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Illuminati #1-7
Illuminati: Life of Crime
"Bad guys win every day...why not us?" How do the villains of the Marvel Universe live in a world where the sky isconstantly filled with heroes? What do they do when they want out of that life? Who will fight for them? The Hoodbelieves he might just be the answer, and to meet his goals he's bringing on an army of bad guys! Titania, Mad Thinker,Thunderball, Black Ant and Enchantress will all have a place at the table as the Hood unveils his master plan.
COLLECTING: ILLUMINATI 1-7
COLLECTING: ILLUMINATI 1-7
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2016
3 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 21, 2020
A seven issue run looking at a few baddies trying to make sense out of their lives, quite a good idea, Featuring Titania, Creed and The Hood. 7 out of 12 is very generous as I should deduct marks for daring to use the Brian Bendis created 'Illuminati' Marvel title.
May 22, 2016
Well, this was fun. Not great but fun. Although it really felt more like a new incarnation of the Thunderbolts than a new Illuminati - in that respect it was a bit disappointing.
February 9, 2024
Серія "Illuminati" від Джошуа Вільямсона зацікавила мене з двох причин. По-перше, Вільямсон все-таки більше відомий як ДСішний автор тому було цікаво побачити його роботу для Marvel. По-друге, як ми знаємо Ілюмінати є командою учасниками якої є найвизначніші герої всесвіту Marvel які таємно розбираються з різними проблемами, однак у цій серії усі учасники команди є суперлиходіями.
Зав'язка полягає в тому, що Каптур обманом, солодкии обіцянками та маніпуляціями рекрутує Титанію, Тандербола, фальшиву Чарівницю, Чорну Мураху та Божевільного Мислителя для того, щоб сформувати команду. Першою місією для них стає план проникнення в Асґардію для того, щоб викрасти зброю. І протягом 5 номерів ми спостерігаємо як наші лиходії виконують цей план.
Якщо говорити про цей сюжет, то він вийшов досить посереднім, нехай і мені сподобався момент з тим як Чорна Мураха проник у тіло вченого і збільшився, а також те, що Вільямсон зосередився на Титанії й непогано прописав її. Не допомагає ситуації й малюнок Шона Крістал, який малює в серії більшість номерів, ні, він так-то непоганий, але, як на мене не дуже підходить для такої серії. Ті ж, Кев Волкер, який малює 5 номер, та Майк Гендерсон, який малює 6, набагато більше підійшли серії.
До речі про 6 номер, він є частиною кроссоверу "Standoff" і в якомусь іншому випадку я б про нього нічого не писав тому, що цей кроссовер більше стосується рану Спенсера на Капітанах Америки, але на щастя він мало того, що не сильно переплітається з основними подіями так ще й виявився найкращим номером у цій серії. Сам сюжет зосереджується на тому як Крашер Кріл усвідомлює, що його життя в Плезант Гілс було брехнею й усвідомлює те, що хоче спокійного життя яке хотіла Титанію. Взагалі номер нормально так наганяє драми навколо стосунків Карла та Мері, що я вкотре переконуюся, що ці двоє є однією з моїх найулюбленіших пар у Marvel.
Щодо 7 номеру то він вийшов досить слабким фіналом коміксу. Як я розумію ця серія не була досить популярною через, що її досить швидко закрили й Вільямсон поспіхом мусів все закінчувати, в результаті в номеру більшу частину команди виводять з історії, план Каптура по збору армії дуже швидко руйнується, а момент з тим, що Божевільний Мислитель зрадив команду в 4 номері так і не отримує якогось завершення.
В результаті серія "Illuminati" вийшла серію з дуже непоганим концептом, але слабкою реалізацією. Максимум, кому можна порадити цю серію це фанатам Титанії та Поглинаючої Людини, усі інші можуть сміливо проходити повз.
Зав'язка полягає в тому, що Каптур обманом, солодкии обіцянками та маніпуляціями рекрутує Титанію, Тандербола, фальшиву Чарівницю, Чорну Мураху та Божевільного Мислителя для того, щоб сформувати команду. Першою місією для них стає план проникнення в Асґардію для того, щоб викрасти зброю. І протягом 5 номерів ми спостерігаємо як наші лиходії виконують цей план.
Якщо говорити про цей сюжет, то він вийшов досить посереднім, нехай і мені сподобався момент з тим як Чорна Мураха проник у тіло вченого і збільшився, а також те, що Вільямсон зосередився на Титанії й непогано прописав її. Не допомагає ситуації й малюнок Шона Крістал, який малює в серії більшість номерів, ні, він так-то непоганий, але, як на мене не дуже підходить для такої серії. Ті ж, Кев Волкер, який малює 5 номер, та Майк Гендерсон, який малює 6, набагато більше підійшли серії.
До речі про 6 номер, він є частиною кроссоверу "Standoff" і в якомусь іншому випадку я б про нього нічого не писав тому, що цей кроссовер більше стосується рану Спенсера на Капітанах Америки, але на щастя він мало того, що не сильно переплітається з основними подіями так ще й виявився найкращим номером у цій серії. Сам сюжет зосереджується на тому як Крашер Кріл усвідомлює, що його життя в Плезант Гілс було брехнею й усвідомлює те, що хоче спокійного життя яке хотіла Титанію. Взагалі номер нормально так наганяє драми навколо стосунків Карла та Мері, що я вкотре переконуюся, що ці двоє є однією з моїх найулюбленіших пар у Marvel.
Щодо 7 номеру то він вийшов досить слабким фіналом коміксу. Як я розумію ця серія не була досить популярною через, що її досить швидко закрили й Вільямсон поспіхом мусів все закінчувати, в результаті в номеру більшу частину команди виводять з історії, план Каптура по збору армії дуже швидко руйнується, а момент з тим, що Божевільний Мислитель зрадив команду в 4 номері так і не отримує якогось завершення.
В результаті серія "Illuminati" вийшла серію з дуже непоганим концептом, але слабкою реалізацією. Максимум, кому можна порадити цю серію це фанатам Титанії та Поглинаючої Людини, усі інші можуть сміливо проходити повз.
June 26, 2018
Interesting though forgettable take on villains who wanted to go straight. The Pleasant Hill crossover was a nifty touch, giving said villains a taste of normal life.
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October 3, 2016"Bad guys win every day. Why not us?" A topical question, though surely not one which applies in the Marvel Universe, thus undercutting the 'world outside your window' idea still buried somewhere deep in its structure. But that's the Hood's pitch to the gang of B-list villains he's trying to assemble into the new Illuminati. There's one strand of this which is brilliant - the difficulty of going straight for any ex-con, much less a superpowered one (except those who manage to relaunch as heroes, of course), and the poignancy of people always trying for the big score while never even managing to reach a normal level of mostly-contentment. And Shawn Crystal's art on five of the seven issues is extremely good, somewhere between Kevin O'Neill and Sean Murphy. But too often, the story heads down well-trodden avenues, and mainly leaves the reader reminded that Superior Foes of Spider-Man did this premise pretty definitively. A shame, given the sadder, quieter story buried in amongst the usual double-crosses and smackdowns.
August 6, 2017
Apart from the last two issues, which was more or less a recap from Avengers Standoff, I really enjoyed this series.
April 30, 2018
The Hood is a fantastic character. His insane quest for power and respect has always delighted me. Here, he tries to form a villainous Illuminati and its awful. Joshua Williamson is a really good author but this is far from his best work. The Hood is relegated to an idiot. The team doesn't get a chance to get interesting before they start to break apart. Then, an Avengers crossover hits and it gets worse. The art by Shawn Crystal is not a god match for the title at all. Overall, an unneeded book with sad results.
November 12, 2020
Why is this called the Illuminati? This is not a group of powerful manipulaters, it's a ragtag group of supervillains. It's more like The Superior Foes of Spider-Man than it is the Hood's old supervillain underworld Cabal.
This has its moments, but overall it's not great. The Hood rounds up Titania, Thunderball, the Mad Thinker, the human Enchantress, and the Black Ant to pull a heist in Asgard. Mostly they bicker. The art also has some good moments, but mostly isn't good. This series didn't last very long and I'm not surprised.
This has its moments, but overall it's not great. The Hood rounds up Titania, Thunderball, the Mad Thinker, the human Enchantress, and the Black Ant to pull a heist in Asgard. Mostly they bicker. The art also has some good moments, but mostly isn't good. This series didn't last very long and I'm not surprised.
July 22, 2018
3.5. A straight 3-star book, but an extra 0.5 for Shawn Crystal’s art.
May 26, 2020
The Hood takes a couple of villains and tries to make up a team.
August 8, 2023
I thought this was a new take on the actual Illuminati but its just in name form only.
December 1, 2016
There have been other Marvel series bearing this name, This is the recent one where supervillainThe Hood tries to recruit Titania and a bunch of villains to form his own evil Illuminati
THE REVIEW:
First and foremost, the series as a whole was reasonably well-drawn and even the writing, particularly ex-villain Titania’s journey from start to finish, weren’t bad. Her relationship with the imprisoned “Crusher” Creel (The Absorbing Man), her situation as a former villain trying to develop a normal life and struggling painfully at it – these were all interesting elements that I enjoyed right from the beginning.
But unfortunately it was not meant to be because this was pretty much glossed over once the story started and Hood showed up and then her story became a secondary story that only popped up when the story needed an emotional beat and for me was right till the end the only real highlight story-wise.
The overall concept was, and I quote: “How do the villains of the Marvel Universe live in a world where the sky is constantly filled with heroes? What do they do when they want out of that life? There is no escape. No future. Who saves the villains? The Hood believes he might be that savior. He wants everyone to have a place at the table. Now all he needs to do is build his army… Featuring Titania, Mad Thinker, Thunderball, Black Ant and Enchantress”
Except that apart from Hood and Titania, the others get very little room to do much besides Black Ant being obviously psychotic and Thinker being an asshole. This could have been a really interesting villain book, folks not necessarily evil but caught in the wake of some poor choices and trying to first get away from it and being drawn back into the madness of super-life as villains they don’t want to be but have to be simply to survive. THAT would have been a fantastic story. But that’s not even remotely the story we get for any of the non-Titania characters, they’re all pretty much just straight out crooks/bad guys looking to get paid.
What really failed for me in this book was however the idiotic basic setup of people actually listening to a dumbass loser like Hood after all the crap that he’s pulled, lack of even “honor among thieves” trustworthiness he’s shown and just downright being utterly terrible beyond measure at being both a supervillain and a leader… it boggles my mind that he’s still a thing and not either relegated to limbo or mutated into an at least measurable evil-monster/creature-ish threat instead of the putz he still is – one of the worst things to come from Bendis’s writing period.
Personally I think Marvel should just either turn the character into a joke punching bag and slowly fade him out or just outright shelve him for the foreseeable future because pretty much anything starring Hood post his solo mini waaaay back when he first started and had a somewhat curious and different origin story and was interesting as just a lucky low-level thug/hood who aimed too high and paid for it eventually because he just wasn’t that good… well that was interesting and the character should have just been quietly sent to limbo/prison then and left for as long as possible, but they keep bringing him back and he just gets less fun and more pathetic each time.
THE LAST WORD:
The only positive here was I actually kind of liked Titania’s story but as I said before, sadly that was a sub-story in this big cluster-frak and judging by recent Marvel titles I’ve been reading/hearing about, doesn’t seem like they picked up anything after it with her and Creel as a couple.
Maybe they’ll do it when there’s less big-ticket stuff happening.
STORY SCORE: 1 / 10 [mostly for Titania and decent art but otherwise not a comic I would recommend to anyone. Ever.]
ART SCORE: 3 / 10
OVERALL SCORE: 2 / 10 (barely)
THE REVIEW:
First and foremost, the series as a whole was reasonably well-drawn and even the writing, particularly ex-villain Titania’s journey from start to finish, weren’t bad. Her relationship with the imprisoned “Crusher” Creel (The Absorbing Man), her situation as a former villain trying to develop a normal life and struggling painfully at it – these were all interesting elements that I enjoyed right from the beginning.
But unfortunately it was not meant to be because this was pretty much glossed over once the story started and Hood showed up and then her story became a secondary story that only popped up when the story needed an emotional beat and for me was right till the end the only real highlight story-wise.
The overall concept was, and I quote: “How do the villains of the Marvel Universe live in a world where the sky is constantly filled with heroes? What do they do when they want out of that life? There is no escape. No future. Who saves the villains? The Hood believes he might be that savior. He wants everyone to have a place at the table. Now all he needs to do is build his army… Featuring Titania, Mad Thinker, Thunderball, Black Ant and Enchantress”
Except that apart from Hood and Titania, the others get very little room to do much besides Black Ant being obviously psychotic and Thinker being an asshole. This could have been a really interesting villain book, folks not necessarily evil but caught in the wake of some poor choices and trying to first get away from it and being drawn back into the madness of super-life as villains they don’t want to be but have to be simply to survive. THAT would have been a fantastic story. But that’s not even remotely the story we get for any of the non-Titania characters, they’re all pretty much just straight out crooks/bad guys looking to get paid.
What really failed for me in this book was however the idiotic basic setup of people actually listening to a dumbass loser like Hood after all the crap that he’s pulled, lack of even “honor among thieves” trustworthiness he’s shown and just downright being utterly terrible beyond measure at being both a supervillain and a leader… it boggles my mind that he’s still a thing and not either relegated to limbo or mutated into an at least measurable evil-monster/creature-ish threat instead of the putz he still is – one of the worst things to come from Bendis’s writing period.
Personally I think Marvel should just either turn the character into a joke punching bag and slowly fade him out or just outright shelve him for the foreseeable future because pretty much anything starring Hood post his solo mini waaaay back when he first started and had a somewhat curious and different origin story and was interesting as just a lucky low-level thug/hood who aimed too high and paid for it eventually because he just wasn’t that good… well that was interesting and the character should have just been quietly sent to limbo/prison then and left for as long as possible, but they keep bringing him back and he just gets less fun and more pathetic each time.
THE LAST WORD:
The only positive here was I actually kind of liked Titania’s story but as I said before, sadly that was a sub-story in this big cluster-frak and judging by recent Marvel titles I’ve been reading/hearing about, doesn’t seem like they picked up anything after it with her and Creel as a couple.
Maybe they’ll do it when there’s less big-ticket stuff happening.
STORY SCORE: 1 / 10 [mostly for Titania and decent art but otherwise not a comic I would recommend to anyone. Ever.]
ART SCORE: 3 / 10
OVERALL SCORE: 2 / 10 (barely)
January 23, 2020
I think this was largely disappointing because it's not the book I was thinking of.
But also because the Hood is not an anti-hero I can get behind. He's the "unlovable loser."
But also because the Hood is not an anti-hero I can get behind. He's the "unlovable loser."
January 9, 2017
Joshua Williamson's Illuminati is an interesting take on the group that, up until this series began, had its name associated with a secret cadre of superheros doing some majorly questionable things (see Jonathan Hickman's New Avengers run). Now we've got a bunch of C and D list villains all getting together to do.....something. It's never really made clear what the end goal of this series was beyond The Hood wanting to get a bunch of villains together to get himself and them rich, which is a great concept if this were going for a heist movie feel. Instead the whole run seems to just spin its wheels the whole time, never really moving forwards and the while Williamson tries his hardest to get us to connect with the villains, they aren't developed enough for that to happen. I wish we had more time focusing on Titania struggling with the desire to leave the criminal world behind, the distrust the public and superheroes have in her and the idea of the "final job" that could set her and the Absorbing man free from their past.
It feels like this was trying to be a character drama with the villains and that would have been great! I think the run wasn't given enough time to breathe and focused too much on fight scenes that ultimately went nowhere. I think a good portion of that is also due to the artist. This was the wrong series for Shawn Crystal, the main artist. His art is stretchy, his backgrounds are scarce and the pastel coloring sets a light-hearted tone that doesn't mesh with the subject matter well. Plus, it makes the fight scenes hard to follow and many times the characters just look...off: faces become really simplified, arms stretch oddly, and mouths becomes really stretchy when punched. The art feels like it should be with a series more akin to Scottie Young's New Warriors than this one. Plus the pleasant hill issue was poorly integrated into the rest of the series but that is a problem with marvel's way of dealing with event comics and the lack of collecting all the necessary information into these trades. The issue works fine and seems in line with the Pleasant Hill story line but I didn't read it and I feel like I'm missing a ton of important information.
In the end, this is a good attempt to rebrand the Illuminati but falls short in the character and art departments. It's not Williamson's strongest work but it is worth checking out just to see a bit of compassion for the villains who are all too often just throwaways.
It feels like this was trying to be a character drama with the villains and that would have been great! I think the run wasn't given enough time to breathe and focused too much on fight scenes that ultimately went nowhere. I think a good portion of that is also due to the artist. This was the wrong series for Shawn Crystal, the main artist. His art is stretchy, his backgrounds are scarce and the pastel coloring sets a light-hearted tone that doesn't mesh with the subject matter well. Plus, it makes the fight scenes hard to follow and many times the characters just look...off: faces become really simplified, arms stretch oddly, and mouths becomes really stretchy when punched. The art feels like it should be with a series more akin to Scottie Young's New Warriors than this one. Plus the pleasant hill issue was poorly integrated into the rest of the series but that is a problem with marvel's way of dealing with event comics and the lack of collecting all the necessary information into these trades. The issue works fine and seems in line with the Pleasant Hill story line but I didn't read it and I feel like I'm missing a ton of important information.
In the end, this is a good attempt to rebrand the Illuminati but falls short in the character and art departments. It's not Williamson's strongest work but it is worth checking out just to see a bit of compassion for the villains who are all too often just throwaways.
January 23, 2017
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the low-ish ratings on this book. Some Marvel fans have an attachment to the Illuminati title that I don't share. I've read one volume of the Reed Richards/Dr. Strange/Black Bolt/Namor version of this weird elitist team from the Secret Invasion era and didn't think much of it. But this, like so many of my "mainstream" comics preferences, lives in my wheelhouse. Take a handful of third and fourth tier M616 characters--villains and henchmen this time--and do a smart, archly funny take that's driven more by character motivations than plot machinations. This one puts Titania--Titania? have I ever read anything featuring Titania?--front and center as she attempts to go straight and encourages her imprisoned lover Carl "Crusher (Absorbing Man)" Creel to do the same. But he gets transferred to another prison and she gets tempted, or maybe conned, into joining a team of superbads led by dark magic crimelord the Hood. She gets to throw a beatdown on Power Man and Iron Fist, the current Thor, a whole lot of Roxxon thugs and a passel of SHIELD agents in the bargain, all the while struggling with whether or not this return to her old ways is avoidable or inevitable. The climactic issues tie in with the whole Avengers: Standoff/Pleasant Hill storyline set in the smalltown middle-American utopia that's really just a top secret SHIELD prison populated by brainwashed supercrooks. That's as much as I've read of that arc so far, but now I gotta admit I'm intrigued. As long as the other books don't take themselves any more seriously than this one does, it could be a fun ride.
September 10, 2016
This started out really good, about a superpowered ex-con trying to go straight, and how hard that is when everyone just sees your previous mistakes and prison terms (and your husband insists on wearing those damn striped pants). Titania tries to get a proper job with She-Hulk's help, but is then blamed for the robbery she tried to stop by the always posing Iron Fist and a Luke Cage wearing a Run the Jewels t-shirt. Titania has to turn back to crime just to get a bit of cash. The rest of the book is standard supervillain fare with the Hood trying out some grandiose plan to bring all the villains together again. But all the other characters feel like cutouts there only to support Titania's story (except for Thunderball, who has a similar 'trying to go straight' arc).
Unfortunately, a series that could possibly have said a lot of important stuff about how society treats ex-cons and the resulting rate of recidivism through a superhero lens was cancelled far too early, and, in order to give readers something of an ending, Williamson returns everything to a status quo that completely undermines the original premise.
Crystal's redesigns of the main characters are all pretty neat, and I hope they stick around the next time the characters show up.
Unfortunately, a series that could possibly have said a lot of important stuff about how society treats ex-cons and the resulting rate of recidivism through a superhero lens was cancelled far too early, and, in order to give readers something of an ending, Williamson returns everything to a status quo that completely undermines the original premise.
Crystal's redesigns of the main characters are all pretty neat, and I hope they stick around the next time the characters show up.
January 31, 2020
I think Marvel should have thought twice about using the Illuminati name because it makes you think of an elite group of Marvel characters banding together to do some nefarious/awesome things.
....yeah, this is not that.
Instead its a bunch of C and D listers brought together by the Red Hood to try and be .... successful villains? I guess? And you know, its not even so much the characters as far as how popular they are. Because we have all read books with characters that are less well known and the story is still good. The main thing is that the story must be engaging and well written. Unfortunately Williamson doesn't have either of these boxes checked off. The pacing is a mess, the plot is messy and unfocused, the dialog is unrealistic and exposition filled.
And to top it off the art... man. Sometimes I was like, how is this in one of the big 2 comic companies. No backgrounds, barely more than stick figures, weird anatomy... I don't know if the art team was rushed or what, but yeah, this was not good. There is one issue drawn by a different artist and it was soooo much better. But if the main artist is not up to par, and the story is not up to par, that's not a good combo.
This was way too big of a mess to recommend.
....yeah, this is not that.
Instead its a bunch of C and D listers brought together by the Red Hood to try and be .... successful villains? I guess? And you know, its not even so much the characters as far as how popular they are. Because we have all read books with characters that are less well known and the story is still good. The main thing is that the story must be engaging and well written. Unfortunately Williamson doesn't have either of these boxes checked off. The pacing is a mess, the plot is messy and unfocused, the dialog is unrealistic and exposition filled.
And to top it off the art... man. Sometimes I was like, how is this in one of the big 2 comic companies. No backgrounds, barely more than stick figures, weird anatomy... I don't know if the art team was rushed or what, but yeah, this was not good. There is one issue drawn by a different artist and it was soooo much better. But if the main artist is not up to par, and the story is not up to par, that's not a good combo.
This was way too big of a mess to recommend.
October 17, 2016
Marvel's answer to 'Suicide Squad' falls a little short.
I loved reading more Titania following her recent face-off with Thor, but I'd have enjoyed this a lot more if it had been a series focused solely upon her. The male members of the Illuminati are interchangeable and forgettable, and it was hard to keep track of all of them, particularly because I hadn't encountered any (apart from The Absorbing Man) before.
It also felt unfinished. The Fake Enchantress is transported to another realm and then is never mentioned again, and it felt uncomfortable to leave her story so abruptly with such a large question mark hovering over it.
Art style is gorgeous, dialogue is fast and well-written, but the story never really got off of the ground.
I loved reading more Titania following her recent face-off with Thor, but I'd have enjoyed this a lot more if it had been a series focused solely upon her. The male members of the Illuminati are interchangeable and forgettable, and it was hard to keep track of all of them, particularly because I hadn't encountered any (apart from The Absorbing Man) before.
It also felt unfinished. The Fake Enchantress is transported to another realm and then is never mentioned again, and it felt uncomfortable to leave her story so abruptly with such a large question mark hovering over it.
Art style is gorgeous, dialogue is fast and well-written, but the story never really got off of the ground.
May 7, 2016
Série o záporácích mám rád, ale tohle se příliš nepovedlo. Jsou to takoví Superior Foes, akorát jim chybí humor a hrát na vážnou kartu se Williamsonovi moc nedaří. První dva sešity byly dost mizerný a musel jsem si zvykat na divnou kresbu, pak se to konečně alespoň trochu rozjede.
April 23, 2017
The parts Williamson can control are great, although the story suffers a bit for being tied into Avengers: Standoff and then being cancelled way too soon. Still, it's a fun read and the art style is amazing.
December 8, 2016
Wow...why just a low rating folks.
The Avengers Stand-Off issue in the collection is honestly on of the best from the event.
The series really reminds me of Superior Foes but more serious. Its not easy breaking a life of crime, and you do feel for the through heroes, I mean villains.
The Avengers Stand-Off issue in the collection is honestly on of the best from the event.
The series really reminds me of Superior Foes but more serious. Its not easy breaking a life of crime, and you do feel for the through heroes, I mean villains.
July 31, 2016
Bylo to super, ale poslední sešit tak trochu zabil potenciál celé řady.
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