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Annihilation: Collected Editions #1
Annihilation, Book One
The epic collection of the cosmic event begins here! Heroes will die. Villains and heroes will form allegiances. Empires will fall. A destructive force punctures through the edge of our universe and slaughters millions of worlds - including Xandar, home of the intergalactic peacekeeping force known as the Nova Corps. With the Nova Corps gone, who can possibly hold off the Annihilation Wave? To protect the legacy of the Xandarian culture, the lone surviving member of the Corps - Richard Rider of Earth - must escape from the burning ruins of the homeworld with the murdering hosts of the Annihilation Wave closing in. But can he trust himself to use his new power wisely, or will he lose control again and pose a threat to the cosmos greater than the invasion itself? And on the subject of trust, how far can he trust his new "friend" Drax? Plus: Just how did Drax end up on Xandar, anyway? His story begins with the crash of an interstellar prison transport in an isolated Alaskan Town. And when Paibok the Power Skrull, Lunatik, the Blood Brothers and Drax the Destroyer come calling, it's not a social call. Collects Drax the Destroyer #1-4, Annihilation Prologue, Nova #1-
244 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
May 21, 2014
So Mike wrote a pretty glowy review for Annihilation: Conquest - Book 1.
And since I'd just read (and liked) The Thanos Imperative, which takes place after all the Annihilation stuff, it was just the push I needed to check this out.
Unfortunately for me, I didn't check out the reviews for this before I grabbed it.
Always check the reviews, people!
This wasn't much fun for me to read. Turns out, I don't care about Nova.
Who knew?
And this is a Nova heavy title.
It also seems that I care even less about Quasar.
So, all that was left was Drax (the maybe Destroyer) and his weird little sidekick Cammi. I liked Drax, but the kid creeped me out.
Another negative were all the wordy pages of dialogue that didn't really advance the plot. I get annoyed when graphic novels are filled up with stuff like this:
Initiating sequence Alpha-4-4-5-9-9. *Ktzzzzzzzz* Auto gobbledygook standing ready! *Ktzzzzzzz* Launching Gibberish! All phasers set to stun! Hoist the cyber-cannon...blah, blah, blah.
Once! You can do that once, and then after that, I lose interest. I don't want to read panels of pseudo-terminology.
This was decentish, but I'm not interested in any of the characters enough to read anymore.
And since I'd just read (and liked) The Thanos Imperative, which takes place after all the Annihilation stuff, it was just the push I needed to check this out.
Unfortunately for me, I didn't check out the reviews for this before I grabbed it.
Always check the reviews, people!
This wasn't much fun for me to read. Turns out, I don't care about Nova.
Who knew?
And this is a Nova heavy title.
It also seems that I care even less about Quasar.
So, all that was left was Drax (the maybe Destroyer) and his weird little sidekick Cammi. I liked Drax, but the kid creeped me out.
Another negative were all the wordy pages of dialogue that didn't really advance the plot. I get annoyed when graphic novels are filled up with stuff like this:
Initiating sequence Alpha-4-4-5-9-9. *Ktzzzzzzzz* Auto gobbledygook standing ready! *Ktzzzzzzz* Launching Gibberish! All phasers set to stun! Hoist the cyber-cannon...blah, blah, blah.
Once! You can do that once, and then after that, I lose interest. I don't want to read panels of pseudo-terminology.
This was decentish, but I'm not interested in any of the characters enough to read anymore.
July 21, 2017
This where fun series of misadventures of Drax and Cammie, I really loved those two. Oh and there where those parts about start of galaxy scale annihilation, powerhouse names and huge powers but that wasn't as fun.
September 16, 2022
Quite fun really and it has two stories one focuses on Drax and how he meets this girl Cammi and the other of Nova and how he loses the corps and how he becomes a one man army, and the effects of the Annihilation wave and how will the cosmos fight back against them. Good set up here I will say.
April 12, 2015
For those reading all three of my reviews only the middle part has new information.
This isn't a book for a casual Marvel Universe reader. If you read it and aren't a pro you absolutely must read the historical information in between scenes.
There are a lot of stories within but they blend well enough and are needed. This starts with the Skrulls (they're the ones in one of the latest Avenger movies) and then goes on to all type of galactic settings and characters.
It's good but takes a while to digest and even better it's something very different from the typical Marvel superhero focuses.
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus (just makes four stars)
This isn't a book for a casual Marvel Universe reader. If you read it and aren't a pro you absolutely must read the historical information in between scenes.
There are a lot of stories within but they blend well enough and are needed. This starts with the Skrulls (they're the ones in one of the latest Avenger movies) and then goes on to all type of galactic settings and characters.
It's good but takes a while to digest and even better it's something very different from the typical Marvel superhero focuses.
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus (just makes four stars)
April 21, 2014
I don't entirely mind being dropped in the middle of years of mythology, but the mythology just hits me like the stench of garbage. The initial attack on some who-the-hell-cares prison, the entry of The Nova Corps (who look like Green Lantern Corps -a parade of boring and ugly-for-ugly's-sake-looking aliens - with uglier uniforms that look like a cross between classic X-Men and that garbage Judge Dredd movie with Stallone), ugh.
Why should it have to be a chore to get up to speed and into whatever the hell it is that people have been buying these books for the last decade?
Drax...has potential to not just be a one-dimensional bruiser. Drax is cool, admirable even in his ethos. I can get behind a dude like that.
Nova? Richard Rider? Hmph, not my kind of dude. Doubly so with that ridiculously annoying Worldmind riding around in his helmet (or as Drax calls it, his "hat"). I'm just having a hard time not hearing a nagging spouse or parent in this back-and-forth, constant distraction from the action at hand without getting to the point. Gonna harass me to do something, at least skip the preamble and tell me what you want.
Good lord is Quasar a boring throwback. Not unhappy how this book handled him. The ancient mythos of Marvel space opera just makes me yawn. Starjammers? Ugh. Kree-Skrull war? Good lord were those the least interesting X-Men & FF stories. Sorry I'm such an alien racist but they all look the same to me. (Don't give me that look, you say the same thing under your breath. I heard you when you thought no one was listening.)
The mainline miniseries around which all these other minis swarm is a tedious collection of all the weirdo characters we've long forgotten, all getting a little screen time and establishing their bona fides. It's a bit like watching a Santa Claus parade as an adult - you don't know most of the floats, care about none of those clubs or businesses behind the figures, and can't even work up the energy to get excited about the finale. Just a thing you should attend to, rather than something getting you out of bed.
Y'know, there's something confusing about Gamora. Not just the usual effect on my brain that anyone with DD's has (Y chromosome is a serious handicap), but also the whole "woman" thing. She's an alien right? Do aliens across the galaxy have two sexes? Do they call one half of them women? I thought Star Trek taught us to be more open-minded than that. So why do other alien races take one look at Gamora and start drooling over her body? Aren't there a few who (a) find other races repulsive and (b) are at least attracted to something other than the boob-bearers?
Ignoring all the who-gives-a-shit worlds that get attacked/destroyed/bored-to-death, I found myself actually following the tribulations of all these new-to-me characters with a little interest. Weird - as terrible as the dramatic crises were, it's almost like they grew on me just for their sheer pluck.
Whether this is compelling or not I'm slogging ahead to see where the Guardians stories go, so I can't be terribly objective about how well these stories work. If I had to pay for this book though, I think I'd be a little pissed.
Why should it have to be a chore to get up to speed and into whatever the hell it is that people have been buying these books for the last decade?
Drax...has potential to not just be a one-dimensional bruiser. Drax is cool, admirable even in his ethos. I can get behind a dude like that.
Nova? Richard Rider? Hmph, not my kind of dude. Doubly so with that ridiculously annoying Worldmind riding around in his helmet (or as Drax calls it, his "hat"). I'm just having a hard time not hearing a nagging spouse or parent in this back-and-forth, constant distraction from the action at hand without getting to the point. Gonna harass me to do something, at least skip the preamble and tell me what you want.
Good lord is Quasar a boring throwback. Not unhappy how this book handled him. The ancient mythos of Marvel space opera just makes me yawn. Starjammers? Ugh. Kree-Skrull war? Good lord were those the least interesting X-Men & FF stories. Sorry I'm such an alien racist but they all look the same to me. (Don't give me that look, you say the same thing under your breath. I heard you when you thought no one was listening.)
The mainline miniseries around which all these other minis swarm is a tedious collection of all the weirdo characters we've long forgotten, all getting a little screen time and establishing their bona fides. It's a bit like watching a Santa Claus parade as an adult - you don't know most of the floats, care about none of those clubs or businesses behind the figures, and can't even work up the energy to get excited about the finale. Just a thing you should attend to, rather than something getting you out of bed.
Y'know, there's something confusing about Gamora. Not just the usual effect on my brain that anyone with DD's has (Y chromosome is a serious handicap), but also the whole "woman" thing. She's an alien right? Do aliens across the galaxy have two sexes? Do they call one half of them women? I thought Star Trek taught us to be more open-minded than that. So why do other alien races take one look at Gamora and start drooling over her body? Aren't there a few who (a) find other races repulsive and (b) are at least attracted to something other than the boob-bearers?
Ignoring all the who-gives-a-shit worlds that get attacked/destroyed/bored-to-death, I found myself actually following the tribulations of all these new-to-me characters with a little interest. Weird - as terrible as the dramatic crises were, it's almost like they grew on me just for their sheer pluck.
Whether this is compelling or not I'm slogging ahead to see where the Guardians stories go, so I can't be terribly objective about how well these stories work. If I had to pay for this book though, I think I'd be a little pissed.
July 5, 2018
some parts i loved, some were boring AF. full review to come:
the thing about annihilation vol. 1 is that there is so much stuff going on across the four main comics/ characters of this bound up edition. and then, each of these characters are tied up into their own story line that i assume will all converge at some point, but you also have this enormous cast of secondary characters, and basically i just found myself very quickly deciding whether i was interested or not.
for example: totally confused at drax's story line. had to reread several parts twice. i would have liked his annoying, sassy sidekick, cammie, if she wasnt *12?!* why ?! i also hated the art work of this one. it was just too gritty and not bright enough to hold my attention very long. (i get it, its what works for the story, but STILL)
i actually really enjoyed the nova plot line. it was fun to see the nova corps, how they work, and the world mind as its own character was cool. and the silver surfer comics were fantastic. he is such an intriguing character and i loved learning about galactus (whom i had heard about but admittingly did not know much other than his name)
but then we arrive at the super skrull comics and i just don't care. i didn't care about the plot line, about the characters, or the twists. ironically though, the art style in these ones were my fave, so there's that.
overall all, annihilation has its ups and downs. i think its ambitious and intriguing the scope of the plot, but i still don't know much about annihilus or his motivations so that's kinda lame. i need more history though, more development! killing off characters i know nothing about does not mean the story is edgy or tragic etc etc.
the thing about annihilation vol. 1 is that there is so much stuff going on across the four main comics/ characters of this bound up edition. and then, each of these characters are tied up into their own story line that i assume will all converge at some point, but you also have this enormous cast of secondary characters, and basically i just found myself very quickly deciding whether i was interested or not.
for example: totally confused at drax's story line. had to reread several parts twice. i would have liked his annoying, sassy sidekick, cammie, if she wasnt *12?!* why ?! i also hated the art work of this one. it was just too gritty and not bright enough to hold my attention very long. (i get it, its what works for the story, but STILL)
i actually really enjoyed the nova plot line. it was fun to see the nova corps, how they work, and the world mind as its own character was cool. and the silver surfer comics were fantastic. he is such an intriguing character and i loved learning about galactus (whom i had heard about but admittingly did not know much other than his name)
but then we arrive at the super skrull comics and i just don't care. i didn't care about the plot line, about the characters, or the twists. ironically though, the art style in these ones were my fave, so there's that.
overall all, annihilation has its ups and downs. i think its ambitious and intriguing the scope of the plot, but i still don't know much about annihilus or his motivations so that's kinda lame. i need more history though, more development! killing off characters i know nothing about does not mean the story is edgy or tragic etc etc.
August 10, 2016
A bit of good and bad here. The prologue and Nova stuff I liked. It gives you a good introduction to the Nova Corps, who are basically space cops (and therefore basically Green Lanterns) and sets up the Annihilation threat for the rest of the story. The only problem is, we dont get much as to the motivation of the Annihilation wave? Like, I get that it'll be addressed later, but they suddenly just turn up and no one thinks to ask why? Maybe it's because there's so much chaos and destruction going on. And I don't mean a long exposition piece, going into the whole history of the Annihilation wave, just a couple of word balloons or caption boxes would have been enough.
And then there's the Drax mini, which I thought was pretty hard to follow and bad. It does set up the modern interpretation of the character, which we're now seeing in the movies and cartoons, but the story itself is a bit dull. He gets shot and is then reborn, without any mention of how or why, and is then suddenly in space (all set for the Annihilation story) without and transition. He's on earth and then the next page we see him on, he's on a prison transport. Am I just wanting to be spoon fed too much here? Is this what writers like Geoff Johns and Bendis have done to me as a reader?
And then there's the Drax mini, which I thought was pretty hard to follow and bad. It does set up the modern interpretation of the character, which we're now seeing in the movies and cartoons, but the story itself is a bit dull. He gets shot and is then reborn, without any mention of how or why, and is then suddenly in space (all set for the Annihilation story) without and transition. He's on earth and then the next page we see him on, he's on a prison transport. Am I just wanting to be spoon fed too much here? Is this what writers like Geoff Johns and Bendis have done to me as a reader?
March 14, 2020
Everyone keeps raving about this series and the omnibus came out and it is a top ten for so many people. But after book one (of three) I remain unconvinced of its greatness. We get a four part tale of Drax where he picks up a sassy female teenage sidekick. During this tale a few galactic prisoners break loose in Alaska and kill most of a town while enslaving them to build them a spaceship. It is a mean spirited tale that begs the question "Where are the Earth's heroes" during this week long kill spree? For four issues we get surprisingly little character development of Drax and the sassy sidekick is pretty hard to take, in the sense that no kid would be that chill about aliens and aliens killing half her town.
Then we get a four-parter of Nova, which is again a heck of a lot of death. Planets are destroyed as the Annihilation event begins and the Negative zone baddie (of the same name) easily tears through our Universe. Not sure why he (and his army) is so all powerful in this Universe or how he gets into our Universe (in the old days getting from the Negative Zone to our Universe was impossible for him to do) but I guess we aren't supposed to care about key plot points like that. Also the Nova corps are easily destroyed with one Nova guy remaining (the one from Earth). In the end he gets powered up because all the remaining Nova power is stored in him and he has to learn to become a hero and overcome his fear.
What left me so flat about this first book was the destruction and death was on such a huge scale I was numbed to it. Billions die! Worlds are destroyed! Wow. That's pretty big BUT they are planets I don't care about so the emotional drama is zero. And there is no cleverness to the war - it is just, that world is destroyed, that world is destroyed. The army is unstoppable!! While it might resolve itself in a clever way this whole volume had me pretty bored. If a whole third of the story is over and I don't care, you didn't do a good job setting up the story.
Then we get a four-parter of Nova, which is again a heck of a lot of death. Planets are destroyed as the Annihilation event begins and the Negative zone baddie (of the same name) easily tears through our Universe. Not sure why he (and his army) is so all powerful in this Universe or how he gets into our Universe (in the old days getting from the Negative Zone to our Universe was impossible for him to do) but I guess we aren't supposed to care about key plot points like that. Also the Nova corps are easily destroyed with one Nova guy remaining (the one from Earth). In the end he gets powered up because all the remaining Nova power is stored in him and he has to learn to become a hero and overcome his fear.
What left me so flat about this first book was the destruction and death was on such a huge scale I was numbed to it. Billions die! Worlds are destroyed! Wow. That's pretty big BUT they are planets I don't care about so the emotional drama is zero. And there is no cleverness to the war - it is just, that world is destroyed, that world is destroyed. The army is unstoppable!! While it might resolve itself in a clever way this whole volume had me pretty bored. If a whole third of the story is over and I don't care, you didn't do a good job setting up the story.
December 5, 2014
I really enjoyed Nova's beginnings. I got hooked on the storyline because it was surrounded by tons of my favorite toys. Worldmind planetary AI? Check. Previously distributed immense power concentrated in one individual? Check. A need for a more snarky supermind riding my skull? Well... maybe no check, but it comes close. The art is great, too.
June 21, 2021
Kellemes meglepetés volt ez a kötet. Bár a Marvel-univerzum egyik legnagyobb eventjének kezdetével ismerkedhetünk meg az Annihilationben, én nem igazán számítottam semmi extrára. Pláne, hogy elsősorban a Dan Abnett-féle Guardians of the Galaxy képregénysorozatba akartam belekezdeni, viszont elvileg az Annihilation Event szükséges az említett képregény teljes körű élvezetéhez. Kicsit morgolódtam ugyan, mert ez azt jelenti, hogy összesen 5 képregénykötetet kell elolvasnom csak azért, hogy nyugodt szívvel kezdhessek bele egy másik sorozatba. De végül azt tudom mondani, hogy jól döntöttem, ugyanis az Annihilation első kötete kifejezetten jó olvasmánynak bizonyult.
A kötet a Drax the Destroyer 4 számával indít, amit kicsit in medias resnek éreztem, de a lényeg simán érthető volt így is. Az Annihilation Prologue-nál is pislogtam egy sort, hogy most mi a hell történik, de végül a kérdéseimre választ kaptam az Annihilaton: Nova egyes részei közé ékelt Nova Corps Database-nek köszönhetően.
Maga a sztori egyébként annyi, hogy rengeteg bogárszerű lény szabályos inváziót indít Annihilius vezetésével (a miért egyelőre nem derült ki), melynek során mindent elpusztítanak, ami az Annihilation Wave útjába kerül. Első áldozat a Nova Corps.-nak is otthont adó Xandar nevű bolygó, mely igen súlyos csapást szenved. Magának a Nova Corps.-nak is csak egyetlen túlélője marad, Richard Rider (ez amúgy nem spoiler, mert rögtön az Annihilation Prologue-ban megtörténik). Az események azonban még csak ezután kezdenek érdekes fordulatot venni.
A rajzolás szerintem kifejezetten szép, talán a Drax the Destroyerben kevésbé, viszont a másik kettő nekem nagyon tetszett. Elég sok a látványos és grandiózus panel, melyek ugyancsak gyönyörűen vannak megrajzolva.
A kötet a Drax the Destroyer 4 számával indít, amit kicsit in medias resnek éreztem, de a lényeg simán érthető volt így is. Az Annihilation Prologue-nál is pislogtam egy sort, hogy most mi a hell történik, de végül a kérdéseimre választ kaptam az Annihilaton: Nova egyes részei közé ékelt Nova Corps Database-nek köszönhetően.
Maga a sztori egyébként annyi, hogy rengeteg bogárszerű lény szabályos inváziót indít Annihilius vezetésével (a miért egyelőre nem derült ki), melynek során mindent elpusztítanak, ami az Annihilation Wave útjába kerül. Első áldozat a Nova Corps.-nak is otthont adó Xandar nevű bolygó, mely igen súlyos csapást szenved. Magának a Nova Corps.-nak is csak egyetlen túlélője marad, Richard Rider (ez amúgy nem spoiler, mert rögtön az Annihilation Prologue-ban megtörténik). Az események azonban még csak ezután kezdenek érdekes fordulatot venni.
A rajzolás szerintem kifejezetten szép, talán a Drax the Destroyerben kevésbé, viszont a másik kettő nekem nagyon tetszett. Elég sok a látványos és grandiózus panel, melyek ugyancsak gyönyörűen vannak megrajzolva.
September 14, 2021
A so-so start to the Annihilation Wave storyline that answers a couple of key questions I’ve had over the years, like what the hell happened to Drax anyway? And where’d his cape go? Mystery solved!
May 11, 2015
Drax the Destroyer, notorious mass murderer, crashes on Earth, fights some aliens, regenerates like my man the Doctor, then befriends a damaged little Earth girl named Cammi. They head into deep space, only to run into-
Annihilus, scourge of the Negative Zone, has somehow come into command of a hive-mind fleet of insect aliens and massive ships called the Annihiliation Wave, and takes it plowing into the homeworld of the Nova Corps, a galactic police force. One Nova survives: the human Richard Rider. He encounters Drax and Cammi and they all head to a neighboring system, hook up with the superhero Quasar, and try to shut down Annihilus before it's too late to save the nearby planet. And all this is just a prelude to the Main Event...
This is some first class space opera. I knew that all of these characters had decades of history, but it was all fairly easy to ignore and start fresh here. All the info you need on Annihilius is here (he's not very nice), and the same goes for Drax (badass with a heart of gold) and Nova (superhero survivor out of his depth). Cammi is introduced in the issues focusing on Drax, and I liked her total unfazedness of being near murderous aliens. The Nova Corps is a clear analogue of something like the Green Lantern Corps, but that's all wiped away in a flash. The destruction of the Corps homeworld echoed Star Wars (as the later evacuation of the neighbor planet echoes The Empire Strikes Back) and got to me more than I expected it would. Rider is a compelling hero due to his survivor's guilt and his struggles with bearing the entire Nova Force, aided by a sentient "worldmind" now stuck inside his helmet. There's some good Whedonesque dialogue between Rider, Quasar, Cammi, and Drax that made me smile several times. I wasn't expecting that.
I'm glad I started this one considering several characters are involved in this event that will be featured in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I'm definitely curious enough about Nova, Drax, and Cammi enough to want to know how they get through what's coming. That all adds up to me riding this wave to the very end.
Annihilus, scourge of the Negative Zone, has somehow come into command of a hive-mind fleet of insect aliens and massive ships called the Annihiliation Wave, and takes it plowing into the homeworld of the Nova Corps, a galactic police force. One Nova survives: the human Richard Rider. He encounters Drax and Cammi and they all head to a neighboring system, hook up with the superhero Quasar, and try to shut down Annihilus before it's too late to save the nearby planet. And all this is just a prelude to the Main Event...
This is some first class space opera. I knew that all of these characters had decades of history, but it was all fairly easy to ignore and start fresh here. All the info you need on Annihilius is here (he's not very nice), and the same goes for Drax (badass with a heart of gold) and Nova (superhero survivor out of his depth). Cammi is introduced in the issues focusing on Drax, and I liked her total unfazedness of being near murderous aliens. The Nova Corps is a clear analogue of something like the Green Lantern Corps, but that's all wiped away in a flash. The destruction of the Corps homeworld echoed Star Wars (as the later evacuation of the neighbor planet echoes The Empire Strikes Back) and got to me more than I expected it would. Rider is a compelling hero due to his survivor's guilt and his struggles with bearing the entire Nova Force, aided by a sentient "worldmind" now stuck inside his helmet. There's some good Whedonesque dialogue between Rider, Quasar, Cammi, and Drax that made me smile several times. I wasn't expecting that.
I'm glad I started this one considering several characters are involved in this event that will be featured in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I'm definitely curious enough about Nova, Drax, and Cammi enough to want to know how they get through what's coming. That all adds up to me riding this wave to the very end.
March 11, 2018
This was awesome! 👏🏻
I’ve got so much people telling me this was amazing and so I was extremely cautious and had high expectations but not too high...well it’s better so much better then I expected, you haven’t read it get after it and READ IT, you are in for an amazing art and amazing story, I wish we can see it in cinema one day!
I’ve got so much people telling me this was amazing and so I was extremely cautious and had high expectations but not too high...well it’s better so much better then I expected, you haven’t read it get after it and READ IT, you are in for an amazing art and amazing story, I wish we can see it in cinema one day!
August 22, 2024
Its not so bad but sometimes I get bored because of all the "cosmic dimensions of the conflict"and the art of the first part is kind of lame same thing about some characters like drax and that girl who seems to know everything
April 18, 2021
a pretty solid story
July 20, 2022
Um começo muito bom para a história, tendo como foco o Nova Richard Ryder, junto de suas relações com o Drax, que sofreu uma reboot mas ainda sem ter uma personalidade definida.
A personagem Cammi parece somente estar na história pois veio da revista anterior. Não li as tie in do Ronan e Super-Skrull, não parecem nem um pouco interessantes, e não são são muito bem faladas.
A personagem Cammi parece somente estar na história pois veio da revista anterior. Não li as tie in do Ronan e Super-Skrull, não parecem nem um pouco interessantes, e não são são muito bem faladas.
March 12, 2014
I fumbled my way through this one a bit. I don't know much about the Negative Zone, I don't know its lore or about many of the characters that come from there.... somehow, in my decades of reading comic books, I have managed to unintentionally avoid most of the stories that involve the Negative Zone.
So. This collection told me absolutely nothing about the Negative Zone and the sudden arrival of its strongest most formidable inhabitants into our universe. Out of nowhere, all of a sudden, with no back story discussed, a force simply arrives on the doorstep of the Nova Corps, and annihilates them. What is this mysterious Annihilation Wave? Who is its leader, Annihilus? I couldn't tell you, because this collection contains none of that information. The Annihilation Wave is what it is; it's simply there and it exists now..... So roll with it.
The Drax storyline was mildly entertaining with some cute stabs at humour. The prologue chapter was all over the place with no sense of time or space and it felt like little kids playing in a sandbox with action figures. The Nova section was so poorly drawn, it looked like the artwork from off the back of a 1980's cereal box.
What was missing for me in this collection was a comprehensive back story, solid characterization, and explanations for who and why Annihilus is. It also lacked cohesion between series and within each series. I found the storyboarding very choppy, it felt like there was important action missing between panels and the dialogue didn't always sync-up with the actions.... Simply, the action wasn't well illustrated. Especially the Nova story.
A conventional approach to the structure, very little tension or suspense.... it left me just, kinda, bored.
2.5/5
So. This collection told me absolutely nothing about the Negative Zone and the sudden arrival of its strongest most formidable inhabitants into our universe. Out of nowhere, all of a sudden, with no back story discussed, a force simply arrives on the doorstep of the Nova Corps, and annihilates them. What is this mysterious Annihilation Wave? Who is its leader, Annihilus? I couldn't tell you, because this collection contains none of that information. The Annihilation Wave is what it is; it's simply there and it exists now..... So roll with it.
The Drax storyline was mildly entertaining with some cute stabs at humour. The prologue chapter was all over the place with no sense of time or space and it felt like little kids playing in a sandbox with action figures. The Nova section was so poorly drawn, it looked like the artwork from off the back of a 1980's cereal box.
What was missing for me in this collection was a comprehensive back story, solid characterization, and explanations for who and why Annihilus is. It also lacked cohesion between series and within each series. I found the storyboarding very choppy, it felt like there was important action missing between panels and the dialogue didn't always sync-up with the actions.... Simply, the action wasn't well illustrated. Especially the Nova story.
A conventional approach to the structure, very little tension or suspense.... it left me just, kinda, bored.
2.5/5
October 3, 2014
Annihilus has left the Negative Zone and is living up to his name. Drax the Destroyer has left his exile on Earth and becomes the mentor to the last surviving member of the Nova Corps. Quasar makes an appearance as well.
This collects the Drax mini-series and the start of the Annihilation story arc. Draw gets a reboot and a teen Earth girl as a sidekick but loses some of his powers. Nova, on the other hand, gets a power boost when the entire world mind and Nova Force are downloaded into him.
While reading this, I felt like I had missed parts of the story. The flow of the story seemed to skip a beat every once in a while. It did seem to pick up as I got more into the story. But then it basically ends with a to be continued cliffhanger ending.
The artwork was decent but like the pacing of the story, it also seemed to be off somehow. Facial features didn't seem quite right. This was especially true in the Drax mini-series section with the aliens. In fact, one alien didn't even seem to have a face.
Overall, not a bad storyline, but not great either. It does tie into the Guardians of the Galaxy storyline which is why I decided to give it a try. But I will have to pickup another graphic novel or two to finish the story it seems.
This collects the Drax mini-series and the start of the Annihilation story arc. Draw gets a reboot and a teen Earth girl as a sidekick but loses some of his powers. Nova, on the other hand, gets a power boost when the entire world mind and Nova Force are downloaded into him.
While reading this, I felt like I had missed parts of the story. The flow of the story seemed to skip a beat every once in a while. It did seem to pick up as I got more into the story. But then it basically ends with a to be continued cliffhanger ending.
The artwork was decent but like the pacing of the story, it also seemed to be off somehow. Facial features didn't seem quite right. This was especially true in the Drax mini-series section with the aliens. In fact, one alien didn't even seem to have a face.
Overall, not a bad storyline, but not great either. It does tie into the Guardians of the Galaxy storyline which is why I decided to give it a try. But I will have to pickup another graphic novel or two to finish the story it seems.
May 21, 2023
(Reread 20/05/23) Five stars for Rich Rider.
He could be such a boring character in the wrong hands (and has been!) but he’s so great here. It’s hard to get the balance right between his almost crippling bouts of misery and his recklessness/drive but this along with the newer Nova (2016) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2020) do a very good job.
I do also really like the buddy comedy mentor/mentee thing he has with Drax. I like Drax’s almost-fatherly-but-not-quite relationship with Cammi. I like the Annihilation wave; just a damn memorable, scary setting/antagonistic force/disaster. Simply, there’s just a lot to like here.
(Re)reading the early days of the Guardians forming is always such a joy. Very nostalgic for me, but this also goes down as one of the better events in Marvel comics.
He could be such a boring character in the wrong hands (and has been!) but he’s so great here. It’s hard to get the balance right between his almost crippling bouts of misery and his recklessness/drive but this along with the newer Nova (2016) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2020) do a very good job.
I do also really like the buddy comedy mentor/mentee thing he has with Drax. I like Drax’s almost-fatherly-but-not-quite relationship with Cammi. I like the Annihilation wave; just a damn memorable, scary setting/antagonistic force/disaster. Simply, there’s just a lot to like here.
(Re)reading the early days of the Guardians forming is always such a joy. Very nostalgic for me, but this also goes down as one of the better events in Marvel comics.
January 20, 2015
Good, actually very good. a trilling grand plot with multiply mini stories and exciting characters.
Pros:
Elder Gods
Galactus
All Heralds of Galactus
Super Skrull
Thanos
Drax
Star Lord
Nova
& let's not spoil everything.
Best part: NO AVENGERS: Thanks the one above all for this one is why exactly this story shines.
A Must read for Marvel and comic fans alike.
Pros:
Elder Gods
Galactus
All Heralds of Galactus
Super Skrull
Thanos
Drax
Star Lord
Nova
& let's not spoil everything.
Best part: NO AVENGERS: Thanks the one above all for this one is why exactly this story shines.
A Must read for Marvel and comic fans alike.
September 19, 2018
a fantastic science fiction story, pretty much ruined by terrible artwork.
January 22, 2015
An okay story...some of the art looked like a kid drew it.
April 27, 2021
Annihilation blew me away when it first came out all those years ago. I didn't know a thing about any of these characters when I picked up Annihilation: Prologue, but when I put it down I was hooked. Hooked enough that I went back and found as much as I could about where the characters were before these events, including but not limited to Giffen's Drax miniseries (included in is collection), his Thanos run, (sadly not included in this collection), and even Stormbreaker (not directly applicable to this story except for its inclusion of Stardust, Galactus's herald at time of publication).
Now, roughly fifteen years later? It still holds up to me. Book One contains the Drax miniseries, Annihilation: Prologue, and Annihilation: Nova. "Drax" gives us the latest incarnation of The Destroyer, and is a significant departure from his Infinity Gauntlet days. He's become a smaller, meaner, smarter character, now a far cry from his big, dumb Hulk-ripoff days. The Prologue sets up the rest of the story, with the assault on the Kyln from beyond the universe, the fall of the Nova corps, and smaller setups for the miniseries that make up the second act of the story, and the so-obvious-in-hindsight-yet-I-didn't-see-it-coming reveal of Annihilus as the Big Bad. And Nova introduces us to Richard Ryder's new status quo as the receptacle of both the entire Nova Force and the Xandarian Worldmind, which he is not at all equipped to handle in his present state.
I know this stuff isn't for everybody. It's pretty deep in the weeds; most of these people are third-string Fantastic Four and Avengers space characters who were at the time long past their glory days. The storytelling is not particularly friendly to new readers and doesn't concern itself with trying to be. The plotting is dense (less so on Drax), the concepts are obscure, and important plot points are buried in apparently throwaway lines and background chatter that could be missed even in repeat readings. But me: I love it. The Prologue got me hooked, and the Nova miniseries was my favorite lead-in (even though I found some of the concepts explored in Silver Surfer more intriguing), so this book gets top-marks for me.
Highly recommended.
Now, roughly fifteen years later? It still holds up to me. Book One contains the Drax miniseries, Annihilation: Prologue, and Annihilation: Nova. "Drax" gives us the latest incarnation of The Destroyer, and is a significant departure from his Infinity Gauntlet days. He's become a smaller, meaner, smarter character, now a far cry from his big, dumb Hulk-ripoff days. The Prologue sets up the rest of the story, with the assault on the Kyln from beyond the universe, the fall of the Nova corps, and smaller setups for the miniseries that make up the second act of the story, and the so-obvious-in-hindsight-yet-I-didn't-see-it-coming reveal of Annihilus as the Big Bad. And Nova introduces us to Richard Ryder's new status quo as the receptacle of both the entire Nova Force and the Xandarian Worldmind, which he is not at all equipped to handle in his present state.
I know this stuff isn't for everybody. It's pretty deep in the weeds; most of these people are third-string Fantastic Four and Avengers space characters who were at the time long past their glory days. The storytelling is not particularly friendly to new readers and doesn't concern itself with trying to be. The plotting is dense (less so on Drax), the concepts are obscure, and important plot points are buried in apparently throwaway lines and background chatter that could be missed even in repeat readings. But me: I love it. The Prologue got me hooked, and the Nova miniseries was my favorite lead-in (even though I found some of the concepts explored in Silver Surfer more intriguing), so this book gets top-marks for me.
Highly recommended.
August 9, 2018
So this is the story that really sold me on Marvel comic events. Prior to this I had read Civil War I, Civil War II, Secret Wars, and very likely two other Blockbuster comic events in the Marvel cosmology but it wasn't until Annihilation that I was introduced to the larger landscape of the Marvel Universe.
Somehow, for a cosmic event that referenced the Earth twice? maybe ( I remember Richard Rider standing on the deck of a spaceship overlooking the Earth), Annihilation and it's sequel Annihilation Conquest was a far more authentic validation of why humanity needs superheroes (average people who take on extraordinary challenges). The image of Nova (Richard Rider) fighting an objectively lost cause, being new to the Nova Prime mantle and faced with a literal Annihilation wave, is one that I believe we can all relate to (on some level). There are challenges that we face that, if we are honest with ourselves, we are equiped to handle but in the face of the challenging event we outright ignore our ability and lead with our emotions; we ignore the advice of friends and the "World Mind" in favor of what our gut tells us to do. And yeah sometimes we are right to go it on our own, but most of the time we are wrong. What I love about Richard Rider is that he stuck it out. He made mistakes, he tried his best to make up for those mistakes, but he always stuck to his principles...there's so much more to say about this story but I get the sense that for the moment my thoughts are bit disorganized.
There are a number of other heroes besides Rider to appreciate and overanalyze Kl'rt (the Super-Scrull) and his gang of misfits, Ronan the Accuser, Peter Quill, Freakin' THANOS (more of an Anti-Hero). This story is epic because it covers most of the Marvel Universe but unlike the streets of New York, over saturated with it's multitude of "Heroes" there are only a handful of characters upon which the fate of all existance rests. The stakes are real and the story feels far more thought out than some of Marvel's other major events like Civil War II **Massive shade
Somehow, for a cosmic event that referenced the Earth twice? maybe ( I remember Richard Rider standing on the deck of a spaceship overlooking the Earth), Annihilation and it's sequel Annihilation Conquest was a far more authentic validation of why humanity needs superheroes (average people who take on extraordinary challenges). The image of Nova (Richard Rider) fighting an objectively lost cause, being new to the Nova Prime mantle and faced with a literal Annihilation wave, is one that I believe we can all relate to (on some level). There are challenges that we face that, if we are honest with ourselves, we are equiped to handle but in the face of the challenging event we outright ignore our ability and lead with our emotions; we ignore the advice of friends and the "World Mind" in favor of what our gut tells us to do. And yeah sometimes we are right to go it on our own, but most of the time we are wrong. What I love about Richard Rider is that he stuck it out. He made mistakes, he tried his best to make up for those mistakes, but he always stuck to his principles...there's so much more to say about this story but I get the sense that for the moment my thoughts are bit disorganized.
There are a number of other heroes besides Rider to appreciate and overanalyze Kl'rt (the Super-Scrull) and his gang of misfits, Ronan the Accuser, Peter Quill, Freakin' THANOS (more of an Anti-Hero). This story is epic because it covers most of the Marvel Universe but unlike the streets of New York, over saturated with it's multitude of "Heroes" there are only a handful of characters upon which the fate of all existance rests. The stakes are real and the story feels far more thought out than some of Marvel's other major events like Civil War II **Massive shade
September 18, 2019
Pierwszy tom Anihilacji był moim zdaniem bardzo, bardzo nierówny. Były momenty świetne, jak atak fali Anihilacji na Korpus Novy, ale w znacznej części albumu królowała... Nuda.
Pierwsza opowieść w ramach omawianego tomu podobała mi się chyba najbardziej. Więzienny statek kosmiczny przewożący większe męty ulega uszkodzeniu, w związku z czym dochodzi do ewakuacji. Szczątki maszyny spadają na planetę, która okazuje się... Ziemią. Tak. Drax, prawie Niszczyciel, trafia na naszą planetę wraz z kilkoma innymi degeneratami. Los chciał, że na jego drodze stanie bodajże Cammi, mała dziewczynka, która zdaje się być kimś bardzo ważnym dla całej historii. O ile postać zielonego kosmity zaliczam na plus, o tyle resztę z tą creepy dziewczynką nie za bardzo.
Druga, większa historia dotyczy Korpusu Novy i ludzkiego przedstawiciela, imć Ridera i jego starcia z nieznaną siłą, która odważyła się zaatakować planetę, gdzie te siły porządkowe stacjonowały. Anihilacja okazuje się jednak zbyt potężną siłą i cały Korpus pada jak przysłowiowa mucha. Przeżywa tylko Rider, w którego ciało wchodzi jeszcze kosmiczny byt zwany Xandariańskim Wszechumysłem. Daje to Novie moce, o jakich wcześniej mógł tylko pomarzyć.
Ostatni wątek dotyczy niejakiego Quasara. Był on chyba najsłabszy, z wszystkich nam tutaj zaprezentowanych, choć na pewno zapamiętam końcówkę jego wątku, bo zaskoczyła mnie chyba najbardziej z całego tego tomu.
Każdy z trzech wątków miał nieco inną stylistykę, co uważam niewątpliwie za atut pierwszego tomu tego kosmicznego wydarzenia. Mimo nudnych fragmentów jestem skory jednak polecić komiks wszystkim tym, którzy są już zanudzeni ziemskimi przygodami superbohaterów.
Pierwsza opowieść w ramach omawianego tomu podobała mi się chyba najbardziej. Więzienny statek kosmiczny przewożący większe męty ulega uszkodzeniu, w związku z czym dochodzi do ewakuacji. Szczątki maszyny spadają na planetę, która okazuje się... Ziemią. Tak. Drax, prawie Niszczyciel, trafia na naszą planetę wraz z kilkoma innymi degeneratami. Los chciał, że na jego drodze stanie bodajże Cammi, mała dziewczynka, która zdaje się być kimś bardzo ważnym dla całej historii. O ile postać zielonego kosmity zaliczam na plus, o tyle resztę z tą creepy dziewczynką nie za bardzo.
Druga, większa historia dotyczy Korpusu Novy i ludzkiego przedstawiciela, imć Ridera i jego starcia z nieznaną siłą, która odważyła się zaatakować planetę, gdzie te siły porządkowe stacjonowały. Anihilacja okazuje się jednak zbyt potężną siłą i cały Korpus pada jak przysłowiowa mucha. Przeżywa tylko Rider, w którego ciało wchodzi jeszcze kosmiczny byt zwany Xandariańskim Wszechumysłem. Daje to Novie moce, o jakich wcześniej mógł tylko pomarzyć.
Ostatni wątek dotyczy niejakiego Quasara. Był on chyba najsłabszy, z wszystkich nam tutaj zaprezentowanych, choć na pewno zapamiętam końcówkę jego wątku, bo zaskoczyła mnie chyba najbardziej z całego tego tomu.
Każdy z trzech wątków miał nieco inną stylistykę, co uważam niewątpliwie za atut pierwszego tomu tego kosmicznego wydarzenia. Mimo nudnych fragmentów jestem skory jednak polecić komiks wszystkim tym, którzy są już zanudzeni ziemskimi przygodami superbohaterów.
February 16, 2019
Annihilation è stata un buon tentativo di riportare in auge la parte cosmica della Marvel.
Peccato che non abbia funzionato granché bene.
La storia dell'invasione di Annihilus, con la sua orda di insetti, che annichilisce interi sistemi stellari, tra cui la rinata Xandar, non è altro che una trasposizione delle storie di Warhammer 40000 che Abnett e Lanning scrivevano all'epoca.
Le cose positive sono la morte e rinascita di Drax, non più ottuso forzuto neurologicamente danneggiato, ma spietato killer tatuato armato di due pugnali, e il suo diventare mentore di Rich Raider, il Nova della Terra.
Le cose negative sono principalmente di ordine "cosmico". Il Crunch in se non vale nulla come concetto, tanto per fare un esempio. Nelle schede allegate al Prologo viene spiegato che nell'Universo noto della Marvel gli imperi sono in galassie diverse, ma dopo poco i due inglesi se ne dimenticano e sembra che tutto accada più o meno nella stessa galassia (come in WH 40000).
Nova, e non Quasar, è l'eroe scelto dai due autori come simbolo della loro saga.
Artisticamente questo primo volume è abbastanza valido anche se Breitweiser ha uno stile totalmente agli antipodi rispetto ai vari Walker, Kolins e Olivetti e quindi graficamente il volume è parecchio disomogeneo e quindi a qualcuno può disturbare.
Peccato che non abbia funzionato granché bene.
La storia dell'invasione di Annihilus, con la sua orda di insetti, che annichilisce interi sistemi stellari, tra cui la rinata Xandar, non è altro che una trasposizione delle storie di Warhammer 40000 che Abnett e Lanning scrivevano all'epoca.
Le cose positive sono la morte e rinascita di Drax, non più ottuso forzuto neurologicamente danneggiato, ma spietato killer tatuato armato di due pugnali, e il suo diventare mentore di Rich Raider, il Nova della Terra.
Le cose negative sono principalmente di ordine "cosmico". Il Crunch in se non vale nulla come concetto, tanto per fare un esempio. Nelle schede allegate al Prologo viene spiegato che nell'Universo noto della Marvel gli imperi sono in galassie diverse, ma dopo poco i due inglesi se ne dimenticano e sembra che tutto accada più o meno nella stessa galassia (come in WH 40000).
Nova, e non Quasar, è l'eroe scelto dai due autori come simbolo della loro saga.
Artisticamente questo primo volume è abbastanza valido anche se Breitweiser ha uno stile totalmente agli antipodi rispetto ai vari Walker, Kolins e Olivetti e quindi graficamente il volume è parecchio disomogeneo e quindi a qualcuno può disturbare.
April 28, 2023
Vol 1 has a really strong beginning and story. I would have love it more if the graphic was better. It was good but it could have done better.
.
Edite after finishing whole annihilation comics: if you decide to read this event here is my suggestion "read it when you dont have a busy mind couse you have to keep up with a story and the comics that place after this event" (honesly if you are like me who will chase after characters. You really fucked up. If i've known after reading annihilation chasing after Rich would be a such a long long ride, ofcurse i would have read it all again but i would have start it in a better time when i have more free times and mind especially mind, i feel i came back from long long journey to space )
Guide note if you want to keep up with nova after annihilation and annihilation: concuest :
-Nova vol 2 knowhere-
-Nova vol 3 scret invasion--
-Nova vol 4 nova corps
-War of kings-
-Realm of kings-
if you don't know Sam Alexander which i dopt read his origin and comics and
Then
-Nova: restruction-
-Guardians of the galaxy vol 1: then it's us and the two volume after it-
.
Long ride. Right? Well there is bunch of other comics between this ones that i mention but i think that's enough. But seriesly i hope no one is like me who read all of this right after one another. (be gentel to your mind)
.
Edite after finishing whole annihilation comics: if you decide to read this event here is my suggestion "read it when you dont have a busy mind couse you have to keep up with a story and the comics that place after this event" (honesly if you are like me who will chase after characters. You really fucked up. If i've known after reading annihilation chasing after Rich would be a such a long long ride, ofcurse i would have read it all again but i would have start it in a better time when i have more free times and mind especially mind, i feel i came back from long long journey to space )
Guide note if you want to keep up with nova after annihilation and annihilation: concuest :
-Nova vol 2 knowhere-
-Nova vol 3 scret invasion--
-Nova vol 4 nova corps
-War of kings-
-Realm of kings-
if you don't know Sam Alexander which i dopt read his origin and comics and
Then
-Nova: restruction-
-Guardians of the galaxy vol 1: then it's us and the two volume after it-
.
Long ride. Right? Well there is bunch of other comics between this ones that i mention but i think that's enough. But seriesly i hope no one is like me who read all of this right after one another. (be gentel to your mind)
May 11, 2024
Everyone has been telling me how great Annihilation is for nearly 20 years. If this first volume is any indication of the overall quality I gotta call BS on that. This is a 2-issue story padded out to hundreds of pages. Annihilus himself is barely present, and we have no idea of his motivation. I’ve been reading comics for 50+ years so of course I know who Annihilus is, but I can’t imagine anyone who was coming to this cold would have the first clue what he’s about, given what scant information there is here.
Also, the whole Nova “woe is me” thing really drags on forever. Something that would’ve been dealt with in 5 pages back in the day it expanded interminably here. There are a couple slightly amusing lines and a couple sorta-cool moments, but they are few and far between. I’ll give the next book a try since I’m getting them from the library, but boy it really needs to step up its game to win me back.spa
Also, the whole Nova “woe is me” thing really drags on forever. Something that would’ve been dealt with in 5 pages back in the day it expanded interminably here. There are a couple slightly amusing lines and a couple sorta-cool moments, but they are few and far between. I’ll give the next book a try since I’m getting them from the library, but boy it really needs to step up its game to win me back.spa
September 4, 2019
The star of this show is Grillo-Marxuach’s Super-Skrull. It needed the set-up of the earlier mini-series but this one really had a pulse. Drax, also seemed to move along, a really unique trick by Giffen considering the titular character only appears in the second half. Both authors should also be commended for using kids in side-kick roles without them being annoying.
The Nova and Surfer mini-series were fine. They both have heavy lifting with re-booting the characters, but the actual moving of the plot felt choppy—not completely an afterthought, but close.
The prologue was... difficult. The art was muddled, the execution felt dragged out and bogged down. It could’ve been better used to paint the picture of the antagonist, and while some of this should be allowed as the authors want to drag out the motivation behind the attack, they’re going to need to make their move quickly.
The Nova and Surfer mini-series were fine. They both have heavy lifting with re-booting the characters, but the actual moving of the plot felt choppy—not completely an afterthought, but close.
The prologue was... difficult. The art was muddled, the execution felt dragged out and bogged down. It could’ve been better used to paint the picture of the antagonist, and while some of this should be allowed as the authors want to drag out the motivation behind the attack, they’re going to need to make their move quickly.
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