly villain - and a galaxy-shaking threat which should challenge even these heavy hitters.

The art by Tan Eng Huat and Victor Olazaba is good, although I'd recommend more variety in the layouts - almost every panel is "viewed" from eye level.

There's also a backup feature starring Rocket Raccoon and Groot - yep, you read that right - by Abnett and Lanning, with art by Timothy Green II. It's a lot of fun, and the art is unique, fun and quirky in a good way.

I'm not sure if this series is quite worth the hefty $4.99 price tag, though you get a lot of pages for that price. The potential is there for another excellent cosmic event, but we'll have to wait until next issue to see where it goes from here.

Grade: B+

The Thanos Imperative: Devastation #1 (One-Shot)

I've been missing out on the "Cosmic Corner" of Marvel's Universe, so I didn't read about the Annihilation Wave or the other mini-series that were related to the Guardians of the Galaxy series (which is apparently my loss, considering what rave reviews those series received).

I did pick up the just-wrapped mini-series about The Thanos Imperative, and enjoyed it a lot (it narrowly missed making my top 10 list for 2010).

In the wake of that series we have this one-shot, Devastation, which bridges between the previous adventure and the one coming up next.

This issue is one of those "assembling the team" events, as we see how the scattered members of the next cosmic team are brought together.

It's a fun issue as written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. It offers a nice balance between action, humor and character interplay. The personalities involved here are interesting and a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes from here.

Like the recent Avengers books, what we see here is a gathering of heavy hitters - sort of a Cosmic Avengers (though they don't go by that name).

The art is my Miguel Sepulveda, with colors by Rain Beredo, and it's very good. They take us to a number of different settings, with some striking vistas and strong action sequences.

You definitely get the sense that the creative team is "turning up the volume" on the cosmic corner, and judging by the surprise appearance on that final double-page spread (which got a hoot out of me), the fun is just beginning.

Grade: A-

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