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Annihilation: Collected Editions #1-3
Annihilation Omnibus
Marvel's cosmic superstars return in explosive, widescreen sci-fi style! Annihilus, lord of the Negative Zone, has declared war! And as his unstoppable Annihilation Wave swarms into the Marvel Universe, demolishing all in its path, only a handful of heroes can resist the destruction! As Nova learns the ways of war from Drax the Destroyer, the Silver Surfer seeks out his former master Galactus for aid, the Super-Skrull fights for his son's life and Ronan the Accuser faces Gamora and her woman warriors! Nova and Quasar's army leads the charge, but as heroes fall and Annihilus rises, the universe's one remaining hope may be Thanos, the Mad Titan!
Collecting: Drax the Destroyer 1-4; Annihilation Prologue, 1-6; Annihilation: Nova 1-4; Annihilation: Silver Surfer 1-4; Annihilation: Super-Skrull 1-4; Annihilation: Ronan 1-4; Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus 1-2, Annihilation: Nova Corps Files
Collecting: Drax the Destroyer 1-4; Annihilation Prologue, 1-6; Annihilation: Nova 1-4; Annihilation: Silver Surfer 1-4; Annihilation: Super-Skrull 1-4; Annihilation: Ronan 1-4; Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus 1-2, Annihilation: Nova Corps Files
880 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
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510 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
May 29, 2021
I know this is a much beloved event series that brought back Marvel cosmic, but at 15 years old it definitely feels dated. For one, the art styles throughout vary from being entirely lacklustre to just, well, old. For a story that operates on such a galactic scale it's a shame that so much of the art is muddy.
The character-based arcs that make up the lead-in to the main event are definitely more misses than hits. You can feel free to skim through or skip the majority of them since the main event will fill you in. The exception being the Nova tie-ins which are, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. In fact, I can't quite believe we've yet to see Nova appear in an MCU feature.
I wanted to dive in and read the DnA cosmic books since I've really been enjoying Al Ewing's latest relaunch of the Guardians title. It's good to finally get around to this, and I'm definitely moving on to Annihilation Conquest, but this hasn't been my favourite.
The character-based arcs that make up the lead-in to the main event are definitely more misses than hits. You can feel free to skim through or skip the majority of them since the main event will fill you in. The exception being the Nova tie-ins which are, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. In fact, I can't quite believe we've yet to see Nova appear in an MCU feature.
I wanted to dive in and read the DnA cosmic books since I've really been enjoying Al Ewing's latest relaunch of the Guardians title. It's good to finally get around to this, and I'm definitely moving on to Annihilation Conquest, but this hasn't been my favourite.
June 29, 2014
If you go into this omnibus expecting a fairly low-brow mega-powered intergalactic would-be epic, you'll not be disappointed. Alas, I was. This collection tells the tale of the invasion of the Annihilation Wave across the known universe, destroying huge civilisations in its apparently unstoppable wake. Apparently? Well, of course not, but a villain and a confrontation which at the outset appears foreboding and meaningful ends up as brawling power match-up and then it ends.
The problem is that with a whole raft of interplanetary super-powered characters, it is easy to lapse into all of them having godlike powers of undetermined extent, and unless they have particular themes (e.g. Sandman's Endless, or gods *of* something) or constraints, then you need a decent plot and well-drawn characters to make the story interesting. And this has neither.
There are a few twists and turns along the way, what with Thanos, Drax The Destroyer, Galactus, Krees, Skrulls, Heralds, Nova and so forth moving about the universe and doing what can be described as no better than "interacting", which is to say that everyone's pretty shallow, they all have indistinct levels of the power cosmic / cosmic energy or whatever, meaning you neither know nor care what any of them can do to any other of them because ultimately it doesn't mean anything. They are moved around as plot-pieces, and there is no coherent basis for justifying why any particular characters is killed or defeated.
Comic books don't have to be like this: Marvel 1602, Joss Whedon's X-Men run, and Ultimate Galactus are all superb, and the Ultimate Fantastic Four and X-Men and Planet Hulk all had their moments. But Annihilation was a leaden bucket of energy with no structure or meaning.
The problem is that with a whole raft of interplanetary super-powered characters, it is easy to lapse into all of them having godlike powers of undetermined extent, and unless they have particular themes (e.g. Sandman's Endless, or gods *of* something) or constraints, then you need a decent plot and well-drawn characters to make the story interesting. And this has neither.
There are a few twists and turns along the way, what with Thanos, Drax The Destroyer, Galactus, Krees, Skrulls, Heralds, Nova and so forth moving about the universe and doing what can be described as no better than "interacting", which is to say that everyone's pretty shallow, they all have indistinct levels of the power cosmic / cosmic energy or whatever, meaning you neither know nor care what any of them can do to any other of them because ultimately it doesn't mean anything. They are moved around as plot-pieces, and there is no coherent basis for justifying why any particular characters is killed or defeated.
Comic books don't have to be like this: Marvel 1602, Joss Whedon's X-Men run, and Ultimate Galactus are all superb, and the Ultimate Fantastic Four and X-Men and Planet Hulk all had their moments. But Annihilation was a leaden bucket of energy with no structure or meaning.
August 30, 2020
3.75 stars. Here’s another book that I’ve wanted to read for awhile. I reluctantly passed on the trades that come across my path which paid off. Last year Marvel did a reprint on this omni so I definitely had to grab it. Afterwards I discovered this was all connected with the War of Kings and Realm of kings. So I figured I’d wait until I got all of it. Well that day has finally come.
This was pretty dope. It opens up with the Drax story. I really enjoyed this one. Had the whole fish out of water vibe as these people not from earth crash land here and try to figure out how to leave. Loved the Cammi character. Then we get the actual Annihilation Wave come and hit its first victim, the Nova corps. This was a brutal destruction of the planetary system. This then rolls into the 4 Nova issues which shows how he is dealing with that and eventually puts together a crew to fight back. This trend continues with the other minis, Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull which I really enjoyed and Ronin. Each mini shows how the wave affects what they had going on. Then the 6 Annihilation issues, the big battle. I like how Thanos had his own secret plan as he was working with Annihilus. Then all the loose ends get wrapped up in the 2 Heralds of Galactus issues. All in all, great story that takes you all over the universe with a boatload of cosmic characters. Looking forward to the Conquest now.
This was pretty dope. It opens up with the Drax story. I really enjoyed this one. Had the whole fish out of water vibe as these people not from earth crash land here and try to figure out how to leave. Loved the Cammi character. Then we get the actual Annihilation Wave come and hit its first victim, the Nova corps. This was a brutal destruction of the planetary system. This then rolls into the 4 Nova issues which shows how he is dealing with that and eventually puts together a crew to fight back. This trend continues with the other minis, Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull which I really enjoyed and Ronin. Each mini shows how the wave affects what they had going on. Then the 6 Annihilation issues, the big battle. I like how Thanos had his own secret plan as he was working with Annihilus. Then all the loose ends get wrapped up in the 2 Heralds of Galactus issues. All in all, great story that takes you all over the universe with a boatload of cosmic characters. Looking forward to the Conquest now.
May 7, 2018
If you think I don’t live my life asking, “What would Richard Rider do,” you’d be sorely mistaken.
January 11, 2020
Well, tohle je komiks kvůli kterému jsem začal sbírat OHC/Omnibusy a číst komiksy v angličtině. Celé tři roky jsem čekal na reprint a máme ho tady. Po tom co jsem četl celé War of kings a Annihilation Conquest jsem měl obří hype na tenhle "první" díl celé té kosmický ságy. jak to říct, prostě to stálo za to, miluju tyhle kosmické věci a všechno kolem. Nova je boží charakter a spolu s ním všichni ostatní jako Drax, Ronan, Silver Surfer, Galactus atd. Příběhově to sem tam totální rubačka ve vesmíru ale jsou tam i deep věci, plus některé charaktery uvidíme zemřít, některé charaktery ožijí a objeví se tu pár nových.
Co se mi hodně líbilo byly Nova files o všech charakterech.
Štve mě, že nemám první vydání ale to má tak astronomickou cenu, že si v klid vystačím s reprintem. zpracování omnibusu je excelentní.
Prostě 5/5 #laskominkanapohoňkání
Co se mi hodně líbilo byly Nova files o všech charakterech.
Štve mě, že nemám první vydání ale to má tak astronomickou cenu, že si v klid vystačím s reprintem. zpracování omnibusu je excelentní.
Prostě 5/5 #laskominkanapohoňkání
September 10, 2017
A land mark event that kicked off the modern renaissance of Cosmic Marvel.
Kieth Giffen, the main architect behind the event, crafts a wonderful long-play story, the beginnings of which started back in the Thanos solo series that began in 2004; Giffen writes the last six issues of the dozen, planting the first seeds that would blossom into “Annihilation”.
The actual content of this omnibus begins with the four-issue Drax mini, featuring many revivals and returns from Marvel's expansive library of cosmic characters, including Drax and Paibok and the Blood brothers. These four issues are well-done, as Giffen takes his time, never hitting us over the head with history re-caps or overt exposition—it's a sleeker, more subdued tale, an alien occupation on a micro scale. Here Keith Giffen plants the first echoings of the coming of the Annihilation Wave.
From here we get the Prologue issue to the event, referencing loose ends/seeds that Giffen left open/planted back in his Thanos arc, and also setting up the pieces and major players of the Annihilation event—namely Nova, Ronan, Super-Skrull and Silver Surfer, as they all get a 4 issue mini series that directly ties into the event.
Giffen writes the Silver surfer issues, expanding on the Proemial Gods, Galactus, The Kyln, and the idea of cosmic consonance. Juicy, heady, and just awesome—exactly what one wants out of cosmic story telling.
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, commonly referred to as DnA, begin their legendary Cosmic run––the run that would bring forth the modern iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which the MCU film is loosely based on––with the Nova mini, brilliantly drawn by Kev Walker. Undoubtedly the best tie-in issues that weren't written by Giffen himself.
Javier Grillomarxuach writes the super-skrull issues, which focuses on a world destroying device called the Harvester of Sorrow. Cool insight into the state of the Skrull empire, overall just okay issues.
The Ronan issues, done by Simon Furman and Jorge Pereira Lucas, are well done, also reviving and utilizing classic characters from Marvels rich cosmic past. Here the likes of Gamora and Nebula, Tana Nile, Korath and countless other characters make their return to relevance. The “Nick Pitarra” type of art sets it apart from the other tie-in books.
The event itself is well-paced, with solid beats in every issue. You really get a sense of this great “cosmic war” being fought on multiple fronts. As far as epic goes, annihilation does not disappoint.
There are two post-event issues that deal with the many heralds of Galactus, each one interesting and poignant in its own right. Giffen writes the final of these stories, bringing an epic and fitting end to this incredible event.
Special shout-out to Gabrielle Dell'Otto and his jaw-dropping artwork on all the Covers, breathing life and power into these titanic characters.
Keith Giffen and Co shake the dust off of these forgotten characters and concepts, and make them feel fresh and new and full of potential, ushering in a new golden era of Cosmic Marvel.
Kieth Giffen, the main architect behind the event, crafts a wonderful long-play story, the beginnings of which started back in the Thanos solo series that began in 2004; Giffen writes the last six issues of the dozen, planting the first seeds that would blossom into “Annihilation”.
The actual content of this omnibus begins with the four-issue Drax mini, featuring many revivals and returns from Marvel's expansive library of cosmic characters, including Drax and Paibok and the Blood brothers. These four issues are well-done, as Giffen takes his time, never hitting us over the head with history re-caps or overt exposition—it's a sleeker, more subdued tale, an alien occupation on a micro scale. Here Keith Giffen plants the first echoings of the coming of the Annihilation Wave.
From here we get the Prologue issue to the event, referencing loose ends/seeds that Giffen left open/planted back in his Thanos arc, and also setting up the pieces and major players of the Annihilation event—namely Nova, Ronan, Super-Skrull and Silver Surfer, as they all get a 4 issue mini series that directly ties into the event.
Giffen writes the Silver surfer issues, expanding on the Proemial Gods, Galactus, The Kyln, and the idea of cosmic consonance. Juicy, heady, and just awesome—exactly what one wants out of cosmic story telling.
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, commonly referred to as DnA, begin their legendary Cosmic run––the run that would bring forth the modern iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which the MCU film is loosely based on––with the Nova mini, brilliantly drawn by Kev Walker. Undoubtedly the best tie-in issues that weren't written by Giffen himself.
Javier Grillomarxuach writes the super-skrull issues, which focuses on a world destroying device called the Harvester of Sorrow. Cool insight into the state of the Skrull empire, overall just okay issues.
The Ronan issues, done by Simon Furman and Jorge Pereira Lucas, are well done, also reviving and utilizing classic characters from Marvels rich cosmic past. Here the likes of Gamora and Nebula, Tana Nile, Korath and countless other characters make their return to relevance. The “Nick Pitarra” type of art sets it apart from the other tie-in books.
The event itself is well-paced, with solid beats in every issue. You really get a sense of this great “cosmic war” being fought on multiple fronts. As far as epic goes, annihilation does not disappoint.
There are two post-event issues that deal with the many heralds of Galactus, each one interesting and poignant in its own right. Giffen writes the final of these stories, bringing an epic and fitting end to this incredible event.
Special shout-out to Gabrielle Dell'Otto and his jaw-dropping artwork on all the Covers, breathing life and power into these titanic characters.
Keith Giffen and Co shake the dust off of these forgotten characters and concepts, and make them feel fresh and new and full of potential, ushering in a new golden era of Cosmic Marvel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2022
Back when I was first getting into comics, everyone was obsessing over Annihilation and the DnA run on Guardians and Nova. It all felt a bit overwhelming for me at the time, but sat on the back burner these past 15 or so years as required reading. And, after all that time, it was a bit of a letdown. I get that it laid the foundations for modern cosmic Marvel and reinvigorated a number of D-list characters. The problem is, it’s also kind of a slog. The main event and the Nova miniseries were fun enough, but the countless “essential” character-specific miniseries were never ending. I even like some of these characters, but the Super Skrull and Ronan arcs were beyond dull. There was payoff in the culminating event if you read everything, but not a big enough one to really make it worthwhile. Personal recommendation? Skip the omnibus. Skip the character miniseries. Just read the main event and maybe the Nova arc. 900 pages was way too many pages and grew repetitive.
August 24, 2021
De la colección Marvel Galáctico que está sacando ahora Panini, voy a ir por orden. Primero vienen tres tomos de miniseries que algunas son interesantes pero que en el fondo aportan poco al evento, el cuarto tomó es el el evento en si y el quinto es un epílogo que sobra bastante. Realmente con el tomo 2 y 4 vas bien.
Primero, miniserie de Drax para darle una personalidad y que no sea el tonto descerebrado que era antes. La serie en sí está bien y meten a Cammy quién es un personaje molesto a la par que interesante. La serie no tiene nada que ver con el evento. Un 5 sobre 10 (el tomo).
Segundo tomo, Nova y Estela Plateada. Este tomo si influye algo en el evento de Aniquilación. En Nova se sientan las bases del que será el héroe principal y su motivación. Esta miniserie es la que más me ha gustado sin duda, tiene un buen dibujo y hace evolucionar a Nova de una manera coherente, además que ya muestra el poder de Annihilus en su máximo esplendor. Ahora, Estela Plateada presenta como es el ejército de Annihilus y poco más. Lo interesante de esta historia es Thanos. También mete a un par de seres celestiales antiguos megachetos que están por ahí molestando a Estela y Galactus y que liaran más las cosas durante el evento pues porque si. Este tomo es de 7 u 8.
Tercero, Superskrull y Ronan. Superskrull tiene el peor dibujo y la peor historia, que no solo es intrascendente sino que ademas luego en el evento principal se deshace todo lo que esta serie aporta. Vamos, que es un cero a la izquierda. Ronan por su lado es un personaje con niveles de poder desfasados. La historia aquí es mejor, además de contar un poco porque Ronan hace lo que hace durante Annihilation. Pero no es necesaria la miniserie para nada. 3 sobre 10 (Ronan tira de este tomo).
Cuarto, Annihilation, lo que hemos venido a leer. Empieza in media res lo cual hace que realmente todo lo anterior sirva de poco. Aquí cada personaje tiene un nivel de poder galáctico cósmico desorbitado y aún así más vale cantidad que calidad. El evento es bueno y mejor resuelto que civil war, esto lo digo porque transcurren a la vez y que si Giffen y Millar hubieran hablado podrían haberlos juntado dando una mejor resolución a la Marvel de 2006-2007 y los envolados en los que se metió. También cabe destacar el cambio de algunos personajes con sus versiones previas o futuras, por ejemplo Nova con casco de metal y no el de cuero que llevaba o Peter Quill con un ojo Cibernético. 8 de 10.
Quinto tomo, Heraldos de Galactus. Son 4 historias de los diferentes heraldos que han salido en el evento. Solo el cuarto que es el de Estela interesa algo ya que este cierra la historia con los dos seres esos cósmicos molestos. ¿1'5 de 10?.
Primero, miniserie de Drax para darle una personalidad y que no sea el tonto descerebrado que era antes. La serie en sí está bien y meten a Cammy quién es un personaje molesto a la par que interesante. La serie no tiene nada que ver con el evento. Un 5 sobre 10 (el tomo).
Segundo tomo, Nova y Estela Plateada. Este tomo si influye algo en el evento de Aniquilación. En Nova se sientan las bases del que será el héroe principal y su motivación. Esta miniserie es la que más me ha gustado sin duda, tiene un buen dibujo y hace evolucionar a Nova de una manera coherente, además que ya muestra el poder de Annihilus en su máximo esplendor. Ahora, Estela Plateada presenta como es el ejército de Annihilus y poco más. Lo interesante de esta historia es Thanos. También mete a un par de seres celestiales antiguos megachetos que están por ahí molestando a Estela y Galactus y que liaran más las cosas durante el evento pues porque si. Este tomo es de 7 u 8.
Tercero, Superskrull y Ronan. Superskrull tiene el peor dibujo y la peor historia, que no solo es intrascendente sino que ademas luego en el evento principal se deshace todo lo que esta serie aporta. Vamos, que es un cero a la izquierda. Ronan por su lado es un personaje con niveles de poder desfasados. La historia aquí es mejor, además de contar un poco porque Ronan hace lo que hace durante Annihilation. Pero no es necesaria la miniserie para nada. 3 sobre 10 (Ronan tira de este tomo).
Cuarto, Annihilation, lo que hemos venido a leer. Empieza in media res lo cual hace que realmente todo lo anterior sirva de poco. Aquí cada personaje tiene un nivel de poder galáctico cósmico desorbitado y aún así más vale cantidad que calidad. El evento es bueno y mejor resuelto que civil war, esto lo digo porque transcurren a la vez y que si Giffen y Millar hubieran hablado podrían haberlos juntado dando una mejor resolución a la Marvel de 2006-2007 y los envolados en los que se metió. También cabe destacar el cambio de algunos personajes con sus versiones previas o futuras, por ejemplo Nova con casco de metal y no el de cuero que llevaba o Peter Quill con un ojo Cibernético. 8 de 10.
Quinto tomo, Heraldos de Galactus. Son 4 historias de los diferentes heraldos que han salido en el evento. Solo el cuarto que es el de Estela interesa algo ya que este cierra la historia con los dos seres esos cósmicos molestos. ¿1'5 de 10?.
January 19, 2020
It's been a long wait but finally finished reading this and...it's was just ok.
The Drax story has pretty good art, but there's not a lot of explanation for who and what he is if you didn't already know. There also isn't a ton of explanation for how and why he is transformed. His new companion is fun.
The Nova mini I enjoyed, a rebirth for him as well but I didn't care for the art. You basically get a crash course on who he is and go along for the ride as he adjusts to his new situation.
Silver Surfer mini: Good art, major status quo change. The individual pieces of the story start to pull together to the main plot.
Super Skrull mini: The art was too cartoony for me but had an important story to show how formidable he is.
Ronan mini: Hated the art. Similar to the Super Skrull mini in that it shows how Ronan re-purposes himself and begins his "hero's" journey.
The main story I enjoyed, but it feels a little disjointed and doesn't have the cohesiveness its successor Annihilation: Conquest Omnibus does. The main point seems to be to really shake-up the cosmic Marvel U and gives some new direction to some of the characters.
The Drax story has pretty good art, but there's not a lot of explanation for who and what he is if you didn't already know. There also isn't a ton of explanation for how and why he is transformed. His new companion is fun.
The Nova mini I enjoyed, a rebirth for him as well but I didn't care for the art. You basically get a crash course on who he is and go along for the ride as he adjusts to his new situation.
Silver Surfer mini: Good art, major status quo change. The individual pieces of the story start to pull together to the main plot.
Super Skrull mini: The art was too cartoony for me but had an important story to show how formidable he is.
Ronan mini: Hated the art. Similar to the Super Skrull mini in that it shows how Ronan re-purposes himself and begins his "hero's" journey.
The main story I enjoyed, but it feels a little disjointed and doesn't have the cohesiveness its successor Annihilation: Conquest Omnibus does. The main point seems to be to really shake-up the cosmic Marvel U and gives some new direction to some of the characters.
January 30, 2021
Hrdinovia budú umierať. Zlosyni a hrdinovia budú vytvárať spojenectvá. Ríše budú padať. Blíži sa vlna, ktorá všetko zničí. 🔥🔥
Už prológ vesmírneho eventu Annihilation ukáže čitateľovi smrtiacu silu Annihilusa a jeho zberby z negatívnej zóny. Nepôjde o nejaký regionálny konflikt v kúte vesmíru, pôjde o vesmír samotný. 😯
V rámci eventu fungujú ako úvod minisérie Drax, Silver Surfer, Nova, Super Skrull a Ronan, ktorých kvalita síce kolíše, ale čitateľovi dokonale predstavia vesmírny Marvel a ukážu mu prebiehajúci konflikt z rôznych uhlov. Najlepšie boli určite minisérie Nova a Drax. Ak chcete začať čítať vesmírny Marvel, tento event je najlepšia možná voľba. 👍
Všetko vyvrcholí v 6-dielnej hlavnej línii Annihilation, ktorá má šťavu a nestráca tempo. Riešia sa tu naozaj veľké veci a osudy hrdinov z jednotlivých minisérií sa v istom bode prepletú. Do konfliktu sa zapojí aj Thanos, Galactus a jeho bývalí Heraldi. Užijete si vesmírne konflikty ale aj osudové zdrady. Celkovo je tento event skvelý a v omnibus vydaní som si ho fakt užil. Vrelo odporúčam!
Už prológ vesmírneho eventu Annihilation ukáže čitateľovi smrtiacu silu Annihilusa a jeho zberby z negatívnej zóny. Nepôjde o nejaký regionálny konflikt v kúte vesmíru, pôjde o vesmír samotný. 😯
V rámci eventu fungujú ako úvod minisérie Drax, Silver Surfer, Nova, Super Skrull a Ronan, ktorých kvalita síce kolíše, ale čitateľovi dokonale predstavia vesmírny Marvel a ukážu mu prebiehajúci konflikt z rôznych uhlov. Najlepšie boli určite minisérie Nova a Drax. Ak chcete začať čítať vesmírny Marvel, tento event je najlepšia možná voľba. 👍
Všetko vyvrcholí v 6-dielnej hlavnej línii Annihilation, ktorá má šťavu a nestráca tempo. Riešia sa tu naozaj veľké veci a osudy hrdinov z jednotlivých minisérií sa v istom bode prepletú. Do konfliktu sa zapojí aj Thanos, Galactus a jeho bývalí Heraldi. Užijete si vesmírne konflikty ale aj osudové zdrady. Celkovo je tento event skvelý a v omnibus vydaní som si ho fakt užil. Vrelo odporúčam!
April 12, 2023
I love nova. I love Dan Abnett.
February 4, 2023
Pew pew pew! KABOOM! *spaceship noise* PEW! PEW! PEW! KRAKA-BOOM!
May 20, 2014
Not a fan of Marvel’s “cosmic” titles, I went into Annihilation with fairly low expectations. Guys floating around in space, Galactus’s ridiculous helmet, uniforms that are considered flamboyant by Liberace’s standards, and a fucking surfboard are all examples of the reasons why I typically avoid this stuff like it’s got crabs. Only purchased this based on the recommendations of a few friends that are usually spot on. So that being said, it was pretty good overall. Reminded me a little of DC’s Sinestro Corps War (which I also enjoyed). Most of the stories tied together well and while not necessary, definitely help to flesh out the “Annihilation” story as a whole. Thanos was much more of an interesting character in this than anything else I've seen him in. And Ronan the Accuser was badass. Couldn't have picked him out of a line-up before this book. Couple of standout performances in terms of art and some that was serviceable. Same could be said of the writing. Seemed to get better deeper into the book. The story has been told before but it was told well and overall I’m glad I gave it a chance. Except for Cammi, she was stupid.
January 6, 2018
Annihilation was the beginning of Marvel's cosmic comics, and it is pretty great. We get Thanos, Nova, Ronan the Accuser, the Super Skrull, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and more against the universe devouring Annihilus. We also get a hint of the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy as Starlord, Gamora, and Drax all join forces here (although the official Guardians team wouldn't come together until the next annihilation event).
Not everything in this omnibus is excellent. The "Drax the Destroyer" comic, for example, took a story that really only needed one issue and stretched into four. Despite this, however, there is so much great cosmic action and adventure here that I have no reservations about giving this volume five stars.
Not everything in this omnibus is excellent. The "Drax the Destroyer" comic, for example, took a story that really only needed one issue and stretched into four. Despite this, however, there is so much great cosmic action and adventure here that I have no reservations about giving this volume five stars.
February 3, 2016
Para introducirse en el mundo cósmico de Marvel es de lo mejorcito que hay, sin ninguna duda.
June 18, 2015
I managed to get through about two hundred pages of this before I had to give up. The only good thing I can say about this book is it seems to be fetching a crazy amount on the aftermarket.
October 18, 2024
I would enjoy watching this in a movie.
May 1, 2016
I wanted to put this down as 'five stars' just because. I loved it. The whole storyline. I realize the artwork is choppy throughout the series, where some issues are definitely better/worse than other issues. I realize some of the stories are weaker than others, realistically speaking. But I still loved it. It was a crazy story and I had no idea how it was going to end when I read it. But I was really, really, really hoping the Omnibus would have had more 'extras' in it than it did. Some of the 'extras' at the end are merely reprints of stuff that was at the end of some of the mini-series anyway, so they weren't really 'extras', and that was disappointing. The 'thing' I hoped for the most was for the authors to discuss their thoughts, ideas, expectations, etc., at length in the back. That would have been awesome! But, alas, it is not to be. Maybe if they reprint it as a 'second edition' they can include comments from the authors and the artists. That would be nice. I'd be tempted to buy a second copy to read what they would have to say.
The 'first' story - Drax the Destroyer. It was okay. Kinda disappointing, in some respects, but equally good in other parts. I felt bad for Dex . It was a sort of prequel that kind-of ties into the rest of the 'Annihilation Wave' series, but only in an indirect fashion.
The Prologue: When I first read the comic itself, I had no idea it was the prologue for a miniseries [let alone a part of an overarching story arc that ran between four "four-issue" miniseries before ending with a larger miniseries of six issues]. I was all 'what the heck just happened?' when I read it. It wasn't until quite a bit later when I came across volume 1 of the hard-bound compilations that I discovered it's status for the story arc.
Nova: This was an okay mini-series. The art was better than the art in the "Prologue", but not by much. Richard Rider has to grow up and grow up fast. Drax and Cammi [mostly Drax] are there to assist him in his growing up and transitioning from peace and law enforcement to war. Actually, the artwork was pretty nice in some spots, and not as nice in others. The 'best' ['funniest'] part is when Drax puts on Nova's helmet after Nova throws it at him and walks away in disgust.
Silver Surfer: I enjoyed this mini-series, overall. I had no idea that Galactus had had so many other heralds, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover them. I knew about Norin Radd, obviously, as well as Firelord and Terrax. I did not know about Stardust, Red Shift, Gabriel Air Walker, Morg, or the Fallen One. Overall, I liked the art in this series, but the story did seem to kind of drag for a bit. Ravenous was created almost exclusively for this series, as the counterpart of Surfer and the other Heralds. Norin should have fed Ravenous to Galactus, in my opinion, but there you go. On a side note, some of the spaceships in this series reminded me of the Federation warships in Starship Troopers and other spaceships reminded me of Rebellion/Alliance warships from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Super Skrull: I think I disliked the artwork in this series the most. Which is too bad, because it probably had some of the better character development in the storyline [on the one hand]. Kl'rt goes from being a loser and a buffoon to a hero over the course of the series [but still a fallen hero, as he is not above torture to get what the end results that he so desires]. One thing that bugged me . One thing I did like .
Ronan: This was a sidewise-kind-of-story. If they had not added the attack of one of Annihilus's fleets, it would have had nothing really to do with the overall story. Instead, it is a story about how Ronan gets re-involved in Kree politics [as it were]. He battles Gamora for a bit, which makes it kind-of-a humorous story/plot. Gamora is...well...Gamora. The artists did a nice job depicting her. Ronan, though, looks goofy in this series. The artist was not kind to him at all.
Annihilation: Finally getting into the 'meat' of the storyline. I think this part of the series had the best artwork in it. The 'final battle' was so darn anticlimactic once you read the end of the series itself. It was frustrating, on the one hand. I get it and get why they did it, but, still! This series could almost have been longer than it was, because it seemed like they rushed through it to get it to where it needed to be.
One thing that still strikes me as funny/hilarious .
The Heralds stories: those were okay. The one about Stardust was a bit horrific. The one with Firelord was understandable. The one with Terrax was interesting and unexpected. I liked his 'final solution' to the problem he faced before his 'final final solution.' The one with Surfer was okay.
The 'extra' stuff was disappointing.
Overall, I love having this omnibus and am glad I took the time to thumb through it while taking a break from my classwork.
The 'first' story - Drax the Destroyer. It was okay. Kinda disappointing, in some respects, but equally good in other parts. I felt bad for Dex . It was a sort of prequel that kind-of ties into the rest of the 'Annihilation Wave' series, but only in an indirect fashion.
The Prologue: When I first read the comic itself, I had no idea it was the prologue for a miniseries [let alone a part of an overarching story arc that ran between four "four-issue" miniseries before ending with a larger miniseries of six issues]. I was all 'what the heck just happened?' when I read it. It wasn't until quite a bit later when I came across volume 1 of the hard-bound compilations that I discovered it's status for the story arc.
Nova: This was an okay mini-series. The art was better than the art in the "Prologue", but not by much. Richard Rider has to grow up and grow up fast. Drax and Cammi [mostly Drax] are there to assist him in his growing up and transitioning from peace and law enforcement to war. Actually, the artwork was pretty nice in some spots, and not as nice in others. The 'best' ['funniest'] part is when Drax puts on Nova's helmet after Nova throws it at him and walks away in disgust.
Silver Surfer: I enjoyed this mini-series, overall. I had no idea that Galactus had had so many other heralds, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover them. I knew about Norin Radd, obviously, as well as Firelord and Terrax. I did not know about Stardust, Red Shift, Gabriel Air Walker, Morg, or the Fallen One. Overall, I liked the art in this series, but the story did seem to kind of drag for a bit. Ravenous was created almost exclusively for this series, as the counterpart of Surfer and the other Heralds. Norin should have fed Ravenous to Galactus, in my opinion, but there you go. On a side note, some of the spaceships in this series reminded me of the Federation warships in Starship Troopers and other spaceships reminded me of Rebellion/Alliance warships from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Super Skrull: I think I disliked the artwork in this series the most. Which is too bad, because it probably had some of the better character development in the storyline [on the one hand]. Kl'rt goes from being a loser and a buffoon to a hero over the course of the series [but still a fallen hero, as he is not above torture to get what the end results that he so desires]. One thing that bugged me . One thing I did like .
Ronan: This was a sidewise-kind-of-story. If they had not added the attack of one of Annihilus's fleets, it would have had nothing really to do with the overall story. Instead, it is a story about how Ronan gets re-involved in Kree politics [as it were]. He battles Gamora for a bit, which makes it kind-of-a humorous story/plot. Gamora is...well...Gamora. The artists did a nice job depicting her. Ronan, though, looks goofy in this series. The artist was not kind to him at all.
Annihilation: Finally getting into the 'meat' of the storyline. I think this part of the series had the best artwork in it. The 'final battle' was so darn anticlimactic once you read the end of the series itself. It was frustrating, on the one hand. I get it and get why they did it, but, still! This series could almost have been longer than it was, because it seemed like they rushed through it to get it to where it needed to be.
One thing that still strikes me as funny/hilarious .
The Heralds stories: those were okay. The one about Stardust was a bit horrific. The one with Firelord was understandable. The one with Terrax was interesting and unexpected. I liked his 'final solution' to the problem he faced before his 'final final solution.' The one with Surfer was okay.
The 'extra' stuff was disappointing.
Overall, I love having this omnibus and am glad I took the time to thumb through it while taking a break from my classwork.
July 31, 2020
Annihilation Omnibus by Dan Abnett, Keith Griffen, and a bunch of other folks.
An event book that brings prominent cosmic Marvel characters together to fight off the Annihilation wave, a seemingly unstoppable force that is destroying civilizations and planets left and right. It’s up to Nova, some pre-Guardians of the Galaxy guardians, Super-Skrull, the Silver Surfer, Ronan, etc. to stop it and save everything.
Anyway, on to the content:
- Drax: the Destroyer - okay
- Annihilation Prologue - okay
- Annihilation: Nova - good. Richard Ryder is legit here
- Annihilation: Silver Surfer - okay
- Annihilation: Super-Skrull - okay
- Annihilation: Ronan - meh
- Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus - meh
So yeah, not quite my favorite collection of books, but not the worst I’ve read either. I found it to be just okay, which may be the biggest sin given the hype for these books.
Now, I do realize that this is the first of the 5 cosmic omnis, but the main issue I had with the book is that...well, it’s kinda of boring. I’m not usually big on space adventures in the big 2 because I simply don’t care too much for the characters. Usually, the writer will introduce a bunch of forgettable but uber powerful characters to escalate and move the plot forward. And this happens here all the time.
The space stories I tend to gravitate towards are the ones that can “ground” characters a bit more - humanize them, if you will. This book just didn’t do that, which is okay. It just wasn’t for me. The stakes are super high, and yet, they never felt “real” enough for me to care. It’s worth noting that while all of this is happening across the universe, the Civil War event was taking place on Earth. In the big scheme of things, that event shouldn’t matter as much as the annihilation wave, and yet, it does because I have a connection to these characters so I care about them more. This is a bit unfair, but Annihilation didn’t make me care enough for the events happening in the book.
The art can be a bit inconsistent, but that’s to be expected of event books. Overall, I think the art was good, though. Also, Gabriele Dell’Otto’s covers are pretty sweet. They were always on point.
There are some cool moments in the book, though. In the end, I think that the legacy of the story is more important than the story itself. It really reinvigorated the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. It reinvented some characters that people didn't care about before - both in comics and in movies.
5/10 for story and 7/10 for art. 10/10 for those covers.
An event book that brings prominent cosmic Marvel characters together to fight off the Annihilation wave, a seemingly unstoppable force that is destroying civilizations and planets left and right. It’s up to Nova, some pre-Guardians of the Galaxy guardians, Super-Skrull, the Silver Surfer, Ronan, etc. to stop it and save everything.
Anyway, on to the content:
- Drax: the Destroyer - okay
- Annihilation Prologue - okay
- Annihilation: Nova - good. Richard Ryder is legit here
- Annihilation: Silver Surfer - okay
- Annihilation: Super-Skrull - okay
- Annihilation: Ronan - meh
- Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus - meh
So yeah, not quite my favorite collection of books, but not the worst I’ve read either. I found it to be just okay, which may be the biggest sin given the hype for these books.
Now, I do realize that this is the first of the 5 cosmic omnis, but the main issue I had with the book is that...well, it’s kinda of boring. I’m not usually big on space adventures in the big 2 because I simply don’t care too much for the characters. Usually, the writer will introduce a bunch of forgettable but uber powerful characters to escalate and move the plot forward. And this happens here all the time.
The space stories I tend to gravitate towards are the ones that can “ground” characters a bit more - humanize them, if you will. This book just didn’t do that, which is okay. It just wasn’t for me. The stakes are super high, and yet, they never felt “real” enough for me to care. It’s worth noting that while all of this is happening across the universe, the Civil War event was taking place on Earth. In the big scheme of things, that event shouldn’t matter as much as the annihilation wave, and yet, it does because I have a connection to these characters so I care about them more. This is a bit unfair, but Annihilation didn’t make me care enough for the events happening in the book.
The art can be a bit inconsistent, but that’s to be expected of event books. Overall, I think the art was good, though. Also, Gabriele Dell’Otto’s covers are pretty sweet. They were always on point.
There are some cool moments in the book, though. In the end, I think that the legacy of the story is more important than the story itself. It really reinvigorated the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. It reinvented some characters that people didn't care about before - both in comics and in movies.
5/10 for story and 7/10 for art. 10/10 for those covers.
January 30, 2025
Marvel at its very best! This omnibus contains the epic Annihilation event (6 issues) as well as the mini-series published alongside it. I will break up my spoiler-free opinion in sections:
Drax 1-4:Potentially the weakest of the miniseries but sets up Drax's journey throughout the rest of the series and provides little teases of whats to come. I feel this mini could have been 1-2 issues shorter or changed the narrative of those two issues to be more in line with the rest of the series.
3/5
Nova 1-4: Did an amazing job of showing the full threat of the Annihilation wave. By the end of this mini-series it is evident that this event is not afraid of taking risks and moves its central players one step closer to their ultimate motivation.
5/5
Heralds of Galactus: This one introduces the reader to a new faction of the Annihilation wave (the Seekers) whilst also introducing two Galactus villains who will be pivotal to the story later on. We also get a reintroduction to the many Heralds of Galactus, most notably Silver Surfer, and get a tease as to what Thanos is planning in the background
4/5
Super Skrull: A more personal character driven mini. We follow Super Skrull on a personal mission to save a Skrull homeworld from the Harvester of Sorrows (a world destroying machine). Whilst this one felt weaker it did a great job of highlighting the more personal stakes.
4/5
Ronan: A disgraced Ronan goes on a quest to clear his name but ends up drawn to a world where he encounters Gamora and her army of female assassins. This mini did a good job of finding a plot reason to have a number of characters who will play an important role later on meet up on a world before everything goes to hell.
3/5
Annihilation: The main event. Starting with a time jump, we see that all the characters who have previously appeared are now fighting together and making one final stand. Annihilus prepares to make his final move agaisnt the universe with the aid of Thanos and Galactus' old enemis. The amount of events that happen throughout these issues will leave you wanting more. Only complaint I had was the ending felt quite quick and could have done with maybe another issue or a few more pages.
5/5
Altogether this cements is place as one of Marvels greatest events. A must read!
Drax 1-4:Potentially the weakest of the miniseries but sets up Drax's journey throughout the rest of the series and provides little teases of whats to come. I feel this mini could have been 1-2 issues shorter or changed the narrative of those two issues to be more in line with the rest of the series.
3/5
Nova 1-4: Did an amazing job of showing the full threat of the Annihilation wave. By the end of this mini-series it is evident that this event is not afraid of taking risks and moves its central players one step closer to their ultimate motivation.
5/5
Heralds of Galactus: This one introduces the reader to a new faction of the Annihilation wave (the Seekers) whilst also introducing two Galactus villains who will be pivotal to the story later on. We also get a reintroduction to the many Heralds of Galactus, most notably Silver Surfer, and get a tease as to what Thanos is planning in the background
4/5
Super Skrull: A more personal character driven mini. We follow Super Skrull on a personal mission to save a Skrull homeworld from the Harvester of Sorrows (a world destroying machine). Whilst this one felt weaker it did a great job of highlighting the more personal stakes.
4/5
Ronan: A disgraced Ronan goes on a quest to clear his name but ends up drawn to a world where he encounters Gamora and her army of female assassins. This mini did a good job of finding a plot reason to have a number of characters who will play an important role later on meet up on a world before everything goes to hell.
3/5
Annihilation: The main event. Starting with a time jump, we see that all the characters who have previously appeared are now fighting together and making one final stand. Annihilus prepares to make his final move agaisnt the universe with the aid of Thanos and Galactus' old enemis. The amount of events that happen throughout these issues will leave you wanting more. Only complaint I had was the ending felt quite quick and could have done with maybe another issue or a few more pages.
5/5
Altogether this cements is place as one of Marvels greatest events. A must read!
May 17, 2025
Infinity Gauntlet has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, and every so often, that nostalgic pull nudges me back toward Marvel’s cosmic sandbox. That impulse recently had me dusting off the Adam Warlock Gallery Edition and Avengers: Kree/Skrull War Gallery Edition, even diving into the Superman: Exile and Other Stories Omnibus for some cosmic introspection. But it was the collaborative work of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning—especially in Legion of Super-Heroes—that really reignited the spark. Their ability to weave large-scale cosmic events with grounded character arcs led me straight to the Annihilation Omnibus.
Before the MCU brought Marvel’s cosmic side to the forefront, Annihilation was the event that cracked open the universe. This omnibus collects the full-scale war that reshaped the roles of The Man Names Nova, Silver Surfer, Drax the Destroyer, Ronan the Accuser, and Thanos—while transforming Annihilus from a Fantastic Four villain into a galactic-level menace. For anyone curious where Marvel’s cosmic adventures started their modern resurgence, this epic is the source of the Big Bang.
It begins with the reinvention of Drax, a stripped-down warrior paired with a sharp-tongued human girl. From there, interconnected mini-series spotlight Nova’s rise as Nova Prime, Silver Surfer’s uneasy reunion with Galactus, Ronan’s redemption, and Super-Skrull’s desperate warpath. Each tie-in shows a corner of the universe collapsing under Annihilus’s wave, until the main six-issue event pulls it all together in a full-blown space war.
The Annihilation: Nova mini and Annihilation: Nova Corps Files one-shot are the highlight, giving Richard Rider real narrative weight, while Thanos lurks with secret agendas. But not every mini hit. Some have of their art qualities vary, and some stories feel more like supplementary filler than standout arcs, yet their scope and momentum carry them through.
More than just an event, Annihilation is a launch point. It leads directly into Annihilation: Conquest, War of Kings, Realm of Kings, and beyond—essential reads for fans of Marvel's cosmic revival. It's imperfect in places, but foundational and entertaining. A must-own for "cosmic comics" fans.
Before the MCU brought Marvel’s cosmic side to the forefront, Annihilation was the event that cracked open the universe. This omnibus collects the full-scale war that reshaped the roles of The Man Names Nova, Silver Surfer, Drax the Destroyer, Ronan the Accuser, and Thanos—while transforming Annihilus from a Fantastic Four villain into a galactic-level menace. For anyone curious where Marvel’s cosmic adventures started their modern resurgence, this epic is the source of the Big Bang.
It begins with the reinvention of Drax, a stripped-down warrior paired with a sharp-tongued human girl. From there, interconnected mini-series spotlight Nova’s rise as Nova Prime, Silver Surfer’s uneasy reunion with Galactus, Ronan’s redemption, and Super-Skrull’s desperate warpath. Each tie-in shows a corner of the universe collapsing under Annihilus’s wave, until the main six-issue event pulls it all together in a full-blown space war.
The Annihilation: Nova mini and Annihilation: Nova Corps Files one-shot are the highlight, giving Richard Rider real narrative weight, while Thanos lurks with secret agendas. But not every mini hit. Some have of their art qualities vary, and some stories feel more like supplementary filler than standout arcs, yet their scope and momentum carry them through.
More than just an event, Annihilation is a launch point. It leads directly into Annihilation: Conquest, War of Kings, Realm of Kings, and beyond—essential reads for fans of Marvel's cosmic revival. It's imperfect in places, but foundational and entertaining. A must-own for "cosmic comics" fans.
May 13, 2021
Vayamos por partes. Esto se trata de una miniserie sobre Drax, un one-shot de preludio, 4 miniseries sobre Nova, Estela plateada, ronan el acusador, y el super skrull, luego los 6 números de la serie principal, luego dos números más sobre lo que pasa después de todos con los heraldos de Galactus, y para terminar unas 90 páginas con fichas de cada personajes (que aún no me he leído, pero no creo que sea rápido de leer, tienen mucho texto). No contento con todo eso, esto ocurre a la vez que la guerra civil en la tierra.
Como cualquier obra asi, es muy irregular. Podría no serlo tanto, pero como he dicho, estaba la guerra civil y los guionistas y dibujantes buenos estaban metidos ahí. Entonces de esta historia, me quedo con todo lo de Giffen y sus dibujantes, que son la miniserie de Drax, la de estela plateada, la serie central, y uno de los capítulos de heraldos de Galactus. Luego la serie de Nova está también muy bien. Pero las miniseries de Ronan y Superskrull sobran muchísimo.
Mirando la obra al completo, le destacaría dos fallos principalmente. El primero que todos los personajes que aparecen tienen el superpoder de "la energía cósmica"/"la radiación cósmica"/"la energía cuántica cósmica", así que al final todo el mundo vuela y lanza rayos, y es más fuerte el que el autor quiera que sea más fuerte cuando le toque. El segundo, que empiezan a desarrollar muy bien a los personajes en las 4 miniseries pero luego hay un salto temporal grande y todos ellos han cambiado sin tu ver el como ni el porqué, así que pierde algo de gracia.
Con todo eso dicho, me lo he pasado muy bien, es super entretenido y son personajes que no estoy acostumbrado a ver al estar fuera de la tierra. Seguiré comprándome los comics que le siguen
Como cualquier obra asi, es muy irregular. Podría no serlo tanto, pero como he dicho, estaba la guerra civil y los guionistas y dibujantes buenos estaban metidos ahí. Entonces de esta historia, me quedo con todo lo de Giffen y sus dibujantes, que son la miniserie de Drax, la de estela plateada, la serie central, y uno de los capítulos de heraldos de Galactus. Luego la serie de Nova está también muy bien. Pero las miniseries de Ronan y Superskrull sobran muchísimo.
Mirando la obra al completo, le destacaría dos fallos principalmente. El primero que todos los personajes que aparecen tienen el superpoder de "la energía cósmica"/"la radiación cósmica"/"la energía cuántica cósmica", así que al final todo el mundo vuela y lanza rayos, y es más fuerte el que el autor quiera que sea más fuerte cuando le toque. El segundo, que empiezan a desarrollar muy bien a los personajes en las 4 miniseries pero luego hay un salto temporal grande y todos ellos han cambiado sin tu ver el como ni el porqué, así que pierde algo de gracia.
Con todo eso dicho, me lo he pasado muy bien, es super entretenido y son personajes que no estoy acostumbrado a ver al estar fuera de la tierra. Seguiré comprándome los comics que le siguen
January 30, 2021
A modern cosmic odyssey that revitalized interest in this somewhat niche pocket of Marvel reality? A long sought after omnibus that finally got a reprint? Magnificent cover art, promising an epic tale to remember?
Say no more. Despite not being overly familiar with the territory, I genuinely enjoyed some great runs, namely Hickman’s Avengers and Infinity Gauntlet, so I was glad to take another plunge into the cosmic wackiness.
Regrettably, the plunge was shallow and not particularly exciting.
The best compliment I can give is that it was inoffensively average. The basic framework was present. Flow from story to story was decent. Narrative never felt notably disjonted. Lenght felt appropriate, without dragging on. Art was mostly passable. The overarching story had exposition, climax and resolution.
However most of the actual substance was forgettable. Central plot, characters, motivations, action, twists, nothing really stood out. The only notable exception was the Silver Surfer mini series, which adequatedly captured his moral dilemmas and how he dealt with them. But even this interesting character study was somewhat tarnished by simultaneously introducing a new derivative villainous figure.
I would probably like or at least endure this tale better, had it not been set in a vast cosmos full of possibilities and wonder, only to be reduced to the most basic terrestrial superheroic tropes.
But hey, at least the cover is dope.
Say no more. Despite not being overly familiar with the territory, I genuinely enjoyed some great runs, namely Hickman’s Avengers and Infinity Gauntlet, so I was glad to take another plunge into the cosmic wackiness.
Regrettably, the plunge was shallow and not particularly exciting.
The best compliment I can give is that it was inoffensively average. The basic framework was present. Flow from story to story was decent. Narrative never felt notably disjonted. Lenght felt appropriate, without dragging on. Art was mostly passable. The overarching story had exposition, climax and resolution.
However most of the actual substance was forgettable. Central plot, characters, motivations, action, twists, nothing really stood out. The only notable exception was the Silver Surfer mini series, which adequatedly captured his moral dilemmas and how he dealt with them. But even this interesting character study was somewhat tarnished by simultaneously introducing a new derivative villainous figure.
I would probably like or at least endure this tale better, had it not been set in a vast cosmos full of possibilities and wonder, only to be reduced to the most basic terrestrial superheroic tropes.
But hey, at least the cover is dope.
May 17, 2020
One of the best event books I can remember, but not without flaws. The lead-up to the actual event is some good stuff. They took such care to get this off the ground: the disparate threads (mini-arcs, each featuring a character) help show how Annihilus’s wave impacts the entire galaxy, building the menace and dread as it spreads, and forcing those threads to come together to fight it.
Who is involved? Pretty much all of cosmic Marvel, some in different roles than MCU viewers might be used to (Gamorra kind of evil and in a ridiculous costume, Star Lord not being Star Lord). Sadly, it kind of felt the story rushed to the end once the individual character issues become the Annihilation saga itself. Nova’s struggles to cope with the Nova Corps computer downloading itself into his brain just disappear and are not mentioned again. The escaped cons at the beginning? No idea. Cammi felt like a lost opportunity after a pretty significant backstory. I guess it would have been too huge to tie up everything, but taking the time to introduce things and then leave them unanswered feels sloppy. Great art through the entire saga. A fun ride. I did not read this in omnibus format, just using it here to do a single review.
Who is involved? Pretty much all of cosmic Marvel, some in different roles than MCU viewers might be used to (Gamorra kind of evil and in a ridiculous costume, Star Lord not being Star Lord). Sadly, it kind of felt the story rushed to the end once the individual character issues become the Annihilation saga itself. Nova’s struggles to cope with the Nova Corps computer downloading itself into his brain just disappear and are not mentioned again. The escaped cons at the beginning? No idea. Cammi felt like a lost opportunity after a pretty significant backstory. I guess it would have been too huge to tie up everything, but taking the time to introduce things and then leave them unanswered feels sloppy. Great art through the entire saga. A fun ride. I did not read this in omnibus format, just using it here to do a single review.
April 19, 2021
One of my first ventures in to the Marvel world several years back now, I still have a soft spot for Annihilation, in part due to my love of all things Dan Abnett.
Annihilation brings together a lot of the "cosmic" story lines and I believe lays the groundwork for the Guardians of the Galaxy and other Cosmic storylines, bringing back Draxx, Star Lord and Gamorra alongside Ronan, Nova and the Silver Surfer. This is not a high concept comic series with any particular overarching themes or messages. This is a big bang space opera as a wave of giant bugs rip through the known empires of the galaxy and have mega fights with various super powered folk along the way. This is all about things going boom and being very loud whilst doing it.
The art is pretty good, its a decent plot and like I said, there's a lot of explosions. It fills a niche in my brain for low effort epic space opera and has pretty pictures to boot. It won't please everyone and it certainly won't win any awards, but is definitely high up on the fun things to read list.
Annihilation brings together a lot of the "cosmic" story lines and I believe lays the groundwork for the Guardians of the Galaxy and other Cosmic storylines, bringing back Draxx, Star Lord and Gamorra alongside Ronan, Nova and the Silver Surfer. This is not a high concept comic series with any particular overarching themes or messages. This is a big bang space opera as a wave of giant bugs rip through the known empires of the galaxy and have mega fights with various super powered folk along the way. This is all about things going boom and being very loud whilst doing it.
The art is pretty good, its a decent plot and like I said, there's a lot of explosions. It fills a niche in my brain for low effort epic space opera and has pretty pictures to boot. It won't please everyone and it certainly won't win any awards, but is definitely high up on the fun things to read list.
Read
January 16, 2022En general me parece bien construido por la idea de ir desarrollando a los protagonistas en diferentes miniseries y después juntarlos para la gran traca final, pero lo cierto es que en general estos personajes no me importan demasiado y el dibujo supone un flaco favor. El evento principal diría que es el único que tiene un dibujo que verdaderamente me guste, mientras que el resto van de lo pasable a lo atroz. Hay de todo.
Las miniseries además me parecen un poco de "para este viaje no hacían falta tantas alforjas". Lo principal te lo cuentan en el evento, y aunque se disfruta más teniendo el contexto completo, las miniseries del Super-Skrull, Estela Plateada y Drax se me han atravesado un poco. Lo que más agradezco es haber conocido un poco más a Ronan y Richard Rider, eso sí.
Me lo he leído para poder darle a los Guardianes de Cates y Ewing, y aunque tengo pensado también darle a los Guardianes de Abnett y Lanning y las diferentes secuelas de esta historia, creo que voy a ir rebajando expectativas y sopesar que a lo mejor todo, lo que se dice todo, no hace falta que lo lea.
Las miniseries además me parecen un poco de "para este viaje no hacían falta tantas alforjas". Lo principal te lo cuentan en el evento, y aunque se disfruta más teniendo el contexto completo, las miniseries del Super-Skrull, Estela Plateada y Drax se me han atravesado un poco. Lo que más agradezco es haber conocido un poco más a Ronan y Richard Rider, eso sí.
Me lo he leído para poder darle a los Guardianes de Cates y Ewing, y aunque tengo pensado también darle a los Guardianes de Abnett y Lanning y las diferentes secuelas de esta historia, creo que voy a ir rebajando expectativas y sopesar que a lo mejor todo, lo que se dice todo, no hace falta que lo lea.
January 24, 2019
Fun ride!
The book is divided into sections of mini-series by character who then meet-up in the main Annihilation storyline.
We get Nova absorbing the Nova force and being the only Corps member alive, the rebirth of Drax as we know him today (MCU), Silver Surfer reuniting with Galactus, Super-Skrull trying to find new meaning and purpose as an aged legend of the Skrull empire, Ronan seeking a way to clear his name, Thanos manipulating and plotting with and against Annihilus, snippets of former heralds, a pretty boring Quill (maybe this pans out later down the line?), Gamora having her own league of assassins, and all of them eventually coming together to battle the Annihilation Wave who just want to obtain the power cosmic and destroy the universe that encroaches on the negative zone.
The book is divided into sections of mini-series by character who then meet-up in the main Annihilation storyline.
We get Nova absorbing the Nova force and being the only Corps member alive, the rebirth of Drax as we know him today (MCU), Silver Surfer reuniting with Galactus, Super-Skrull trying to find new meaning and purpose as an aged legend of the Skrull empire, Ronan seeking a way to clear his name, Thanos manipulating and plotting with and against Annihilus, snippets of former heralds, a pretty boring Quill (maybe this pans out later down the line?), Gamora having her own league of assassins, and all of them eventually coming together to battle the Annihilation Wave who just want to obtain the power cosmic and destroy the universe that encroaches on the negative zone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2022
This met my expectations for an epic sci-fi war story and overall I had fun. I enjoyed the range of art styles and especially liked the variety of perspectives presented across the 4-issue solo arcs (Super Skrull was a surprise favorite!).
That said, it wasn’t the best thing I’ve read, and there were simply too many characters to keep track of. It felt like there was a Marvel Cosmic deep-cut making their first appearance in 20 years on every other page. It’s so intense they had to add a whole batch of character and race bios for reference, and while I’m glad they were included, it felt like homework. Still, I’m into this stuff and will definitely read the sequel in the near future!
That said, it wasn’t the best thing I’ve read, and there were simply too many characters to keep track of. It felt like there was a Marvel Cosmic deep-cut making their first appearance in 20 years on every other page. It’s so intense they had to add a whole batch of character and race bios for reference, and while I’m glad they were included, it felt like homework. Still, I’m into this stuff and will definitely read the sequel in the near future!
January 20, 2024
Annihilation reads like the quintessential crossover event. Its scope is thrilling to behold. Each returning character spikes your endorphins with recognition and a sense of import. The stakes are universe-shaking. But the pacing betrays the impossibility of telling coherent long-form narratives in monthly issues. The schizophrenic characterization underlines the challenge of coalescing so many creative voices. If you squint and turn your head, you can see the sweeping space opera Marvel editorial envisioned. Then you open your eyes and see the thing they made is as much Space Mutiny as Star Wars.
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