Seven-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero September 22 and 29 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Guardians of the Galaxy #18 (September 22):  This issues goes pretty much as I expected, as we knew that Doom was going to get something from his involvement with the Guardians. 

Using Drax, Groot, Moondragon, and Star-Lord as the other points of the pentragram, Doom casts a spell to drain Dormammu of his powers.  He then uses part of this drained power to send the Guardians across the galaxy, to where Gamora, Nova, and Rocket are waiting with the gun that Cable helped Rocket build in "Cable:  Reloaded" #1.  With Peter powering the bullet, Gamora firing it, and Nova providing some extra oomph, it shatters Ego.  Dormammu is forcibly expelled to the Dark Dimension, and Ego is now an asteroid belt around Spartax.  Hurrah!

The only remaining question is what scheme Doom planned.  Of course, he kept the rest of Dormammu's power.  It turns out he was in cahoots with Sister Talionis this entire time.  As his Doombots have conquered Chitauri Prime, he gives it to her, from where she plans to launch her revolt against Hulkling.  Of course, Doom thinks that he's outsmarted everyone, but Rocket knows that Doom pulled some sort of fast one here so he's on the case.

The best part of the issue is Gamora, Pete, and Rich's interactions.  Before they shoot the bullet, Pete tells Gamora that he loves Rich, too, and Gamora says that she knows, that they'll always be family.  Rich then tells them that he loves them, too.  It's lovely.  Later, at Gosnell's, Rich confesses that peace means that he can actually do what he wants, that he doesn't have to feel so alone.  Storm then welcomes everyone to Arakko after Marvel Boy suggests that it's a good place for Rich to go have some fun.  As Gamora says, Rich may be a pessimist, but I'm thrilled that he has a chance just to be.

I'm sad that Marvel ended this title, but I'm sure we'll be seeing everyone again.  It was really a spectacular run, and I hope that it's Ewing who brings back the team soon!

X-Men #3 (September 22):  This issue is fun because the High Evolutionary's Evolutionary Guard hand the X-Men their asses.  

When the X-Men refuse the High Evolutionary's "gift" of a virus that'll sterilize humanity, he agrees to depart so long as he gets a drop of Synch's blood.  His interest in Synch makes it pretty clear that Duggan plans on making Synch and his seeming Omega-level powers a core part of the X-Men's story going forward.

I have to say that Duggan shows a real flair for writing Scott here.  I loved when Synch expressed concern that his decision to give the High Evolutionary his blood will haunt them, and Scott quipped, "First time with the High Evolutionary, huh?"  (He assures Synch that he made the right decision, because he saved as many lives as possible, particularly because every fight with the High Evolutionary ends this way.)  But, I really loved him telling the Evolutionary Guard member chocking him that it was his lucky day that the High Evolutionary stopped the fight because he had them right where he wanted them.  I mentioned the choking, right?  It wasn't just funny; it also underlined the X-Men definitely weren't going to win.  

As the dust settles, Jean and Scott decide to split the team after the High Evolutionary gives Jean more information on Gameworld, so I'm excited to see how Jean's team does in space.  But, it isn't like Scott is going to have an easy road.  First, Dr. Stasis gives Ben Ulrich the information that he needs (in the form of Scott's autopsy report) to write about mutant resurrection.  Second, Gyrich is working with Feilong, who wants a seat at Orchis' table in exchange for his plan - which has something to do with still colonizing Mars - succeeding.

No one said it was going to be easy, Scott.

Amazing Spider-Man #74 (September 29):  In terms of the positive developments during Spencer's run, I think that we have to give him credit for undoing "Sins Past" and most of "one More Day."  I thought that he'd undo all of "One More Day," with MJ and Peter remembering their deal with Mephisto.  In the end, he made it clear that he didn't need to do that.  As the kiss on top of the skyscraper shows us, they found their way back to each other.  It's even more profound than another snap of Mephisto's fingers.

But, I can't ignore Kindred.  

It turns out Kindred was Gabriel and Sarah, not Harry and Sarah.  Mephisto was the one who kept resurrecting them, though I'll admit that I'm not totally sure why he did so, other than possibly that he enjoyed them torturing Peter.  When MJ saves Peter from the rubble under which Kindred(s) buried him, Dr. Strange wins his bet with Mephisto.  As a result, Gabriel and Sarah die since their service as Mephisto's pawns was over.  

I'll admit this part doesn't make sense to me.  Mephisto was using them before the bet, if I've been following this story correctly, so I don't understand why he'd give up such useful tools simply because he lost the bet.  To be honest, I was hoping that he'd just free them from his service.  After all the trauma, they deserved to live a life on their own terms.  Either way, though, I don't get why their fates were tied to the bet.

I also can't ignore Harry.  Spencer confirms that he was a clone; when he died in "Spectacular Spider-Man" #200, he really died.  Harry went straight to Hell for his "Lifetheft" and "Sins Past" machinations (which Mephisto hilarious said were low, even for him.  There, Mephisto tells him that he's always been collateral damage in a larger game.  

This part also doesn't make sense to me.  For example, who activated Harry's clone?  I'm assuming that Mephisto did, but I don't really get why he wouldn't just resurrect him; clones aren't really Mephisto's deal.  I've read online that people thought that it was the Harry AI, which makes sense.  But, I re-read this issue and issue #73, and Spencer doesn't actually say that.  

All that said, I was surprised that Spencer killed Harry and left Norman alive, though I guess Peter needs some trauma in his life.  Notably, Mephisto honors his deal with Dr. Strange:  although I thought that he'd reveal his meddling in MJ and Peter's relationship, he releases Harry's soul.  It isn't a happy ending, but it's better than Harry soul's status quo was.

I'm less clear on where the Ben Reilly story is going.  I know of Janine only because I read the "Life of Reilly" blog; I never read "Spider-Man:  The Lost Years."  It seems a lot to ask of us to be emotionally invested in a character who appeared in two four-issue limited series over 15 years ago.  Moreover, it seems to ignore everything Ben Reilly has been through these last few years.  Some of it I don't mind:  I really disliked "The Clone Conspiracy" turning him into a villain without little explanation, and the series that followed it did little to undo that characterization.  But, I read "Free Comic Book Day 2021:  Spider-Man/Venom," and it didn't shed any light on how we went from Ben crying in an alley at the end of "Ben Reilly:  Scarlet Spider" #25 to (blond) Ben freeing the love of his life from prison here.

At any rate, it is what it is.  Kindred(s) is finally behind us, and I'm excited to turn this page.

Darkhawk #2 (September 29):  Man, Higgins really summons the angst and tension of the original "Darkhawk" series here.  Then, Chris Powell was trying to fight crime and support his family after finding out that his dad was (supposedly) a crooked cop.  Now, Connor Young reveals his secret identity to Derek after he realizes that Derek was one of the thieves.  

It all happens after Connor turns into Darkhawk to save Derek after he goes after some guys who stole the shoes that they just bought.  Higgins really ups the ante, though.  Connor doesn't just reveal his identity to Derek:  Derek sucker punches him with a bomb after revealing that he needs to steal the armor for Shawn.  Of course, when he later tells Shawn that he couldn't do it, Mr. Colt shoots him.  Is he dead?  Or is someone else under the grave next issue?  We'll see!  

Meanwhile, Higgins does a great job of reminding us how few options Derek had in Woodlawn.  As he explains to Connor, at some point he realized that he should simply rob the stores rather than work in them for the rest of his life for minimum wage.  I'm not sure that plan is going to work out so well for Derek, but I get the sentiment.

Inferno #1 (September 29):  Hickman has mostly focused on external threats so far but switches to internal ones here, much to my delight.

Staying on the external threats for a minute, though, Director Devo and Dr. Gregor review Krakoa's various attempts to take out Nimrod.  Devo expresses his surprise that the mutants haven't evolved and successfully taken out Nimrod.  Gregor suggests that they must not remember the attacks, which we know isn't true.  But, Omega Sentinel notes that someone remembers, which is why they keep trying.

Here, we segue to Moira's third life, as she and her colleagues have successfully developed a cure for mutants.  The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attacks, killing Moira's colleagues.  Destiny and Moira then have the conversation that cues this event's premise, namely Destiny demanding that Moira spend her next life trying to help mutantkind instead of destroying it.  It's also the conversation where Moira learns that she has ten or eleven lives depending if she makes the "right choice" at the end.

In the present, Moira is visiting sites important to her and returns to her No-Place to find Charles and Magneto waiting for her.  We learn that they've ignored her previous advice, though it isn't particularly clear what she told them to do.  At any rate, they acknowledge that their repeated attempts to take out Nimrod have failed and basically admit that their way isn't working.  Moira notes that only two real threats exist:  Nimrod and Destiny.  She stresses that they have time to address the Nimrod situation but must take Destiny off the board immediately.  Moira suggests that they take away Mystique's leadership role and destroy all samples of Destiny's DNA.

When Scott resigns as Captain Commander due to his X-Men role and the captains promote Bishop in his place, Charles and Erik use this moment to suggest that anyone who wants to retire from the Quiet Council should do so.  It doesn't go according to plan:  instead of Mystique retiring, she introduces a resurrected Destiny to take Apocalypse's place.

All in all, I'm pretty thrilled with this issue.  Hickman has a number of plots moving here that could go in all sorts of ways. 

For example, it feels like Moira wants Destiny removed because she plans on betraying mutantkind and doesn't want Destiny to know that.  It seems related to her potentially 11th resurrection:  if she removes Destiny's DNA in this life, does it mean Destiny is gone in her 11th, allowing her to destroy mutantkind more easily?  Also, it appears that Mystique has somehow gotten around the Resurrection Protocols, which raises all sorts of issues going forward.

Moreover, Charles and Erik each clearly have their own agendas, and their difficult relationship with Moira implies to me that Nimrod isn't their own frustration.  (It does explain that they're not just being assholes in refusing to resurrect Destiny.  I wonder if they knew that Mystique would fail to take out Nimrod in "X-Men" #20 and thus could "promise" to resurrect Destiny.  If they didn't, I wonder how they would've done if she had succeeded)

In other words, all in all, I'm pretty stoked about this event.

Also Read:  Free Comic Book Day:  Spider Man/Venom (2021) #1 (August 14); The Last Annihilation:  Wakanda #1 (September 15); Marauders #24 (September 15); X-Men:  The Trial of Magneto #2 (TPB) (September 15); Moon Knight #3 (September 22); Winter Guard #2 (September 29)

Seven-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero September 1 and 8 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Dark Ages #1 (September 1):  This issue is pretty solid, to be honest.  I loved Taylor's work on "Earth 2," so I was happy to see that he was the one penning this "What If...?" story.  This series picks up a popular science-fiction theme over the past few years, namely what happens if Earth lost electricity.  

In this version of Earth, it all begins at the start of the Universe, when its creator(s) also created the Unmaker to stop entropy and consume black holes.  Eventually, this mission to police the new Universe corrupted him, and the Living Tribunal was forced to stop him.  Instead of destroying him, he buried the Unmaker's body in Earth's core just as the planet was forming.  (I'm not really sure what the Tribunal's long-term plan was there.)  

At any rate, he starts to awaken, shaking apart the Earth.  Dr. Strange and Sue Storm go to the center of the Earth, and Dr. Strange manages to open up a portal to a dimension where electricity doesn't exist before the Unmaker kills him.  Although Dr. Strange's plan worked, the anti-electricity field eventually grew to encompass all of Earth since he was unable to stop it.  To make matters worse, when the Unmaker awakened, he somehow connected with Apocalypse, and it seems that Apocalypse is ready to take advantage of Earth's weakness to do...something.  

Again, all in all, it's a pretty solid premise, and Taylor makes a good call using Peter as a narrator to keep it light when appropriate.

The Last Annihilation:  Wiccan & Hulkling #1 (September 1):  This issue is just lovely.  From start to finish, it's a testament to both characters as individuals and to both characters as a couple.  It walks us through their fears and insecurities, only for each one of them to move past them when they realize that they're never alone.  As they remind themselves and each other, it's what marriage means.  

But, their marriage goes a step farther.  Teddy had their wedding rings forged from the ruins of Captain Marvel's Nega-Bands, allowing Billy and Teddy to switch places and address threats more suitable to their power sets.  Teddy discovers that Billy reforged his sword using Dormammu's "Flames of Faltine," which he uses to disrupt Dormammu.  Meanwhile, Billy arrives on Throneworld II in time to redirect the energy that the Supreme Intelligence was using to destroy the planet to take out the Mindless One fleet.  

Along the way, Oliveira reminds us of how they first found one another, using the concept of quantum entanglement as a metaphor for whom they are now.  Once linked, they remain linked.  It's hard to write about love, but Oliverira does it well.  The art team helps him enormously as they somehow manage to show how much these two boys love one another.  It just so happens to be a love that'll save the galaxy.

New Mutants #21 (September 1):  OK, now we're getting somewhere.  

Although it's still pretty unclear the extent to which the Shadow King is manipulating the Lost Club, it's exceedingly clear that he manipulated Rahne, given that it seems like she killed Gabby.  The Five agreed to resurrect Gabby (and basically tell the Council to go fuck itself and its "no clones" policy), and she recounts her final moments to the Five, the Lost Club, and Rahne.  Rahne then tells Dani, Illyana, and Xi'an, and they're ready to beat down the Shadow King.  

This issue's second plot is a lot harder to follow.  Jimmy takes some of the other kids to the Moon for a little housekeeping around the Krakoa sphere, but it's hard to follow because we've never really met these kids before.  Given they're all wearing spacesuits, it's basically just a bunch of faceless mutants doing things.  

I'm fine with splitting the narrative between various groupings, but we need to spend more time getting to know the extended cast lest we spend every issue going, "Wait, who did what?"

Sinister War #4 (September 1):  The Sinister War ends in a fairly believable way.  Otto uses Black Ant's helmet to create a device that destroys the centipedes in everyone's heads, knocking out everyone.  He tells Peter that he didn't do it to save him but because Kindred reneged on their deal.  It's all very Otto.  Along the way, though, Boomerang sacrificed himself to save Spidey.  He had already risked his life last issue to help Peter flee, so his sacrifice here completes as much of a redemption arc as possible for Boomerang.  Now, all we have left is Peter taking on Kindred.  Did this event turn out better than I thought?  Definitely.  Am I ready for the Kindred story to end?  OMFG, yes.

Amazing Spider-Man #73 (September 8):  Oh, God, make it end, please, please, please, make it end.  Am I thrilled that Spencer undoes "Sins Past?"  OMG, yes!  I'm beyond thrilled.  It never made sense.  

Spencer even does it well:  Harry used Mysterio acting as Mary Jane's therapist to plant the conversation where Gwen "admitted" to Mary Jane that she and Norman had children.  In the end, the Harry AI tells Norman that Gabriel and Sarah were LMDs whom he created to torture Norman, his version of the trauma that Harry inflicted on Peter with Mary and Richard Parker.  

The unclear part is that Kindred seems to be both Harry and Sarah Osborn.  It seems like Harry kept resurrecting Gabriel and Sarah each time they suffered advanced aging syndrome, driving them insane in the same way that the Jackal eventually drove Ben insane.  But, Sarah keeps referring to this process as something that she, Sarah, did, when she couldn't possibly have been the one to do it?  I guess we'll finally, finally see.

Eight-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero August 25 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #72 (August 25):  You know, this issue should feel absurd, but it doesn't.  It actually makes a lot of sense.  (I know, right?)

After Mendel Stromm eclipsed Norman professionally, Mephisto offered Norman a deal:  success in exchange for Harry.  Norman was ridden with debt, so he took the deal.  As Mephisto informs him, it started slowly, but eventually Norman would get everything that he ever wanted while Harry's life would get more and more difficult.  It seems like Mephisto also turned Norman into Green Goblin as part of the deal, though I think it's an open question if he also made him crazy.  

At any rate, we're now dealing with two separate Mephisto deals, which seems like we're setting up a third deal of some sort to resolve the Kindred story.  Given that Kindred admits that he isn't Harry, I'm expecting to see Ben under that mask next issue.

Cable:  Reloaded #1 (August 25):  This issue is good enough to convince me to read the 12-issue "Cable" series because, as surprised as I am to admit it, I already miss Kid Cable.

I've never been a fan of adult Cable.  He's always been portrayed as a mutant version of the Punisher - a humorless, wounded man with a mission - and he's usually more of a caricature than a character as a result.  

But, Kid Cable's presence is clearer in this Cable, who actually seems like a normal human being.  Over the course of their mission, he expresses his pride in each X-Terminator team member for their contributions, a noted change from his cold-hearted, hard-charging persona of previous iterations.  

I'm also intrigued by the fact that, at this point, Jean and Scott have basically raised him his entire young life.  It obviously feels like a stretch that he knew that his younger self was going to kill him, but time-travel stories force one to make compromises as a reader.

In terms of the story itself, Cable and the X-Terminators storm Breakworld to steal a city-sized machine so they can turn it into a gun and transport it (thanks to Lila Cheney) to Arakko.  (Did I mention that I enjoyed Lila basically telling us Sam is loud in bed?)  It's part of the "The Last Annihilation" story, as Rocket uses mysterium to fashion a bullet, which I'm guessing that we'll be firing at Ego shortly.

Darkhawk #1 (August 25):  Darkhawk was 100% my teenage 1990s hero, so it's weird to read about a teenage 2020s hero here.  If Chris Powell was just a regular kid who happened to find the amulet shortly after seeing his police-officer father (allegedly) accept a bribe, Connor Young is the polar opposite:  he's his high school's star point-guard  and heading to ESU on a full scholarship in the fall.  His father is managing his already burgeoning fame.  The future, it is bright.

It all comes crashing to Earth (like the amulet) when Connor is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  While vlogging his feelings dockside, he witnesses an explosion.  While trying to help a worker escape some rubble, his multiple sclerosis lays him low.  He survives the spreading fire when he finds the amulet, allowing him to save himself and the worker.  He then takes on the three guys responsible for the attack, who apparently used more explosives than needed.  The guys flee, and Connor returns home to tell his father the news.   Meanwhile, Connor's friend Derek turns out being one of the three guys, and they're all working for a guy named Shawn, Connor's predecessor as Woodlawn's MVP.

Higgins does a great job here of setting up all the characters.  His father isn't just some awful dad-ager; he's legitimately concerned for Connor's health, more so than he is about the NBA career that Connor watches disappearing before his eyes.  Ramírez is also great, as he delivers just about the coolest Darkhawk armor that we've ever seen.  I'll definitely read the rest of this mini-series.  If Chris Powell returns for some sort of mentorship role then I may stay for whatever the creators have planned next.

Also Read:  Winter Guard #1 (August 25)

Eight-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero August 18 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Guardians of the Galaxy #17 (August 18):  This issue trips a bit over the ever-confusing Cosmic Marvel continuity, as the issue's big reveal - that Ego and Galactus at some point bonded, meaning that the Dormammu-dominated Ego is now the Dormammu-dominated Galactus - comes after a lot of exposition.  Do I understand?  No, not really.

For me, the most relevant part of the story is Rich trying to convince everyone that they're trusting Doom way too much.  Ewing makes it seem like Rich is just immature as always, and everyone but Gamora ignores him.  (Remember those sparks?)  But, as Doom takes advantage of Dormammu conquering Chitauri Prime to colonize it for his Rigellian allies, the rest of the team reconsiders Rich's position.  I'm always thrilled when we treat Rich like an adult.  

All that said, this issue does reveal Dormammu's plan:  he's invading five ancestral worlds that form a pentagram to bring our dimension into his dimension.  In other words, it's pretty low stakes.  :)

Marauders #23 (August 18):  This issue starts poorly, as I had to Google a bit to discover what the fuck happened to the Marauder.  It's a poor showing to have the fate of the series' titular ship determined in a different series with nary an editor's note to tell us what the fuck happened.  The rest of this issue is fine, though, as Emma, Jumbo Carnation, Kate, and Tempo help Banshee stop rivals mobs from stealing Krakoa's medications from an Irish warehouse.  I'll be honest that I wish we'd stop focusing so much on Emma at the expense of characters like Bishop, Iceman, and Shadowcat.  But, we'll see where we go as the dust from the Hellfire Gala continues to settle.

Moon Knight #2 (August 18):  Cappuccio is spectacular in depicting this issue's villain lost in the sea of Marc's god-touched mind.  He builds the tension panel by panel to the moment when an enormous and monstrous Moon Knight appears in the villain's mindscape to destroy his mind.  In terms of the plot, the unnamed spectator hired the villain to confront Moon Knight.  We also start rounding out Marc's supporting cast here, as I'm pretty sure Soldier is going to appear again after Marc saved him and his mother from the villain and his mind-controlling sweat.  I mean, how could you not?

Sinister War #3 (August 18):  I mean, Spencer is really drawing out this story, but he does a better job making this issue fill less like the filler that last one was.  At some point, you start to wonder if Spidey really has a hope of surviving.  Usually, he manages to swing to safety, but so many villains are after him that he never gets that break.  It's hard to believe that we only have one more issue.

X-Men:  Trial of Magneto #1 (TPB) (August 18):  This issue is spectacular and as such difficult to review.  The summary doesn't quite do the emotions justice.  

X-Force and the X-Men watch as X-Factor investigates Wanda's murder, discovering that a supernatural magnetized object strangulated her to death.  Suspicion obviously falls onto Magneto, who loses his fucking mind when the Quiet Council refuses to resurrect her.  He almost kills Professor X with Cerebro and sermonizes about the Council's "hopelessly antediluvian human concept[s]."  It's just like the old days.  

X-Factor tries to arrest him after he storms from the Grove; to put it mildly, he resists arrest.  Polaris arrives to try to stop him, and he's brutal, calling her "unhinged and inconsistent at [her] best."  Lorna is withering in her response, asking:  "How many women is it now you once claimed to love who all perished during your brief window of affection and attention?"  

Before X-Factor and the X-Men can stop him, Quicksilver arrives and almost beats him to death.  Northstar stops him, and Quicksilver breaks into sobs on his shoulder.  (In one of the best "Dawn/Reign of X" scenes, Pietro arrives at the Blob's bar and has a drink with him, Mastermind, and Toad.)  Logan asks Jean if she can read Magneto's mind, but she says that his subconscious is just a nightmare of grief.  The issue ends with Wanda on some other plane of existence revealing that she's dead but also not dead at the same time.

This issue is a tense procedural until Lorna's and Pietro's grief leap off the page.  Although the Krakoan mutants should have known that grief drove Magneto's actions in the Grove, Jean reading his mind makes it clear that he's just as hysterical as Lorna and Pietro are.  It seems pretty clear that he didn't do it, and I'm a little surprised how quickly all the Krakoan mutants accept that he did.

Going forward, we have a number of unanswered questions.  Professor X says that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were able to trick Cerebro into thinking that they were mutants, so back-up versions of them do exist.  But, I don't get how they did so.  Did Wanda do it?  In "Uncanny Avengers" #4, we learned that the High Evolutionary gave them their powers.  Why would Cerebro ever read them as mutants if they don't have the X-gene?  Are we preparing to re-ret-con this development?  Also, the obvious question is:  if Magneto didn't kill her, who did?  Virtually every mutant wanted her dead, as the celebrations after her death show.  It's part of the reason that I'm surprised everyone jumped to the conclusion that Magneto did it.

All I know is that once Billy learns that she's dead, someone is going to have Hell to pay.

Nine-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero July 28 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #71 (July 28):  This issue doesn't really advance the plot running in the "Sinister War" title; it mostly just fills in some off-panel action.  Most importantly, Spencer shows how MJ came under the influence of Mysterio a while ago.  We learn that she went to see a therapist after Gwen died and went again after Harry died, but Mysterio had replaced her therapist then.  I think that it was part of the deal that he made with Kindred in Hell, though I'm not sure.  Anyway, Carlie and Harry leave their cell, and, as part of Mendel Stromm's will, Norman is shown a key to...something.  Again, it isn't much, but it isn't terrible so I'll take it.

Black Knight:  Curse of the Ebony Blade #5 (July 28):  Ugh, I'm Team Mordred.  Dane's whining made me want to disconnect.  The thing is, Spurrier develops a pretty solid way for Dane to remain the Black Knight while not going insane:  with the revelation that Jacks is his daughter, she can share the burden.  But, every issue of this series was way too wordy, with the characters simply spouting exposition regardless of whether what they were saying matched their personalities.  At this point, I think the best outcome for us Black Knight fans is for him to join the Avengers again.  Given how disappointing his solo series have been, it'll at least keep him active without me hoping that he ends my misery like he does Mordred's here.

S.W.O.R.D. #7 (July 28):  Ewing and Caselli do a great job showing why this event is called "The Last Annihilation."  

The issue begins with bravado and ends with hopelessness.  The Mindless Ones slowly but surely overwhelm Teddy and the Kree defenders.  As Brand's team arrives and evacuates a dying Teddy, it's hard to see how Throneworld II stands.  To make matters worse, Brand admits to preventing Alpha Flight (which Henry Peter Gyrich apparently now runs) from getting Teddy's distress message, leading him to believe that Earth ignored his pleas for help.  Brand continues playing an aggressive game that shows pretty serious disregard for anyone else's needs other than her own, and it isn't hard to see her becoming a villain soon.

I'm intrigued where the mysterium story is going.  Doom reveals to Storm that he knows the mutants have condensed "primal kirbons," which are cosmic particles at the heart of our Universe, to make it.  He warns Storm that they're playing a dangerous game and reiterates his line that something is coming.  Now, though, it's clear that he might not mean Dormammu but something even worse.  

Also, Doom and Storm's interactions at dinner are, if you'll forgive the pun, electric.  It's hard to write flirting in a comic, but, man, Ewing nails it here.

Nine-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero July 21 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Guardians of the Galaxy #16 (July 21):  Everything goes wrong here.  I was skeptical of calling this event yet another "Annihilation," but Ewing really makes this issue hit all the important "Annihilation" notes:  despair, hopelessness, terror.  In other words, I'm pretty stoked.

Dormammu makes his debut on the galactic stage by sending not only Mindless Ones but Mindless-One asteroids to important planets in each galactic realm:  Aerie and Hala (Shi'ar), Spartax (Spartax), and Skrullos (Skrull).  Billy and Teddy initially defend Hala, but Kl'rt alerts them that Skrullos is under attack forcing them to split:  Billy heads to Skrullos while Teddy stays on Hala.  Meanwhile, Teddy instructs Kl'rt to call up Captain Glory, admitting that he was right and they need him.

The best part of this issue is Nova's conversation with Pete.  As they stand above the Valley of the Fallen on Arakko, Nova asks if Pete thinks that the mutants' takeover of Mars can last.  Pete is optimistic:  he notes that the X-Men settling Mars is better than some egomaniacal billionaire doing so and that mysterium has already saved the galactic economy.  Pete tells Rich that he knows that he's waiting for the other shoe to drop, and Rich admits that he's trying to be optimistic.  Pete puts his hand on his shoulder when Rich admits that he's seen so many new beginnings "wither and die," and Pete wisely encourages him to take it one day at a time.

Of course, their relationship is soon be put to the test.  When Moondragon alerts Pete and Rich that Dormammu has unleashed an attack, Nova sees Gamora under attack on the Almond.  He uses his Nova powers to get there just in time to save her (and Rocket), and the image of him carrying her makes it abundantly clear that that spark that they once had might have returned.

Moon Knight #1 (July 21):  McKay sets the tone for this series right off the bat as we never see (handsome, handsome) Marc Spector:  it's Mr. Knight's show.  

To that end, Mr. Knight has established the Midnight Mission for "travelers of the night."  Marc's first client leads him to a "vampiric self-actualization pyramid scheme cult" and the second one to Vermin(s).  You can see how this premise is fertile.  

But, McKay goes beyond that when he introduces the Hunter's Moon, Khonshu's left fist.  Posing as a doctor at the neighborhood's free clinic, Hunter's Moon believes that Marc has strayed from Khonshu in deciding to help the travelers of the night instead of freeing Khonshu, who apparently tried to take over the world in "Avengers" and whom the Asgardians are currently holding prisoner.  To make matters worse, someone hiding in the shadows pledges to break Marc's faith.  

Thankfully, Marc has a new therapist who doesn't seem intent on killing him.  She notes that MEG and MRI scans clearly show that Khonshu's touch has changed Marc.  Combined with Marc's seeming inability to die, she wonders at Marc's true nature, a question that he also can't answer.

New Mutants #20 (July 21):  This issue is an improvement over previous issues, as the Lost Club commits to saving Gabby.  They do so by sneaking into the Hatchery to steal a husk and Gabby's backup persona so that they can use their synergy powers to resurrect her.  I mean, it isn't a great idea.  But, along the way, they realize how supportive Gabby had been to all of them, and they realize that they failed her.   Again, I'm not sure if the Shadow King is manipulating them and they're just far enough from him to act like themselves or if he isn't manipulating them and they just had a learning moment.  Either way, it all goes South when they encounter Rahne, who maybe is doing the same thing?  

Meanwhile, Magik and Warpath lead a team to help a community recover after a girl's seismic powers activate and devastate parts of the island.  The team initially jumps to the wrong conclusion, that the islanders want to hurt her.  But, Warpath realizes that the islanders are worried that the Krakoan mutants are going to take her, and he calms down the situation.  It's a great leadership moment for Warpath, and it finally gives the New Mutants something to do.  In fact, they take some of the young Krakoan mutants with them to learn how to use their powers in non-combat situations.  If rescue and recovery becomes the teams' modus operandi, I think that's a solid decision.

Also Read:  Marauders #22 (July 21)