Issue(s): Annihiliation #2
Published Date: Nov 06
Title: N/A
Credits:
Keith Giffen - Writer
Andrea Devito - Penciler
N/A - Inker
Andy Schmidt5 - Editor
Joe Quesada - EIC

Review/plot: Serviceable war story, i guess. Moving a little to slow for my tastes, but not really taking the "decompressed" approach and doing a great job with character development either. Feeling a bit pointless but OK for what it is. There's been some really odd choices in terms of characters to include througout this crossover. This issue has one of the Mad Thinker's robots and the wierd Infant Terrible / Elan creature that appeared in like one issue of the FF and later in Power Pack. It's fine to dreg up old characters if you've got something interesting to do with them, but using them as second rate goons for one of Annihilus' goons doesn't make a ton of sense. I suppose i could take a 'wait and see' approach, but at the pace this is moving i don't feel like it deserves the benefit of the dobut (plus i'm cranky from working long hours). Despite all my complaints, it works fine as a basic war/action story. Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: Too soon to rate. Most likely minimal but could have some impact on Nova's status quo, and the revelations about Galactus' peers from the Silver Surfer prologue could still potentially go somewhere.

Chronological Placement Considerations:
Pretty self-contained once you get everyone here.

Characters Appearing: Whoo-boy: Nova, Ronan The Accuser, Drax The Destroyer, Cammi, Star-Lord, Gamora, Annihilus, Ravenous, Thanos, Skreet, Galactus, Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel (IV? V? Phyla), Moondragon, Praxagora, Super-Skrull (dead?), Paibok, Infant Terrible (now Delinquent), Terrax (dead?), Morg (dead?), Red Shift, Stardust, The Centurians

References: Comics from this time period do not make explicit references.

Cross-over: Annihiliation

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A

this run is moving so slowly that i've stopped caring what happens. we get the new issue, i think "gee, what happened in the previous issue," and then i start reading and i remember "oh, right. nothing happened."

When you say 'this run' are you referring just to this mini or all of the lead-up stuff, too? Well, either way, I don't think it's really fair to say nothing's happened. The Nova series had Nova take in the world mind, excalate in powers, deal with Drax, and the death of Quasar. Silver Surfer set up the new/old status quo of SS/galactus as well as introduced the concept of 'heralds' to annihilous (and put forth the idea that maybe annihilis is similar to galactus. Super-Skrull introduced a couple of characters and had Super-skrull die defeating annihiles' 'death-star' (the harverster of sorrows). Ronan was useless and poorly written (not that super-skrull was well written, but it had stuff happen). As far as this new series is concerned, the first issue showed some fighting, nova's new role, introduced us to starlord and the post mini status of a lot of the characters especially thanos, and showed the defeat and capture of Galactus and silver surfer. This second issue saw build-up to the 'final' drax/thanos fight with the capture of moondragon (and return of the 'female' captain marvel), an elevation of ronan's status, an invasion of the planet by two different large forces with most of the 'alliances' team seemingly defeated. I think it's fair to say the writing isn't good, or the pacing isn't good, or I don't like what's happened, but stuff does happen. it just might not be memorable enough to you. (I'm not saying this was either a good or bad comic, I just disagree to your portrayal)

and, while seemingly random, I don't think it's so out of context that minor ff villains show up. I could see anhilous grab some on one of his multiple fights with the ff. It's a little odd.

I do think there's way too many characters in here, but I think Giffen was specifically trying to reflect a 'real' war to an extent. I don't know that he's necessarily suceeding as it is hard to give big moments and character bits with such a large cast.

And while you might not like some of the pacing stuff, I think some of it is a result of this being a non-cross-over cross-over, where it's specifically set up so that you can read any of the five mini's independently seemingly a take on rod's answer to to many cross-over issues.

at some point you're going to regret lending me all those DC comics.

as rod knows quite well, my definition of "nothing" versus "something" happening in a book does not seem to conform to the standards the rest of the world has set.

i stick with my first assessment of the current annihilation mini.

Who cares?!?! You're right!!! The boxes are here!!!!!

I admit, those dc's I gave you aren't plot heavy, but they are character driven (I feel) and aren't completely devoid of plot. Both titles emphasis is character (I feel) and give two unique (to comics in general) views as to what life as a super-hero might be like, both realisitc in their own ways.