*** (three of five stars)
Summary
Air-Walker, a former Herald of Galactus, is attacked by a group of emissaries of Annihilus called Seekers. The group's leader, Ravenous, reveals that the Annihilation Wave attacked Xandar (in "Annihilation: Prologue") to draw out Air-Walker and another former Herald, Firelord, because Annihilus wishes to possess the Power Cosmic. Silver Surfer rescues Air-Walker, who reveals, before he dies, the power of the Wave and beseeches Surfer to stop it before it's too late. Meanwhile, Thanos receives an audience with Annihilus, who reveals that he is attacking the Universe because it is expanding into his Negative Zone and he seeks to restore the balance. The Seekers find Surfer, who refuses to kill them because he has seen enough death. He is saved by Firelord and Red Shift (another former Herald), who advocate to go to war on the Wave. Terrax (another former Herald) is captured by Annihilus and Stardust, the current Herald, arrives to join Firelord and Red Shift on their mission. Meanwhile, Thanos has sent his servant, the Fallen One (Galactus' first Herald) to see if the Beyonder has been freed in the fall of Klyn (again, in "Annihilation: Prologue"). He finds her dead, but he also finds Tenebrous and Aegis, cosmic entities like Galactus. Surfer is called to Galactus, who tells him that he imprisoned Tenebrous and Aegis eons ago after a war between cosmic entities that left only the three of them alive. Morg (yet another former Herald) is revealed to have been killed by Annihilus, and Annihilus turns his attention to Terrax to try to find the secret of the Power Cosmic. Firelord et al. fight the Wave as it attempts to capture them (putting a refugee convoy at risk), and Surfer agrees once more to become Galactus' Herald, accepting amped-up powers in return. He is attacked by Ravenous, whom he defeats thanks to his new powers, telling him to flee to the Negative Zone and not return. Tenebrous and Aegis summon Thanos, to whom they return the Fallen One's body, who they killed because of his ties to Galactus. Thanos agrees to help them find Galactus to further both their agendas.
The Review
This series covers a lot of ground. As usual with Silver Surfer stories, I found it a bit...distant, emotionally. It mostly serves the purpose of giving us some insights into Annihilus' motivations and deepening Thanos' intrigue, leaving the emotions more or less to "Annihilation: Nova." But, it does a good job at what it tries to do.
The Good
1) This book is beautiful. It took me a while to get into Arlem's art, but Surfer's fight with Ravenous in the last issue is truly stunning.
2) Of the four "Annihilation" mini-series, this one has the most to do with the core plot. We learn Annihilus' motivations, we see him working with Thanos to find a way to amplify his power, we see the opposition (mostly in the form of Galactus's former and current Heralds) begin to organize itself. Both "Annihilation: Nova" and "Annihilation: Ronan" focused on events happening on the margins of the core conflict, with only hints of Annihilus and his motivations. This mini-series addresses them more directly, even if it's still geographically removed from the core conflict.
The Bad
1) Pet Peeve #2: The introduction to issue #3 says that the entire Skrull Empire has been destroyed, but I didn't know that we knew that. After all, the events of this story occur on the periphery of the Skrull Empire, so how would anyone know what was happening closer to the heart of the Empire? (We vaguely know it from "Annihilation: Super-Skrull," but, given that that mini-series is also ongoing at the same time, I feel like it's not something that could be presented without comment as a fact.)
2) I don't really buy this "Galactus is part of the natural order of the universe, but Annihilus is a cancer that needs to be stopped" business. I mean, killing a billion people is killing a billion people. If the Heralds have to tell themselves that lie to get through the day, fine. But, I don't think Giffen sells it here that a difference really does exist.
3) I'm not really sure why Surfer believes that keeping Galactus from the Annihilation Wave would save lives. Wouldn't you want a being of Galactus' strength engaging the Wave? Wouldn't that save lives?
4) Why are Ravenous and the Seekers not insects if they "work" for Annihilus? They actually look like Thanos...
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