Mark Waid // Mike Wieringo
June 2003
****
Valeria says her first word: “Doom”! The Doc attacks the family thru the baby, having bound her to himself w/ arcane spells at her birth. I’m not sold yet on Waid’s focus on magic for the arch-villain, although the trait is well-established. Or maybe I preferred the earlier issues’ lighter tone.
last issue: Fantastic Four #67
next issue: Fantastic Four #69
also indexed for Jun. ’03
Alias #21
Daredevil #46
New X-Men #139
New X-Men #140
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Miguel Sepulveda
March 2011
**
An epilogue to Marvel’s most recent space opera and a prologue for their next mini. It’s a conventional exercise in superhero team-gathering. While Ab & Lan write good dialogue, they fail to tell who these heroes are (personality, superpower, or history). Plus, the line-up’s testosterone-heavy.
continued from The Thanos Imperative #6 of 6
continued in Annihilators #1 of 4
also indexed for Mar. ’11
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #4 of 9
The Fantastic Four #587
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Pablo Raimondi & Tim Seeley
May 2010
**
The Inhuman queen w/ the prehensile hair has been manufacturing threats to consolidate her rule. It’s a cynical point about modern politics, not provocative so much as dismissable: the difference btw the Iraqi intelligence gambit &, say, 9/11-as-govt.-conspiracy. Raimondi = only 3 issues out of 5?
last issue: Realm of Kings: Inhumans #4 of 5
continued in The Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1 of 1
also indexed for May ’10
The Fantastic Four #577
Guardians of the Galaxy #24
Nova #35
Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #5 of 5
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Pablo Raimondi
April 2010
***
I want to enjoy this Inhumans mini more, since it’s got fine art over a just-right story. But something about DnA’s work here feels mechanical by their standards of craft. There’s no danger when Crystal and co. defend themselves from a robot attack, & the final-page twist feels predictable.
last issue: Realm of Kings: Inhumans #3 of 5
next issue: Realm of Kings: Inhumans #5 of 5
also indexed for Apr. ’10
The Fantastic Four #576
Guardians of the Galaxy #23
Nova #34
Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #4 of 5
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Pablo Raimondi
February 2010
**
The Mighty Avengers (that is, the team not written by BM Bendis) visit the Inhumans for some heroics & soap operatics. Raimondi’s lines produce clean faces & strong settings, matching the clear, engaging dialogue; but there’s a sense of keeping time rather than engaging momentum with this mini.
last issue: Realm of Kings: Inhumans #1 of 5
next issue: Realm of Kings: Inhumans #2 of 5
also indexed for Feb. ’10
The Fantastic Four #574
Guardians of the Galaxy #21
Nova #32
Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #2 of 5
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Pablo Raimondi
January 2010
**
DnA open this mini w/ a review of the status quo: the Inhumans, Kirby super-aristos, rule the Kree space empire fairly responsibly, tho’ palace intrigues brew & skirmishes flare up along the interstellar borders. Raimondi (& inker Hennessy) has a lovely clean style, like an update of ’80s X-Men.
continued from Realm of Kings #1 of 1
next issue: Realm of Kings: Inhumans #2 of 5
also indexed for Jan. ’10
The Fantastic Four #573
Guardians of the Galaxy #20
Nova #31
Realm of Kings #1 of 1
Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #1 of 5
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Kev Walker
March 2010
***
A fun issue of space gothic horror—Alien, ’70s Doctor Who, or (in Marvel terms) Claremont’s Brood Saga. The heroes flee the corpse of a large interstellar organism before it’s eaten by space-maggots. Yeesh! Appealing character beats help propel the team mechanics along & add to derring-do.
last issue: Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #2 of 5
next issue: Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #4 of 5
also indexed for Mar. ’10
The Fantastic Four #575
Guardians of the Galaxy #22
Nova #33
Realm of Kings: Inhumans #3 of 5
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Kev Walker
February 2010
***
An uneasy team of interstellar superheroes explore a rift in spacetime that has creeping horrors on its other side. Case in point: they’re outdueled by the corpse of an organic spaceship. Kev Walker, an Englishman, draws great environments, whether cramped starship, deep space, or strange planet.
last issue: Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #1 of 5
next issue: Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #3 of 5
also indexed for Feb. ’10
The Fantastic Four #574
Guardians of the Galaxy #21
Nova #32
Realm of Kings: Inhumans #2 of 5
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Brad Walker
August 2009
***
You know who deserves plenty of credit for this mag & the entire Cosmic Marvel line? Editor Bill Roseman. He’s running a tight crossover! This issue, in which two alien superteams storm the Guardians’ space station while a prisoner escapes, could be confusing, but it’s completely clear & lotsa fun!
last issue: Guardians of the Galaxy #14
next issue: Guardians of the Galaxy #16
also indexed for Aug. ’09
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4 of 5
Nova #26
War of Kings #4 of 6
War of Kings: Ascension #3 of 4
War of Kings: Savage World of Skaar #1 of 1
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Brad Walker
July 2009
***
Walker lays out his pages clearly enough to overcome his overwrought ’90s line & rectilinear ’00s paneling. Good thing, cuz this is a busy arc. In a nice balance of comedy & action, Star-Lord, Warlock & their motley gang of SF heroes completely fail to broker peace in the second Kree-Shi’ar War.
last issue: Guardians of the Galaxy #13
next issue: Guardians of the Galaxy #15
also indexed for Jul. ’09
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #3 of 5
Nova #25
War of Kings #3 of 6
War of Kings: Ascension #2 of 4
Christos Gage // Graham Nolan & Reilly Brown
August 2009
*
If you’re curious to learn about Planet Hulk & Skaar, Son of Hulk, read elsewhere. This one-shot, a pro forma SF tale, expands WoK‘s scope & nothing more. Opposing warriors in a space war crash on a remote planet & must cooperate to survive the harsh elements, strange monsters, & hostile population.
also indexed for Aug. ’09
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4 of 5
Guardians of the Galaxy #15
Nova #26
War of Kings #4 of 6
War of Kings: Ascension #3 of 4
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Paul Pelletier
November 2009
****
The Kree-Shi’ar War has left a glowing tear in spacetime & a crisis of leadership in both empires. The former suggests a new plot direction for Marvel’s line of space epics; the latter adds much-needed dramatic thickener. But what leaps out from this epilogue is the chaos of an occupied territory.
continued from War of Kings #6 of 6
also indexed for Nov. ’09
Dark Reign: The List – The Avengers #1 of 1
The Fantastic Four #571
Guardians of the Galaxy #18
Nova #29
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Paul Pelletier
October 2009
***
The mini, mostly a by-the-numbers space opera, ends in a disappointing bout of super-fisticuffs that tears a rift in spacetime. But Pelletier has done yeoman’s work: he tells a story okay, & the rubbery quality of his late ’90s superhero style undercuts the preposterous hypertrophied bodies.
last issue: War of Kings #5 of 6
continued in War of Kings: Who Will Rule #1 of 1
also indexed for Oct. ’09
The Fantastic Four #570
Guardians of the Galaxy #17
Nova #28
War of Kings: Warriors #2 of 2
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Paul Pelletier
September 2009
****
The Shi’ar despot confronts the Kree monarch aboard a superweapon that will turn the galaxy Inhuman. This wooly space opera reaches its climax, but its best moments are in the hurly burly: a princess’s horror at the doomsday device, a super-alien’s war-fury, an X-Man’s hollow vengeance.
last issue: War of Kings #4 of 6
next issue: War of Kings #6 of 6
also indexed for Sept. ’09
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5 of 5
Guardians of the Galaxy #16
Nova #27
War of Kings: Ascension #4 of 4
War of Kings: Warriors #1 of 2
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Paul Pelletier
July 2009
***
Good storytellers like Abnett & Lanning know to plot for the endgame, not the opening. In #3, they start to twist this mini in interesting ways. Romance buds in an arranged marriage; the Inhuman aristocracy hatches sinister plans for their subjects; & that mohawked Shi’ar superman turns renegade.
last issue: War of Kings #2 of 6
next issue: War of Kings #4 of 6
also indexed for Jul. ’09
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #3 of 5
Guardians of the Galaxy #14
Nova #25
War of Kings: Ascension #2 of 4
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Paul Pelletier
May 2009
***
Context is all. Taken alone, WoK works through the hoary plot of a thousand space operas: a clash of galactic empires. And this issue simply shows an alien army attack a wedding arranged to consolidate two races. But w/ Marvel’s cosmic line behind it, this colorful super-battle feels momentous.
continued from Secret Invasion: War of Kings #1 of 1
next issue: War of Kings #2 of 6
also indexed for May ’09
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1 of 5
Guardians of the Galaxy #11
Guardians of the Galaxy #12
Nova #23
War of Kings: Darkhawk #1 of 2
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning // Paul Pelletier & Bong Dazo
March 2009
***
Like DnA’s previous Marvel SF prologues, this one-shot is effectively #1 of an upcoming mini; the expectation is all. It serves as a bridge btw their own space operas, last year’s Skrull Invasion of Earth, & a coup in the alien empire from X-Men. After generations of seclusion, the Inhumans (a once-pacific Kirby clan) launch their futuristic lunar techno-city into space & conquer the Kree Empire.
continued in War of Kings #1 of 6
also indexed for Mar. ’09
Guardians of the Galaxy #9
Nova #21
Jonathan Hickman // Nick Dragotta
September 2012
****
Dragotta shines in the SF opener, where a cityship blasts at a starcruiser. His parallel talent for aliens helps set high expectations for the next phase of Hickman’s FF run: the Inhuman invasion of Earth. In a cute touch, Val & Bentley the Wizard Clone draw a plan up to subjugate the Kree Empire.
last issue: FF #19
next issue: FF #21
also indexed for Sept. ’12
The Fantastic Four #608
Jonathan Hickman // Nick Dragotta
July 2012
*****
Less manic than last ish but equally superb, #18 sees Johnny & the kids learn a lesson in foreign politics. The malevolent bug civ from the Neg Zone requests a free election, then writes votes in for the local Kirby tyrant! You don’t expect Marvel to deliver a sly commentary on American naïvity!
last issue: FF #17
next issue: FF #19
also indexed for Jul. 12
The Fantastic Four #605.1
The Fantastic Four #606
A-story: Jonathan Hickman // Steve Epting
B-story: Jonathan Hickman // Carmine Di Giandomenico
C-story: Jonathan Hickman // Ming Doyle
D-story: Jonathan Hickman // Leinil Yu
E-story: Jonathan Hickman // Farel Dalrymple
January 2012
A-story: **** // B-story: ***** // C-story: *****
D-story: **** // E-story: *****
A king-size #600. The A-story picks up the threads of FF, pitting every NYC superhero against a pair of alien invasions; a surprise twist has the late Johnny Storm break the Annihilation Wave! Then Hickman shows that Torch did die in #587, only to be resurrected in a gladiator scenario. That piece has a Euro look that meshes w/ the bug-‘verse setting; like all the back-up pencilers, it puts Epting to shame. Much of the art is “ugly” yet lovely, accentuating how creative JH’s whole run is.
continued from FF #11
continued in FF #12
next issue: The Fantastic Four #601
also indexed for Jan’ 12
FF #12
Jonathan Hickman // Steve Epting
November 2011
****
Epting’s in his element as he draws a massive, chaotic battle btw Inhumans & Moloids. On the field of combat, Hickman’s characters act like chesspieces, as Black Bolt captures a pair of Mr F’s duplicates (& Reed himself) while the fourth Richards takes Dr. Doom hostage & flees to Latveria! Awesome.
last issue: FF #8
next issue: FF #10
also indexed for Nov. ’11
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #7 of 9
Jonathan Hickman // Steve Epting
October 2011
***
Back down to Earth, literally & figuratively, after the cool flashback of #6-7. Epting’s Hollywood realism can’t encompass Hickman’s imagination; it’s just bland, confusing—maybe rushed? Less plot than usual too, as the Future Foundation’s villain-allies fight the Reed-doubles & Inhumans in a melée.
Jonathan Hickman // Greg Tocchini
late September 2011
*****
Half a million years ago, the Kree AI-superbrain massacred its weaponized mutates, Herod-like, to prevent its own prophesied downfall. But he missed a few, which makes Black Bolt, Inhuman king, a cosmic messiah! So resurrection’ll be no problem. Tocchini’s lovely art is light-years from convention.
last issue: FF #6
next issue: FF #8
also indexed for Sept. ’11
FF #6
Jonathan Hickman // Greg Tocchini
early September 2011
*****
Tocchini’s liquid style adds just the unconventional beauty that Hickman’s needed all along. Sadly, he’s only drawing this 2-issue arc, which showcases the grand scope of Hick’s run. He entwines the fate of the mag’s Kirby clan of superhumans w/ the Kree AI—by flashing back half a million years!
last issue: FF #5
next issue: FF #7
also indexed for Sept. ’11
FF #7
Jonathan Hickman // Barry Kitson
August 2011
****
The prophesied war ignites! First the doppel-Reeds & Mole Man destroy Old Atlantis, then they face the Inhuman space-city at the strange Forever City. And kudos to Kitson: tho’ his Reed is bland, his Thing is expressive &, even rarer, his Sue is a strong presence, matching Hick’s portrayal.
last issue: FF #4
next issue: FF #6
also indexed for Aug. ’11
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6 of 9
John Ostrander & Joe Edkin // Derec Aucoin
August 1998
*
The speedster’s short-lived series detours into a Ms. Marvel-centric Avengers crossover. Pietro, sis, & old pal Hawkeye stop a Kree superweapon & rescue Ms. M, whose liquor problem has (too) quickly rendered her incompetent. Auc’s outlined shapes & dark shadows are contempo reaction to Image excess.
continued from Captain America #7
continued in Avengers #7
last issue: Quicksilver #9
next issue: Quicksilver #11
also indexed for August ’98
Avengers #7
Thunderbolts #17
John Byrne
March 1982
****
Byrne’s FF deliberates shuns comics’ impulse to depict violence: a war btw. humans & Inhumans begins & ends off-page. Instead, Reed & co. help the super-race resettle on the Moon (the magisterial flight of their celestial city takes up several pages). In a coda, Quicksilver & wife have a child.
[last issue: The Fantastic Four #239]
[last issue: The Fantastic Four #241]
Index Indigo 