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Dormammu Lays Siege in The Last Annihilation

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In yesterday’s action-packed Guardians of the Galaxy #15, fans finally learned that the dark threat behind the upcoming cosmic crossover “The Last Annihilation” is none other than Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension! The dreaded Doctor Strange adversary has merged with Ego the Living Planet and plans to use his powerful magical abilities to conquer space, forcing the galaxy to unite like never before. The saga will kick off on July 21st in Guardians of the Galaxy #16 where Dormammu’s endless army of Mindless Ones will put the new lineup of Guardians to the test. The crossover will continue in Ewing’s space-based X-Men title S.W.O.R.D. in an issue that will see Storm face one of her first challenges as the newly appointed Queen of Sol.

“The Last Annihilation” will also spin out into a series of one-shots, each focusing on a different corner of the galaxy as Dormammu unleashes his evil across space. Al Ewing will team up with artist Bob Quinn in Cable: Reloaded #1, featuring the highly-anticipated return of classic Cable who will lead a band of mutants on a mission to retrieve a dangerous weapon that’s deeply rooted in X-Men history. When Black Panther enlists the help of the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda in the war against Dormammu, a new hero rises in The Last Annihilation: Wakanda by writer Evan Narcisse and artist Germán Peralta. And writer Anthony Oliveira nd artist Jan Bazaldua will deliver another chapter in the saga of Marvel’s beloved power couple in The Last Annihilation: Wiccan & Hulkling, showcasing the might of the newlywed superheroes as they’re forced to split up to defend planets against Dormammu’s overwhelming forces. 

This is what the new Guardians were built to do. But will it be too much? The war to end all wars begins. And not everyone’s going to come home. Check out the fully revealed cover of Guardians of the Galaxy #16 by Brett Booth below along with never-before-seen artwork and a “Last Annihilation” checklist. Guardians of the Galaxy #16 is written by Al Ewing with art by Juan Frigeri, and colors by Federico Blee. And be there for the start of the latest Marvel space epic when “The Last Annihilation” begins on July 21st!

Guardians of the Galaxy #15 Reveals the Mysterious Threat Behind the Last Annihilation

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Marvel’s new age of space kicks it into high gear this summer in “The Last Annihilation“, a new crossover spinning out of Guardians of the Galaxy! Known for his long-term world-building and big payoffs, acclaimed writer Al Ewing continues to revolutionize Marvel’s cosmic landscape. All the pieces are now in place for a conflict that will shake the stars and test the very limits of the galaxy’s mightiest heroes.

“The Last Annihilation” will begin in July’s Guardians of the Galaxy #16 but the mastermind behind this latest threat has been kept under wraps. However, fans won’t have to wait long! After months of speculation, fans will finally learn the identity of the saga’s secret villain next month in Guardians of the Galaxy #15. The issue will deliver an ending no one will see coming and will also see two heavyweights from Ewing’s current titles collide. Both reeling from recent conflicts, the new Guardians of the Galaxy will come face to face with mutantkind’s new space agency, S.W.O.R.D. Get a glimpse at the Guardians’ tense showdown with the master of magnetism, Magneto, in all-new never-before-seen artwork by series artist Juan Frigeri with colors by Federico Blee!

In recent issues, the Guardians of the Galaxy have increased their ranks like never before, recruiting powerhouses such as Wiccan, Hulkling, the original Quasar, and even Doctor Doom! But will they all be enough to withstand what’s to come? Pick up Guardians of the Galaxy #15 to discover what villain is behind “The Last Annihilation” and to see the twisted vision they have in store for the galaxy. And stay tuned for more information on this epic cosmic crossover, including the full revealed cover of Guardians of the Galaxy!

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy #13

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Guardians of the Galaxy #13

When the Guardians of the Galaxy relaunched under Al Ewing‘s guidance I was excited to check the series out. I followed it through its first arc and enjoyed where it was going. But I fell off and found myself reading an issue here and there that tied into something else. With Guardians of the Galaxy #13, the issue feels like another good jumping on point. It’s perfect for new readers as well as long-time fans.

My experience with the Guardians of the Galaxy goes back to the team from the future but I fell in love with the team during the Abnett and Lanning days. Since then there’s been ups and down (a lot of downs, lets be honest) but Ewing’s run has been solid (of what I’ve read of it). With The Kree and Skrulls now in an alliance, The Guardians of the Galaxy have a new role, that of superheroes. They’ve been soldiers, misfits, and thieves, but now they’re getting a more formalized take… Avengers in space. And that’s not a bad thing. With a large cast of heroes, the teams can now tackle multiple issues and try to help the infinite issues out there.

Guardians of the Galaxy #13 kicks off with two, an attack on the Kree/Skrull capital planet and the mystery of a cult on a mysterious planet. Each provides different aspects to the issue. With one we get the big-screen adventure and action. The other builds a mystery that will clearly play out down the line. We also get to know each team and members and how the various personalities play out. There’s also a bit of uniformity now too hearkening back to those classic days of matching uniforms (with a bit of a throwback to them).

The art by Juan Frigeri is fantastic. Frigeri is joined by Federico Blee on color and Cory Petit on lettering. There’s some amazing visuals that make you take notice. From the opening of Throneworld II to Super Skrull managing the teams, to the Guardians arriving to battle, and more, there’s so much to enjoy. There’s a fun energy about the art. The colors help and the lettering adds personality to so many of the characters. All of that combines into a visual treat that makes the comic fun!

Guardians of the Galaxy #13 is a near-perfect jumping-on point. There’s just one sequence between Peter and Gamora that feels really out of place. But, beyond that, the comic is a fun adventure. There’s a certain energy and excitement about the issue that jumps from the page. If you’ve wondered about the Guardians of the Galaxy, this is the point to hop and because it looks like it’s going to be an awesome ride.

Story: Al Ewing Art: Juan Frigeri
Color: Federico Blee Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 8.4 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.45 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Enter a New Space Age in Guardians of the Galaxy #13 Trailer

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MARVEL’S NEW SPACE AGE IS HERE! Prepare for the ride of your life as writer Al Ewing and artist Juan Frigeri kick off a new era of Guardians of the Galaxy in Guardians of the Galaxy #13. The milestone 175th legacy issue will introduce a new status quo for the band of cosmic heroes which finds the Guardians deputized by the Galactic Council.

Facing down their greatest threats and embarking on their boldest missions, the Guardians need to expand their roster like never before. The new team will have Guardians mainstays like Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot as well as surprising recruits such as Wiccan, Hulkling, the original Quasar, and DOCTOR DOOM! See the full team lineup for yourself and the first glimpse at their action-packed new adventures in the Guardians of the Galaxy #13 trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork!

For Earth, there are the Avengers. For everywhere else, there’s the Guardians of the Galaxy. Blast off with the Galaxy’s Mightiest Heroes when Guardians of the Galaxy #13 hits stands on April with colors by Federico Blee and a cover by Brett Booth.

Review: Black Widow #4

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Black Widow #4

Black Widow #4 continues what is a hell of a series. Each issue has built on the last to deliver an action-packed thriller whose twists, turns, and actions entertain. We get a better sense as to what has gone on as Black Widow’s memory comes back and she does what she does best, kick ass.

Writer Kelly Thompson just ups everything and delivers the outlandish story in a way that works. We now know where Natasha’s kid came from and a better sense of her husband. We also are delivered a real connection between them all upping the stakes of everything.

Thompson also makes sure to keep things fun. Whether it’s Clint and Bucky’s back and forth or the villains realizing how screwed they are, there’s some laughs keeping the overall tone light. This is an action packed story with a smile and a wink.

It also has a hell of a style. Elena Casagrande and Carlos Gómez split the art duties between the past and present. Jordie Bellaire and Federcio Blee split the color in the same way. There’s clearly a lot of coordination and work being down between the teams as sequences mirror each other in some ways. The use of panels really emphasizes the flow of the action. There’s also a solid amount of detail when it comes to faces and body language to really make the emotions pop. The colors too really differentiate between the two time periods of the comic.

Black Widow #4 continues what is a fantastic series. It really brings a lot of fun and action. Each issue delivers laughs and cool moments. This is one of the best debuts for the character in years. If you’ve missed out, it’s not too late to catch up and see the quality you’ve been missing.

Story: Kelly Thompson Art: Elena Casagrande, Carlos Gómez
Color: Jordie Bellaire, Federico Blee Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics

Get an Early Look at Guardians of the Galaxy #8

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Guardians of the Galaxy #8

Written by Al Ewing
Art by Marcio Takara
Colors by Federico Blee
32 PGS./Rated T+
In Shops: Nov 04, 2020
SRP: $3.99

At the diplomatic conference to decide the future of space, there’s been a murder most foul – and one of the delegates is responsible!

It’s up to Ranger Rocket to save Marvel Boy from execution, solve the mystery and find the real killer – while a ticking bomb counts down to zero!

Can things get worse? It’s GUARDIANS. Things always get worse.

Guardians of the Galaxy #8

Early Review: Champions #1

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Champions #1

The recent iterations of Champions have been something I’ve generally enjoyed. They always had a solid concept of the “next generation” of heroes stepping in and doing what the adults can’t, won’t, or don’t think is important. The basic mantra has been it’s their future and they’re fighting for it. That concept has been the underlying idea for the various volumes. The execution has varied, often sidetracked by “events”. The latest volume, the third since 2016, takes the premise of the team and lays it all out there. Champions #1 plants a flag and wears its attitude and purpose on its sleeve.

Written by Eve L. Ewing, Champions #1 kicks off as part of the “Outlawed” storyline. Unlike other events, “Outlawed” is squarely focused on the younger generation of heroes. After an accident by Viv Vision causes massive destruction, a law is passed outlawing younger heroes unless they have a mentor. The story is a bit too similar to what happened in Marvel’s first Civil War but unlike that event, this one is much tighter in those impacted.

Ewing brings the Champions into the era of David Hogg and Greta Thunberg and all of the other Millennials and Generation Z who are making their voices heard fighting injustices. This is “kids” fighting for their future. But, Ewing does it right. Not every member of the Champions is in board and many disagree with how things are going about. Ewing doesn’t present this generation as a monolithic viewpoint.

The story Ewing presents is solid. It feels like it takes a lot from stories we’ve seen in the past, Pump of the Volume comes to mind as one, but it’s all done so well. The story keeps readers on their toes and who winds up in which corner and each individual’s viewpoints are presented so that the comic isn’t so cut and dry. It keeps readers on their toes and keeps things interesting.

Simone Di Meo provides the line art with Federico Blee on color and Clayton Cowles lettering. The art is fantastic delivering a youthful energy about the story and also delivering emotional punch. The panel work is fantastic keeping the visuals interesting and packing in a lot. The angles and breaking up of the page delivers a “flash/swipe” like feel that adds to the energy of the comic. The style of the comic as a whole is a bit exaggerated in everything but it enhances the story. Instead of falling into a comical space, the facial expressions and body language helps nail down the emotional punch Ewing is going for. It’s needed to make it all work and a different style would have the issue likely fall flat our be a bit more dour than it’s supposed to be.

Champions #1 is a hell of a debut delivering a start that wears its thoughts and heart on its sleeve. This is a flag planted as to what this series is about. And delivers conflict in that even the next generation isn’t in lockstep as to how they should go about making the world a better place. It’s a beginning, and probably the best so far of the three volumes. It not only has a vision for what it wants to say but how it’s going to say it. Much like Millennials and Gen Z, it understands its politics is a part of its story. Champions #1 has no problem talking about them and trying to fight for what’s right.

Story: Eve L. Ewing Art: Simone Di Meo
Color: Federico Blee Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics

Review: Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1

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Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1

Rob Liefeld shows that he can still draw one hell of an action sequence in Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1, which is non-stop guns, blades, and ninjas with guest appearances from other G.I. Joe characters like Scarlett and Roadblock. I’m not super familiar with the G.I. Joe franchise except for catching the first Channing Tatum movie on cable a while ago. However, that isn’t a problem as Liefeld and scripter Chad Bowers set up all the life vs death, immortal vs mortal, good vs. evil, and best of all, ninja vs ninja context and fixings you need throughout the story. Throw in Adelso Corona’s enhancements to Liefeld’s disciplined linework and bulky, yet restrained figures, and Federico Blee’s spot-on colors, and Snake Eyes is a popcorn action flick in a summer sadly bereft of them because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But back to the comic! People shit on Rob Liefeld’s art style (Especially his anatomy) everywhere from Tumblr to fly-by-night YouTube channels, but they forgot that comics aren’t about photorealism or perfectly rendering the human form: they’re about storytelling. And Liefeld is one hell of a storyteller, especially when it comes to dynamic, boisterous action layouts. (See his collaboration with Mike Mignola on X-Force #8.) This is evident from the first page of Snake Eyes where two immortal beings face each other with Blee using a scarlet background to hint at the mayhem to come. Utilizing a single page, Liefeld and Chad Bowers establish the main thrust of the plot and the MacGuffin before getting to the good stuff: Snake Eyes wordlessly infiltrating a secret base. Liefeld uses a variety of types of shots to show him breaking in before unleashing his inner martial arts filmmaker and using tight close-ups as Snake Eyes takes down the baddies using a full page pin-up shot to let the story breathe and give some the old Wizard reading fans something to smile at.

Rob Liefeld doesn’t use double page spreads until later in the story when Snake Eyes fights against the series’ Big Bad. Everything has been a walk in the park up to this point, and the wide screen layouts coupled with Federico Blee’s red and black and Bowers’ taunting dialogue raise the stakes for Snake Eyes. Also, Snake Eyes whips out his dual pistols for the first time giving his enemy a little taste of the 21st century. The variety of combat techniques keeps the fights interesting as Snake Eyes’ opponent shows a little bit of a horror side to go with the bloody katanas, guns a-fucking-kimbo action of the majority of the comic. He’s connected to Snake Eyes’ past, but not in an annoying way, and mostly his purpose is to show that this badass ninja might need a little help from his bros, er, the Joes moving forward.

Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1

In a reversal from a lot of comic book reviews, I feel like I’ve focused a lot on the Snake Eyes’ visuals and want to discuss Chad Bowers’ skill at capturing the voice of a character, who doesn’t have vocal cords. Bowers’ captions never overwhelm Liefeld, Corona, and Blee’s art adding just the right amount of flavor and context to Snake Eyes’ actions. In fact, they remind of a less verbose Chris Claremont in the first Wolverine miniseries that with Frank Miller and Joe Rubinstein’s art truly established him as both a force of nature and a noble warrior. Snake Eyes has a mission to fulfill (That might be connected to destiny and all that fun stuff.), and he only commits acts of violence in service of that mission, which is actually a rescue to start out with. The full balaclava and visor get-up that he wears reinforces this efficient, non-sadistic approach as Snake Eyes is a smooth killer and not raging out all over the place. In contrast, Bowers writes quippier dialogue for the other Joe’s more in line with a traditional action movie.

In the final analysis, Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1 is a damn good ninja comic, a showcase for Rob Liefeld’s action storytelling, and in my case, a strong introduction to the G.I. Joe universe. This first issue shows Snake Eyes’ strength as a solo act, and I’m interested to see what Liefeld, Chad Bowers, Adelso Corona, and Federico Blee do with an ensemble cast in subsequent issues.

Story/Art: Rob Liefeld Script/Dialogue: Chad Bowers
Additional Inks: Adelso Corona Colors: Federico Blee
Letters: Andworld Design
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.8 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

IDW provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics

Review: Annihilation: Scourge

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The Cancerverse has invaded the Negative Zone and Earth’s heroes must gather to stop the spread before it breaks into their own universe.

Annihilation: Scourge collects Annihilation: Scourge Alpha, Fantastic Four, Nova, Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, and Omega.

Story: Matthew Rosenberg, Michael Moreci, Christos Gage, Dan Abnett
Art: Juanan Ramirez, Cian Tomey, Ibraim Roberson, Alberto Albuquerque, Diego Olortegui, Paul Davidson, Manuel Garcia
Color: Federico Blee, Carlos Lopez, Jay David Ramos, Erick Arciniega, Matt Milla, Rachelle Rosenberg
Ink: Juan Vlasco, Cam Smith, Scott Hanna
Letterer: Cory Petit, Joe Sabino, Travis Lanham, Clayton Cowles

Get your copy in comic shops now and bookstores on March 24! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/39RJ8Ey
Kindle/comiXology: https://amzn.to/38Ns29i
TFAW: https://shrsl.com/25zrw
Zeus Comics: https://www.zeuscomics.com/products/69085/annihilation-scourge-tp?tag=graphicpolicy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Review: Dawn of X Vol. 3

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Want to get into Marvel’s X-Men relaunch? They’ve made it easy with Dawn of X collections that package all of the comics of the same number!

Dawn of X Vol. 3 includes the third issue for X-Men, Marauders, Excalibur, New Mutants, X-Force, and Fallen Angels.

Story: Jonathan Hickman, Gerry Duggan, Tini Howard, Ed Brisson, Benjamin Percy, Bryan Edward Hill
Art: Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Michele Bandini, Elisabetta D’Amico, Marcus To, Flaviano, Joshua Cassara, Szymon Kudranski
Color: Sunny Gho, Federico Blee, Erick Arciniega, Carlos Lopez, Guru-eFX, Frank D’Armata
Letterer: Clayton Cowles, Cory Petit, Travis Lanham, Joe Caramagna, Joe Sabino

Get your copy in comic shops now and bookstores on March 24! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon
Kindle/comiXology
TFAW
Zeus Comics

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

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