Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1 of 2

A-story: Christos Gage // Giuseppe Camuncoli
B-story: Stuart Moore // Mike McKone
April 2007
A-story: ** // B-story: **

A coda to the recent space opera (a sleeper success), these old-fashioned shorts are simple yet effective. A cosmic being, disgusted by the servility of a species he’s liberated, destroys their civilization. Another ancient scifi demigod  extinguishes his own race to feed Galactus.

continued from Annihilation #6 of 6
next issue: Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #2 of 2

also indexed for Apr. ’07
The Immortal Iron Fist #4

Annihilation #3 of 6

Keith Giffen // Andrea DiVito
December 2006
***

W/ this mini, the creators aim to write a war comic in space, with this ish staging an intergalactic Dunkirk. They ought to focus on the mystical weirdness instead: Super-Skrull reborn, but also Thanos’ mad speech on cosmic energy, its effect on bio-auras, & its practical application as a weapon.

last issue: Annihilation #2 of 6
next issue: Annihilation #4 of 6

also indexed for Dec. ’06
Astonishing X-Men #18
Civil War #6 of 7
The Immortal Iron Fist #2
Nextwave, Agents of HATE #9

Annihilation #2 of 6

Keith Giffen // Andrea DiVito
November 2006
**

Pursuing his own agenda, antihero Thanos supports Annihilus, fells Galactus, & kidnaps babes. You need Wikipedia for some of these characters’ IDs, but it’s way better than Civil War. Giffen savors his intergalactic war, esp. the political machinations, but he doesn’t always share the pleasure w/ us.

last issue: Annihilation #1 of 6
next issue: Annihilation #3 of 6

also indexed for Nov. ’06
Astonishing X-Men #17
Civil War #5 of 7
The Immortal Iron Fist #1
Nextwave, Agents of HATE #8

Annihilation: Prologue #1 of 1

Keith Giffen // Scott Kolins
May 2006
***

Using plenty of technobabble, Giffen designs a space-opera spectacle. A wave of insectoids from beyond the universe wipes out the Nova Corps (intergalactic cops). The grandiosity makes the cosmic scope plausible (you could easily miss a genocide in the ol’ Kree-Skrull War) while the art is clear yet full of detail & activity. This prologue intros a SF revival for Marvel.

continued in Annihilation: Nova #1 of 4
continued in Annihilation: Ronan #1 of 4
continued in Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1 of 4
continued in Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1 of 4

also indexed for May ’06
Iron Man #6
Nextwave: Agents of HATE #3
The Pulse #14
Young Avengers #11

Drax the Destroyer #4 of 4

Keith Giffen // Mitch Breitweiser
February 2006
***

Fitted w/ hunting knives & a lean purple body, Drax saves an Alaska town from aliens. Well, not really: with no way offworld, the Skrull turns himself in to the intergalactic authorities. Anyhow, no longer a Hulk ripoff & w/ a bratty sidekick, this revamped Drax isn’t all that inspiring.

last issue: Drax the Destroyer #3 of 4

Drax the Destroyer #3 of 4

Keith Giffen // Mitch Breitweiser
January 2006
***

Under this crime tale of on-the-run criminals who take over a small town, there’s a cynical whimsy that’s unrelated the the scifi twist. Maybe it’s Giffen’s fondness for his POV char, a punk pre-teen who skips school & treats a lean, mean Drax—resurrected & no longer a grey brute—like he’s a pet dog.

last issue: Drax the Destroyer #2 of 4
next issue: Drax the Destroyer #4 of 4

also indexed for Jan. ’06
The Pulse #12

Drax the Destroyer #2 of 4

Keith Giffen // Mitch Breitweiser
December 2005
***

Brisk scifi w/ a twist: the aliens who enslave a small US town aren’t conquerors, they’re shipwrecked cons on the run. Giffen kills the title char; his protag’s a rotten pre-teen into ultra-violence. The artist has a touch of Cassaday’s expressive faces but can’t stage all the hand-to-hand combat.

last issue: Drax the Destroyer #1 of 4
next issue: Drax the Destroyer #3 of 4

also indexed for Dec. ’05
Secret War #5 of 5
Young Avengers #9

Drax the Destroyer #1 of 4

Keith Giffen // Mitch Breitweiser
November 2005
**

A prison starship crashes in Alaska, stranding a grabbag of alien convicts. No superheroics, just solid scifi—tho’ a muddy palate undercuts Breitweiser’s art. Giffen shows intellect thru dialog & notes the notoriety of Earth’s heroes. The revamp of a minor Starlin heavy links to Giff’s ’04 Thanos arc.

next issue: Drax the Destroyer #2 of 4

also indexed for Nov. ’05
The Pulse #11
Young Avengers #8