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The Annihilation Saga #7
The Last Annihilation
A new Annihilation event threatens the cosmos! The war to end all wars is here, and the consequences will be grave for the Guardians of the Galaxy, S.W.O.R.D. and the royal couple of the united Kree/Skrull Empire, Hulkling and Wiccan! Five different planets have simultaneously come under threat, and this foe may be too big for even the new Guardians to handle. So it's a good thing that Cable is back - locked, loaded and ready to steal the ultimate weapon from the deadliest planet in X-history! Meanwhile, the Black Panther enlists the aid of the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda and the legendary M'Baku! But what game is Doctor Doom playing? Not everyone is going to come home. Collecting GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2020) #16-18, RELOADED #1, THE LAST WICCAN & HULKING, THE LAST WAKANDA and S.W.O.R.D. (2020) #7.
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2022
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78 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 10, 2022
Yet another cosmic invasion, this one by Dormammu. Oodles and oodles of fighting Mindless Ones. Just like a lot of this crossover...mindless. It actually starts off pretty good. The tail end of it though got pretty monotonous. A meh finish for a good Guardians of the Galaxy run.
July 31, 2022
Most of what's collected here is taken from the final volumes of Al Ewing's Guardians Of The Galaxy and SWORD runs, but having them all in one place and in the right order is nice.
Annihilation seems to just be the catch-all term for 'big space event' these days, and the scope of the story definitely fits that. War is waging across the galaxy, and it takes the Guardians, Doctor Doom, and more from all across the universe to stop an unexpected threat. There's definitely a sense that there was more to the story to be told, since it all kind of just ends abruptly, but hopefully these points will get picked up (probably by Ewing, since he's good like that) somewhere else.
Also included are the two one-shots that haven't been collected elsewhere, a Wiccan & Hulkling story that just makes me want them to have a new ongoing even more than I already did, and a Black Panther one that continues to make the Intergalactic Empire Of Wakanda a thing, which I thought was going to fade from existence once Ta-Nehisi Coates' run on the title ended and yet continues to persist, for better or worse.
If you don't already have Guardians Volume 3 or SWORD Volume 2, you'll get a kick out of this. If you do, then this one's probably just for stupid completionists like me who wanted to have the one-shots collected.
Annihilation seems to just be the catch-all term for 'big space event' these days, and the scope of the story definitely fits that. War is waging across the galaxy, and it takes the Guardians, Doctor Doom, and more from all across the universe to stop an unexpected threat. There's definitely a sense that there was more to the story to be told, since it all kind of just ends abruptly, but hopefully these points will get picked up (probably by Ewing, since he's good like that) somewhere else.
Also included are the two one-shots that haven't been collected elsewhere, a Wiccan & Hulkling story that just makes me want them to have a new ongoing even more than I already did, and a Black Panther one that continues to make the Intergalactic Empire Of Wakanda a thing, which I thought was going to fade from existence once Ta-Nehisi Coates' run on the title ended and yet continues to persist, for better or worse.
If you don't already have Guardians Volume 3 or SWORD Volume 2, you'll get a kick out of this. If you do, then this one's probably just for stupid completionists like me who wanted to have the one-shots collected.
January 22, 2023
Ugh… I love Wiccan and Hulking so much. Their relationship brings me so much joy and any event that gives me a lot of them together is good in my book. I’ve said before cosmic Marvel events confuse me because there’s so many complex characters and damn does this one keep it going. So many people interacting with detailed backstories I don’t know most of. The X-Men ended up playing a much larger role here than I was expecting and not being caught up with their story is why I never read this. But I’m working through that now. At only seven issues total this isn’t a massive event that’ll take awhile to read but it is not easily accessible to new readers. Especially being the SEVENTH Annihilation book or the fourth Annihilation event. I’m excited to see where this Dr. Doom story goes tacked on at the end. All in all I did enjoy this read and the Hulking and Wiccan issue had me crying at 3 in the morning so it’s whatever.
August 20, 2022
This cross-over event overlaps with Guardians of the Galaxy 2020 paperback volume 3 for 3 issues. and also overlaps with the s.w.o.r.d. vol2 paperback. So keep that in mind if you buy the paperbacks, those 4 issues are collected in both books.
The main problem I had with the GOTG vol 3 paperback was the lack of context. With this collection, it is now clear what the Galactic Council's role was in the event. They were introduced in GOTG VOL2 by Nova and Marvel Boy. But in GOTG VOL 3 they weren't mentioned anymore, which was weird.
The s.w.o.r.d issue, the cable one-shot are both good.
The Wiccan-Hulkling one-shot contains flashbacks who are a continuation of their love story in "Empyre" and "Road to Empyre". It is superb and the star of the whole series. I hope they make a Wiccan-Hulkling // Kree/Skrull series.
The one-shot of Black Panther, with the intergalactic Wakanda empire, felt out of place. But I'm not following Black Panther, so it didn't interest me at all.
The main problem I had with the GOTG vol 3 paperback was the lack of context. With this collection, it is now clear what the Galactic Council's role was in the event. They were introduced in GOTG VOL2 by Nova and Marvel Boy. But in GOTG VOL 3 they weren't mentioned anymore, which was weird.
The s.w.o.r.d issue, the cable one-shot are both good.
The Wiccan-Hulkling one-shot contains flashbacks who are a continuation of their love story in "Empyre" and "Road to Empyre". It is superb and the star of the whole series. I hope they make a Wiccan-Hulkling // Kree/Skrull series.
The one-shot of Black Panther, with the intergalactic Wakanda empire, felt out of place. But I'm not following Black Panther, so it didn't interest me at all.
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January 2, 2022Oh, so this is getting a collection after all, just weirdly delayed. Yanking the relevant section from my review of Guardians volume 3:
Then, alas, the mystery of what's happened to Ego, the Living Planet is solved and - spoilers! - he's been possessed by Dormammu, unleashing a wave of space Mindless Ones as part of a mini-crossover called The Last Annihilation – whose title I really wish were a binding promise. Mindless Ones have always been, as the name suggests, pretty tedious adversaries. And coming on the tail of however many other Annihilations there were with hordes of mindless space bastards attacking Marvel space, plus plant-twats and symbiote nonsense doing the same within the past year...can we just stop now? Maybe space really is full of hegemonising swarm entities, but as main threats in stories they're very, very dull. Mercifully, they get shunted off centre stage after an issue or two, making way for all the far more interesting character stuff, not least Al getting to cut loose and write Doctor Doom at his most spectacularly hubristic. But lots of that was in one-shots whose ultimate destination, in terms of collected editions, is currently unclear. Hell, this book doesn't even seem to contain the very much Guardians-badged annual explaining the origin of the Prince of Power – no, not that one – which turns out to be a gloriously stupid He-Man riff ("He found himself searching for answers from the wizard Answeros, in his secret Cave of Answers on the legendary Mount Answeros") turning on how easily an Infinity Stone might be mistaken for a jellybean. Certainly they're not going to be in Volume 4 because there isn't one; after 12 issues of scene-setting, there were only these 6 more, and then cancellation. I don't know what went on there, or whether Al will get to pick up again for the inevitable relaunch circa the next film, but right now this doesn't feel like it went to plan at all.
Then, alas, the mystery of what's happened to Ego, the Living Planet is solved and - spoilers! - he's been possessed by Dormammu, unleashing a wave of space Mindless Ones as part of a mini-crossover called The Last Annihilation – whose title I really wish were a binding promise. Mindless Ones have always been, as the name suggests, pretty tedious adversaries. And coming on the tail of however many other Annihilations there were with hordes of mindless space bastards attacking Marvel space, plus plant-twats and symbiote nonsense doing the same within the past year...can we just stop now? Maybe space really is full of hegemonising swarm entities, but as main threats in stories they're very, very dull. Mercifully, they get shunted off centre stage after an issue or two, making way for all the far more interesting character stuff, not least Al getting to cut loose and write Doctor Doom at his most spectacularly hubristic. But lots of that was in one-shots whose ultimate destination, in terms of collected editions, is currently unclear. Hell, this book doesn't even seem to contain the very much Guardians-badged annual explaining the origin of the Prince of Power – no, not that one – which turns out to be a gloriously stupid He-Man riff ("He found himself searching for answers from the wizard Answeros, in his secret Cave of Answers on the legendary Mount Answeros") turning on how easily an Infinity Stone might be mistaken for a jellybean. Certainly they're not going to be in Volume 4 because there isn't one; after 12 issues of scene-setting, there were only these 6 more, and then cancellation. I don't know what went on there, or whether Al will get to pick up again for the inevitable relaunch circa the next film, but right now this doesn't feel like it went to plan at all.
August 10, 2022
It's sorta ballsy to name your big cosmic space crossover after the Annihilation event at marvel, but after Scourge kinda was a letdown I guess we could only go up.
A small thing that bothered me was while the Guardians issues formed the backbone of the actual story, not all the tie ins felt justified or needed, even if they could be fun. Cable reloaded was just Ewing doing a tribute to 90s X-Force with some modern takes, and the Wakanda one shot was a good flex for the empire itself, helped by the fact Manifold was involved, even if it didn't have a large barring on the overall plot. The Wiccan and Hulking one shot was fine at best, almost playing tired story beats, it's skipable. The SWORD tie in is fun for Doom and Storm's caddiness to one another, and to see Brand really scheming as she is known for.
At the end of the day this event is really just a lot of strong defense, seeing as Dormmammu never completely archives his plan, but it's fine on its own. Some tie ins bring it down overall, but still Ewing writes it well.
A small thing that bothered me was while the Guardians issues formed the backbone of the actual story, not all the tie ins felt justified or needed, even if they could be fun. Cable reloaded was just Ewing doing a tribute to 90s X-Force with some modern takes, and the Wakanda one shot was a good flex for the empire itself, helped by the fact Manifold was involved, even if it didn't have a large barring on the overall plot. The Wiccan and Hulking one shot was fine at best, almost playing tired story beats, it's skipable. The SWORD tie in is fun for Doom and Storm's caddiness to one another, and to see Brand really scheming as she is known for.
At the end of the day this event is really just a lot of strong defense, seeing as Dormmammu never completely archives his plan, but it's fine on its own. Some tie ins bring it down overall, but still Ewing writes it well.
September 23, 2025
A weak story only tangentially Annihilation related. Poorly selected comics to tell the tale as well. Aside from some decent art, it would get a 1 star.
August 23, 2022
I'm here specifically and solely because of Wiccan and Hulkling, and I did get Wiccan and Hulkling. However, this is really a Guardians of the Galaxy story, and I think I might have gotten more out of it if I'd been reading Ewing's Guardians run. I also didn't love the Cable issue, especially the narrative voice. That said, I liked the SWORD issue, and of course the Wiccan and Hulkling one. The Black Panther one was more of a mixed bag, but it's still interesting to see that the Wakandan Empire will still exist past Coates's run. If you haven't been reading Guardians, and you have no particular interest in Wiccan and Hulkling, this is a very optional event.
June 9, 2022
Gems include Dormammu wears Ego’s shell like a snakeskin, Storm halts Doom’s talk of their marriages, Rocket & Doom hatch a plan, Cable reforms the X-Terminators to load a supergun, Hulkling & Phyla-Vell bond, Deathbird shames Smasher’s human bias, & Gamora caps Dormammu
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2023
In contrast to Empyre, the cosmic event that Al Ewing wrote before this, The Last Annihilation feels really thrown together. It's clearly meant to be the cap to his run on Guardians of the Galaxy, which also feels like he was yoinked off that run to go and join the X Office.
After the events of Empyre and the mid section of Ewing's GOTG run, the team has been reorganized into a more 'legit' outfit. Meanwhile, the mutants of Earth have just entered the Solar System into the cosmic landscape with a bang, and Dr Doom, of all people, is out here giving ill omens - those omens, as it happens, involve Dormammu just bursting out of Ego the Living Planet.
This storyline had potential, but again, it all felt really rushed to me. Most of the pages of this book consist of characters just battling Dormammu and his Mindless Ones, and none of it makes any sense until the very end, when you get a couple of walls of text revealing the truth behind his invasion. And while I appreciate having context for what was happening in Ewing's SWORD ongoing now, weaving Krakoa and the Hellfire Gala into this story just makes it more of a mess - and it went the other way to making SWORD a worse read, too!
When things finally slow down, Ewing also rushes a conclusion to the character arcs he was writing in GOTG. Quill makes his peace with living in this universe with that Morninus or whatever place in his rear view; Gamora forgives him for running out on her; Richard Rider works towards living in peaceful times; and Moondragon reconciles with Phylla Vell. I would've liked to see these arcs explored in more detail, but again, it feels like Ewing had to cut his plans short.
I'd love to tell you that you don't need to read this, but I'm pretty sure Ewing is gonna be referencing these events for years to come. His GOTG run and The Last Annihilation are alright Marvel Unlimited reads, but you don't need these in your shelf.
After the events of Empyre and the mid section of Ewing's GOTG run, the team has been reorganized into a more 'legit' outfit. Meanwhile, the mutants of Earth have just entered the Solar System into the cosmic landscape with a bang, and Dr Doom, of all people, is out here giving ill omens - those omens, as it happens, involve Dormammu just bursting out of Ego the Living Planet.
This storyline had potential, but again, it all felt really rushed to me. Most of the pages of this book consist of characters just battling Dormammu and his Mindless Ones, and none of it makes any sense until the very end, when you get a couple of walls of text revealing the truth behind his invasion. And while I appreciate having context for what was happening in Ewing's SWORD ongoing now, weaving Krakoa and the Hellfire Gala into this story just makes it more of a mess - and it went the other way to making SWORD a worse read, too!
When things finally slow down, Ewing also rushes a conclusion to the character arcs he was writing in GOTG. Quill makes his peace with living in this universe with that Morninus or whatever place in his rear view; Gamora forgives him for running out on her; Richard Rider works towards living in peaceful times; and Moondragon reconciles with Phylla Vell. I would've liked to see these arcs explored in more detail, but again, it feels like Ewing had to cut his plans short.
I'd love to tell you that you don't need to read this, but I'm pretty sure Ewing is gonna be referencing these events for years to come. His GOTG run and The Last Annihilation are alright Marvel Unlimited reads, but you don't need these in your shelf.
March 1, 2024
I had read snippets of this crossover in other books and it's only now that I get to appreciate the whole story in the proper sequence. And while it's not necessarily the best big crossover event out there, it has a lot going for it as it managed to interconnect the stories of the Guardians of the Galaxy. the interstellar empire of Wakanda, and the fact that the Krakoan mutants are now a cosmic player.
This story is...a LOT. Like it can feel as chaotic as the other Annihilation stories, which I guess fits the theme. But instead of dealing with the Annihilation Wave, it's the endless armies of mindless ones under the command of the dread Dormammu. There's a lot of jumping around from story point to story point, but it generally comes together quite nicely.
I loved Doom's involvement in everything because of course, I do. And the spotlight story focused on Hulking and Wiccan was absolutely charming. Even the Wakanda story was quite good and those one-shots really elevated the whole series to another level.
This story is...a LOT. Like it can feel as chaotic as the other Annihilation stories, which I guess fits the theme. But instead of dealing with the Annihilation Wave, it's the endless armies of mindless ones under the command of the dread Dormammu. There's a lot of jumping around from story point to story point, but it generally comes together quite nicely.
I loved Doom's involvement in everything because of course, I do. And the spotlight story focused on Hulking and Wiccan was absolutely charming. Even the Wakanda story was quite good and those one-shots really elevated the whole series to another level.
December 23, 2025
This was a really fun read! As per usual, Wiccan and Hulkling are the best part of the story. The best issue of this collection was the one focused on them, where we finally get a flashback to how they first met. It's super cute.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Cable story in this collection kinda interrupted the flow of the story in my opinion, but I loved finding out that Cable idolizes Rocket Raccoon. Honestly Rocket deserves to be one of the most famous tacticians in the Marvel universe. I love that for him.
I wonder if the stuff with Doctor Doom in this was heading anywhere. Do we ever find out if he had a secret evil plan all along? Why was he really helping the Guardians? As someone who's only read a few comics with Dr. Doom so far, I'm honestly underwhelmed by him so far. So far, he's not coming across like the evil genius everyone claims he is. Not sure how to feel about him. I also find it really annoying when he talks in 3rd person, but maybe that's just a me thing.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Cable story in this collection kinda interrupted the flow of the story in my opinion, but I loved finding out that Cable idolizes Rocket Raccoon. Honestly Rocket deserves to be one of the most famous tacticians in the Marvel universe. I love that for him.
I wonder if the stuff with Doctor Doom in this was heading anywhere. Do we ever find out if he had a secret evil plan all along? Why was he really helping the Guardians? As someone who's only read a few comics with Dr. Doom so far, I'm honestly underwhelmed by him so far. So far, he's not coming across like the evil genius everyone claims he is. Not sure how to feel about him. I also find it really annoying when he talks in 3rd person, but maybe that's just a me thing.
December 18, 2025
Over the years, Marvel's cosmic storylines, the main thing that kept me coming back to the publisher's works, have been feeling like they are losing their spark and glow and, unfortunately, this latest Annihilation seems to obey the symptoms already experienced with other sequences of storylines like the ongoing series of Secret Wars or Infinity works that keep being pumped out periodically, wielding a storyline that no longer feels cosmic, but just a sequence of non stop events that feel disjointed even if you've been consuming every single published work and reading between their lines, with no danger being felt as persistent or serious enough to be taken anything else other than lightly.
When a random number of Thor or Doctor Strange feels more universe threatening than the work of a dedicated title, it settles (at least for me) to take comics reading somewhere else.
When a random number of Thor or Doctor Strange feels more universe threatening than the work of a dedicated title, it settles (at least for me) to take comics reading somewhere else.
March 22, 2022
Really fun event! And some very sweet and funny moments throughout, especially in the Cable: Reloaded one-shot. I enjoyed that one immensely. But everything was really good. The two less-relevant tie-ins were still exciting and meaningful and the rest of the books were great and resolved some final foreshadowing from Empyre nicely.
November 19, 2023
I read this not knowing other storylines from this decade (having mostly read 2000s and 2010s Marvel 616 stuff...), this is really action packed, a bit heavy on exposition for my wee nogging but some really intriguing alliances, a great queer monarchical romance and Doctor Doom. If this is what present day Marvel storylines are like I'm quite pleased with it.
September 26, 2022
Meh. Everything happens so fast and it's all jumbled up. The first Annihilation was a magnificent moment in Marvel Cosmic comics that sparked a great revival. This just feels like a weird add on that doesn't make much effort to be anything special.
December 27, 2022
Another day, another galaxy-spanning, potential extinction event. At least this one fits together and is pretty well-developed, with different teams fighting different enemies in different corners of the galaxy. Good artwork throughout, too.
December 30, 2021
A decent, forgetable story. Some good issues. Wrapped up too nice and neatly. And what seemed like an abrupt end to Ewing's Guardians of the Galaxy run.
May 25, 2022
3.5 stars
January 21, 2023
It’s a big bad cosmic event!
For me the best stuff was the X-men.
For me the best stuff was the X-men.
January 31, 2023
Came for Wiccan and Hulkling, but also got a Gamora/Star-Lord/Nova triad?? (I am probably reading that completely incorrectly but oh well, here we are)
August 6, 2023
Giant space gun and bullet, why not?
December 2, 2025
The Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 395
November 20, 2025
couple things with this one
1. the wiccan and hulkling issue was by far the best. i love the cheesiness of the power of their love being so great as to help save the universe.
2. every day i wish that marauders!kate and sexy bearded!pete got more time together during the krakoa era
1. the wiccan and hulkling issue was by far the best. i love the cheesiness of the power of their love being so great as to help save the universe.
2. every day i wish that marauders!kate and sexy bearded!pete got more time together during the krakoa era
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