Annihilation Book Two Hardcover Review

Annihilation Vol. 2
Marvel Comics
Oversized Hardcover
320 pages
$29.99 (2007)
$24.99 (2007)
ISBN 9780785125129

Contributors: Keith Giffen, Simon Furman, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Renato Arlem, Jorge Lucas, Greg Titus, June Chung, Dave McCaig, Chris Sotomayor, Cory Petit, Joe Caramagna, and covers by Gabriele Dell'Otto

Reprints: Annihilation: Ronan #1-4 (of 4), Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4 (of 4), Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4 (of 4)

Synopsis: The Annihilation Wave has broken through from the Negative Zone to our universe and destroys everything in its path.  None are safe as Annihilus, long-time foe of the Fantastic Four and possessor of the Cosmic Control Rod, unleashes his ruthless armada to scour the cosmos of life.

Ronan kneels for no one! What? I'm just resting



Ronan the Accuser was falsely convicted of treason in a political move by the House Fiyero, the current ruling house of the Kree empire.  He is in pursuit of Tana Nile, the one who bore false witness at his trial.  She has holed up on Godthab Omega, a pitiful backwater planet filled with exiles and rejects including disgraced Korath the Pursuer and his Kree Starforce.  The planet is under siege by a group of cosmic female outlaws led by Gamora, the deadliest woman in the universe!  Tana Nile is under their protection, but something strange is happening behind the scenes on the planet.  Can Ronan accomplish his mission before the Wave destroys them all? 

The Super-Skrull has learned the Wave will soon break into Skrull space.  He wishes to protect his estranged son from the Wave's planet-killing weapon the Harvester of Sorrow.  Unfortunately the Skrull empire is in disarray after Galactus ate their homeworld (burp!).  Now he must journey to the Negative Zone in order to find the Harvester's weakness and raise a rebel army of Annihilus' enemies.  A deadly traitor is hidden among his allies - will he reach his son in time?

You sank my battleship!



Amid the debris of a score of ruined worlds glides the Silver Surfer in shock at the limitless destruction caused by the Wave.  Annihilus has a deeper desire than mere conquest - he seeks the power cosmic and wishes to distill it from the bodies of the former heralds of Galactus!  The Sufer is beset by a pack of Seekers who sorely test his strength before he is joined by two former heralds - Firelord and Red Shift.  They join forces to create a formiddable opposition for the Wave, but the Surfer knows only Galactus can prove a true threat and journeys to seek his aid.  Say goodbye to the remorseful Surfer you once knew as he is reborn in cosmic fire anew!

Meanwhile Thanos joins Annihilus as advisor to attaining his goals.  Both share an affinity for death unparalleled in either dimension.  A pair of elder gods are released from their imprisonment to exact revenge upon their captor - Galactus himself!

Pros: Incredible covers by Dell'Otto breathe new life into these characters, art by Lucas and Arlem is pretty decent, old cosmic characters are revamped - some die and most are transformed/updated

Fear my flaming fist of orange rock

Cons: Titus' art from the Super-Skrull story was too cartoony/urban, these are side stories and it felt like nothing really significant happened, plots were convoluted, Surfer is still kind of a wuss

Mike Tells It Straight: The first volume of Annihilation was spectacular - epic cosmic warfare as whole civilisations fall and heroes perish.  Wonderful stuff, but this second volume felt more like a distraction to the main event.  The focus shifts to a series of side stories featuring one major and two minor characters.  We get a lead-up to the final showdown with Annihilus and a bunch of convoluted story.  The Surfer rebirth was a letdown because he keeps his conscience and doesn't become truly ruthless (which would have been a major shake up).     

This multi-part 'event' storyline shows its true colors with this volume - merely prolonging the story through decompressed side events and not adding any real value.  Only the vibrant covers by Dell'Otto saved this for me.  Overall the stories were mediocre, but still required to understand every facet of the complete saga.  Bah!

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. Vol. 2 I Kick Your Face Hardcover Review

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. Vol. 2 - I Kick Your Face
Marvel Comics
Hardcover
144 pages
$19.99 (2007)
$14.99 (2008) TPB
$34.99 (2010) Ultimate Collection
ISBN 9780785128557

Contributors: Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen, Wade VonGrawbadger, Dave McCaig, Paul Mounts, Virtual Calligraphy, and Joe Caramagna

Reprints: Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #7-12 (of 12)

Synopsis: The Nextwave group continue their mission to derail the Beyond Corporation's marketing plan to test and sell Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction (UWMDs) on American Soil.  Before going rogue the Nextwave unit worked for the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort (H.A.T.E.), a covert anti-terrorist organization. The Beyond Corporation happen to be the new financial backers of H.A.T.E. and a known terrorist front.

Despite their dysfunction the team defeated H.A.T.E. and crazed director Dirk Anger, but their greatest challenges are yet to come.  Beyond cooks up more bizarre experiments as they open a portal to a nether-dimension and unleash the Mindless Ones on an unsuspecting town.  Then they throw one-off superheroes at the team - like Bulk (a huffer who inhaled gamma irradiated gasoline from the same gamma bomb test site where Bruce Banner was transformed into the Hulk), a knock-off Captain America made from the super-soldier serum laden urine of the original Captain America after he was first changed, a failed scientist with a purportedly better growing formula then Giant Man, and most terrifying of all - the Forbush Man!

Finally something hairier than the original - killer Wolverine-monkeys!

Can Nextwave battle through these bizarre superhumans to uncover the seven onion-layers of secrets behind the Beyond Corporation?  You will be shocked, terrified, and bored all at the same time!

Mark Millar rumor confirmed

Pros: Crazy action with extremely irreverent humor by Ellis, some of the best art of Immonen's career - he pulls off some fun stunts like upside down panels and consecutive massive two-page spreads of the team battle Beyond's wicked creations

Cons: Totally whacked out, all-action with practically non-sensical story, Ellis' dialogue avoids contractions (using "I am" instead of "I'm") which doesn't sound natural

Mike Tells It Straight: Ellis and Immonen continue their mindless rampage across Marvel history with the final half of this high-octane satire piece.  There are explosions and witty one-liners aplenty with the occasional serious moment.  If you dug the first volume (i.e. if it didn't scare you off) then the finale is a wicked roller coaster ride.  I didn't think it was possible, but there is even less story in this volume than the first.  Definitely more head explosions.

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Bad Girls Trade Paperback Review

Bad Girls
DC Comics
Softcover Trade Paperback
128 pages
$14.99 (2009)
ISBN 9781401223595

Contributors: Steve Vance, Jennifer Graves, Christine Norrie, J. Bone, Daniel Krall, Lee Loughridge, Kurt Hathaway, and covers by Darwyn Cooke

Reprints: Bad Girls #1-5 (of 5)

Synopsis: Lauren is the new girl at San Narciso high school and she's having a hard enough time trying to fit in, but then the evil popular girls  get superpowers!  The wicked little tramps abuse their powers by partying and shopping.  Can Lauren and school nerd Ronald stop their dastardly plans? 

Pros: Artwork by Graves and Norrie is pretty good, Vance's writing is decent (until the end), Lauren's character is believable as she battles with her desire to be popular vs. doing the right thing

Cons: Couple typos with name of town - Narcisco instead of Narciso (weird name anyway), ending is too convenient/abrupt, cliched 'new girl in school' story

Mike Tells It Straight: This book never quite achieved its full potential.  We've all seen a thousand variations on the 'new girl in school' story and this one adds superpowers to the mix.  It's a cute story and apparently meant for younger/girl readers.  I gave it a shot and was surprised at the quality, but the ending killed it for me.  It felt rushed and silly (would have been perfect for a cartoon).  I'll relegate this to potential gift status for nieces and nephews, but not intended for mature audiences.

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Criminal The Deluxe Edition Hardcover Review

Criminal: The Deluxe Edition
Marvel Comics - Icon
Oversized Hardcover
432 pages
$49.99 (2009)
ISBN 9780785142294

Contributors: Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Val Staples, and introduction by Dave Gibbons

Reprints: Criminal (2006) Preview, #1-10 (of 10); Criminal (2008) #1-3 (of 3); The CBLDF Presents: Liberty Comics #1

Synopsis: A collection of hardboiled crime stories:

• "Coward" - Leo is a planner and adheres to his own strict rules of criminal conduct.  His father was a major player in the city until he broke his own rules and ended up going away for life.  Sometimes called a coward for sticking to his rules and walking away from a job, Leo has his freedom and a lot of respect for being a crack planner.   He gets leaned on by a pair of crooked cops who force him to plan a heist.  You can never trust crooked cops and even worse, he falls for the ex-girlfriend of a pal who got killed on a job where he walked.  Now Leo is breaking all sorts of rules and getting on the wrong side of some bad people.  Can he stay one step ahead of disaster this time?

• "Lawless" - Tracy Lawless just came home from a tour in the Gulf where he learned how to kill with precision.  His old man was hell on wheels until he got betrayed and killed by one of his criminal buddies.  His little brother took after the old man and got the exact same treatment.  Tracy blows back into the city with one thing on his mind - find his brother's killer and gut the son of a bitch.  He goes undercover with his brother's old crew, but will he fall for his brother's ex-girl?  Tracy is in deep and the truth may bury him.
• "The Dead and the Dying" - three short stories
• "Second Chance in Hell" - Jake is a boxing phenom, but his best friend is the son of a crime boss and keeps roping him in for muscle.  He meets a bad news girl with a body and heroin problem that won't quit.  He tries to save her from herself, but it backfires and she ends up ruining both their lives.
• "A Wolf Among Wolves" - Teeg Lawless just came home from two tours in 'Nam where he learned how to kill with precision.  He brought the war with him and waged it on everything around him - family, friends, himself, and anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.  Now he owes a loan shark thousands and has to pull a major heist to get square.  It's going to be brutal.
• "Female of the Species" - Danica fell in love with the wrong man - the son of a crime boss who gets her pregnant.  The son's father won't let that happen and makes the pregnancy go away.  Danica's life is ruined until she eventually learns how to use her sexuality as a weapon on the feeble minds of men.  She gets into trouble when her manipulations cross the wrong people.

Pros: Great cover!, beautiful hardcover edition, Brubaker's writing is top-notch crime noir, Phillips' art is dark/moody/clean all at the same time, tons of extras including trailer, covers, pinups, prose stories, afterword, and process notes, 2007 Eisner Award winner for best new series

Tracy Lawless has girl trouble



Cons: Too many extras, doesn't include the full second series (only the first three issues of seven)

Mike Tells It Straight: Brubaker and Phillips are a match made in heaven - crime noir writer working with an artist known for his rough, expressive art.  These stories are top notch in the genre by a proven team (they previously hit it out of the ballpark on a series called Sleeper).  There are no superheroes or magical beings anywhere to be seen.  Just hard luck stories and a half-drunk bottle of scotch. 

Brubaker proves he is a master at writing crime noir.  Easily as good as Frank Miller's Sin City, but more complex and real.  Where Miller's characters are one-dimensional archetypes and the art is perfected simplicity - Brubaker and Phillips give us a complicated world with murky motives.  I have nothing but praise for this book and highly recommend it.

TO BUY and Recommendations: