Issue(s): Quasar #40
Cover Date: Nov 92
Title: "Null and void"
Credits:
Mark Gruenwald - Writer
Steve Lightle & Andy Smith - Penciler
Mark McKenna & Ralph Cabrera - Inker
Kelly Corvese - Editor

Review/plot:
We saw in Infinity War #5 that Quasar activated the Ultimate Nullifier, but Magus at that point was able to use the Infinity Gauntlet to redirect the nullification back at Quasar. So this issue explores what happens to Quasar after he was nullified.

He winds up in a black and white world occupied by Oblivion.

Considering that the lack of color is noted, i wonder what the world really looks like to Quasar. We can see the black outlines around all the figures, but presumably they're not really there. So it should just be all the same shade of white. But Quasar can obviously see the other beings in the dimension, so it can't be that.

Anyway, Oblivion refuses to pull back his hood and reveal that he's really Sleepwalker the way i for some reason keep expecting him to. Instead, he tells Quasar that he's been nullified and that's the end of it. When Quasar demands a hearing or a fight over it, Oblivion produces Kid Reaper for Quasar to fight.

So Quasar fights a cartoon grim reaper for the whole issue. Contemplator shows up at one point during the fight, but Quasar can't get him to notice him.

Quasar then tries to make a deal with Kid Reaper, but winds up getting stabbed in the back. Kid Reaper then tries to get Quasar's bracelets, but they disappear and resurface near the space embryo that Caregiver is still watching over.

More time in this issue is spent on what you'd normally call the subplots. Her is still attacking the Black Fleet on Scadam. And she finally takes the name Kismet, after letting that word roll around in her head for the past few issues.

Also on Scadam, Kayla finishes growing back from having been disintegrated. H.D. notices a tattoo, or you might say a "brand", on her head.

And back with the heroes involved in Infinity War, Thanos declares Quasar nullified, and then secretly contacts Marvel Boy, who was trapped in dead Eon's pocket dimension, and tells him to replace Quasar.

I love that he's munching away on Eon's remains.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place during Infinity War #5, starting moments before Quasar tries to activate the Ultimate Nullifier on Magus. Next issue has Marvel Boy trying to join the Avengers, but Hercules is beardless at that point, placing that story after Avengers #350-351. So a fair amount of time must pass after this issue (since, at a minimum, Hercules is still participating in Infinity War at the moment), and i guess Marvel Boy just wanders on Earth for a while. That may be partially explained by him getting frozen/entranced along with everyone else on Earth once he leaves Eon's dimension, but not entirely. And that wouldn't help with the problem of the Scadam subplot, which continues directly from this issue. This subplot has been problematic since it began; Mark Gruenwald doesn't seem to have given any consideration to how much time passes between issues in relation to the main story and subplots, and Kayla and H.D. have been dealing with directly continuing stories since Operation: Galactic Storm. I've been using the excuse that the events take place in another dimension, where time can pass at a different rate, but it's actually pretty clear that Scadam exits in our universe. What i could say, and i guess what i will have to say, is that time passes differently on different planets due to the rotation on its axis and stuff like that. Or maybe everything on Scadam is turn based, like the Questprobe games. Time doesn't pass until you input a command.

References:

• Quasar got nullified in Infinity War #5.
  
• Quasar says that if it wasn't for the lack of color, he might be in the Dimension of Manifestations that we saw in Quasar #37.
  
• Quasar last saw, or "dreamed up" Kid Reaper in Quasar #22.
  
• Kayla's head has been itching since Quasar #33.
  
• Marvel Boy was seen in Quasar #26-27 (incorrectly footnoted as #25-26).

Crossover: Infinity War

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

I really hate the way the cosmic entities are used in this series, and Kid Reaper is beyond stupid outside of a humor comic, but somehow I am still quite interested what's going to happen with the Black Fleet, the Starbrand and Thanos' plan. But I'm not expecting a great resolution for any of these plots...

We now enter a period where the book's art really starts to go downhill. I mean, it was all downhill from Paul Ryan but at least Manley and Capullo had their styles and strengths. Now we're just in the territory of bad unknown 90s artists and some old artists who weren't capable anymore.

"But I'm not expecting a great resolution for any of these plots..."
That's good, because there isn't a good resolution - it ends badly - "Starbrand" Crossover.

Steve Lightle was originally supposed to be the new regular artist on Quasar after Greg Capullo left, but it did not turn out that way. Lightle explained the unfortunate situation on his Facebook page...

"For a brief moment in time, I was hired by one editor and fired by another, for the same title. I was the regular penciler for Quasar for all of an issue and a half."

That's a major bummer. You think you have an ongoing monthly gig, and then it gets yanked away from you almost immediately. I'm a big fan of Lightle, and was excited to see him on Quasar. When it turned out that he was no longer going to be drawing it, I finally decided to drop the series.

I was very disappointed when Her settled for the name Kismet. I had my heart set on Eve Warlock. But nobody ever seeks my advice.

Also, there's something about her legs in that scan that doesn't seem quite right to me...

Eve Warlock is a great name!

She was called Eve in the Earth X books.