War of Kings: Ascension #4, War of Kings #5 and #6, Nova #28, and War of Kings: Who Will Rule? #1

War of Kings:  Ascension #4:  OK, DnA make a compelling case for why the Raptors "let" Vulcan confront Black Bolt, recognizing that Vulcan is too impetuous to control and that a broken Imperium will seek a strong hand to guide it, and the Fraternity can be that hand.  I get that part.  I don't get the part about the T-Bomb breaking dark matter and freeing more amulets, because DnA haven't really told us why the amulets are lost in dark matter in the first place.  (Also, now that we're engaged in a full ret-con of Darkhawk's history, someone should tell us how his amulet found its way into a New York amusement park in the first place.)  On the Chris front, DnA really deliver.  I love all his new tricks!  Invisibility, the carbon-fiber suit, the heavy-armor suit:  the list goes on and on!  DnA, as I had hoped, have Chris learn how to use his anger to channel his powers, and, hopefully, do for him what they did for Rich, removing the stumbling block (in Rich's case, his lack of seriousness) that kept him from being a true hero.  I'll focus on wrapping up this series in "Final Thoughts" below, but, for the most part, DnA wrap up all the loose ends that need wrapping here.  Chris ends this series with renewed purpose and greater confidence, just like Nova did at the end of "Annihilation."  I'm hoping we see a lot more of him in the future, because, as I've said before, he's always been one of my favorite characters.

War of Kings #5:  DnA bring the two sides of this war together here, setting up the conclusion to this story in a way that promises little good for either side.  The trick up the Inhuman's sleeve is revealed to be a bomb, called the T-Bomb, that will, if I understand correctly, eliminate all genetic differences between species, ending not only the Kree-Shi'Ar War, but all wars.  However, to accomplish this feat, Black Bolt must be in the T-Bomb at detonation, since it's powered by his voice.  Throughout this series, DnA have set up the Inhumans for some serious comeuppance, and I'm guessing we're going to see that next issue.  Vulcan is also due for a reality check, so I'm guessing that it's no coincidence that he and Black Bolt end this issue facing one another at last.  Although this plot is interesting, DnA really shine when depicting the chaos on Chandilar in the wake of Lilandra's death.  As Admiral Ka'Ardum predicted, in death, Lilandra has become a martyr for the forces opposing Vulcan, inspiring them to take on his regime, resulting in Chandilar erupting into a civil war.  On the other side of that equation, as I mentioned in my last review, it also means that Vulcan is the only one who can unify the Empire.  However, as Alex notes, he's a little busy being insane right now to do so.  DnA also reach back here to "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire" to tie up some loose ends.  The Chancellor, who has for so long manipulated events behind the scenes as part of the "Secret Order," is killed by Gladiator for his role (however tenuous) in Lilandra's death.  Moreover, Rachel finally gets revenge on the man who killed her family, a goal that has driven her throughout the X-Men's time in space, but realizes that it doesn't make the hurt over the loss of her family feel any less painful.  This issue wasn't really all that enjoyable to read, but it was definitely exciting, with a certain energy propelling you through the chaos.
 
War of Kings #6:  As expected, everyone gets their comeuppance in this issue.  Black Bolt and Vulcan fight to the death, and their fight leaves the Shi'Ar totally ruined and the Inhumans emotionally crippled.  To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this conclusion.  I mean, as Alex said a long time ago, I accept the fact that Vulcan (or, more specifically, the Vulcan as portrayed by DnA) had to die.  He had gone too far down the "mad king" road to be able to be saved.  Tactically, he ignored the advice of his generals and damned the Shi'Ar Imperium by spreading its military efforts and his own attention too thin.  I'm not entirely sure I buy how it all gets resolved, though.  On some level, it's a brilliant move, because it separates Black Bolt and Vulcan from the rest of the characters, giving us the "war of kings" that the series promised.  But, the Inhuman's arrogance in creating the T-Bomb (and ability to do so on such short notice) still seems a little difficult to believe.  They were able to put together the device fairly quickly, given that it had the potential to change the genetic structure of everyone in the entire Universe.  It didn't feel totally deus ex machina-y, because DnA had hinted through the series that the Inhumans were planning something big.  But, issues #5 and #6 represented a fairly abrupt change to the narrative, shifting the focus onto the T-Bomb and away from the more personal stories that so far had been driving the series.  Again, it made sense -- Lilandra's death took the possibility of a quick end to the overall war off the table, forcing the Inhuman's decision to engage in a drastic move -- but it still felt a little emotionally shallow.  The ending is more forced on the characters than a result of anything they've done.  I mean, life is like that, so I can't fault DnA for imitating it.  But, it doesn't provide for that emotionally satisfying of a conclusion.  That said, I can't deny that the story was definitely epic, a logical conclusion to Vulcan's journey.

Nova #28:  OK, first, I'm glad to see Robbie survived.  I figured he would, because it wasn't like he exhibited hubris on the level of Black Bolt or Vulcan.  But, all the same, I'm glad he's alive.  DnA bring this story -- and, in fact, the various running sub-plots from the last few issues -- to a logical conclusion in this issue.  Richard notes that he was right opposing the rapid expansion of the Corps, but that Worldmind was also right that the galaxy needed them.  Taking the Centurions who performed the best -- including Robbie -- to form a team of trainee Corpsmen made sense.  I was against Robbie keeping his powers when he first got them, mainly because it seemed to set up a never-ending series of "brother v. brother" storylines that wouldn't really match the tone of this series.  But, I think DnA do a great job of showing how both boys have grown during this arc.  Rich makes a compelling case for Robbie to say, and Robbie probably understands the responsibility that comes with being a member of the Corps better than he did when he thought being a superhero was all fun and games.  I'm all in favor of Robbie being a member of the Corps if we get stories of the two of them working together rather than the ones we've gotten so far, of Robbie trying to outdo Rich.  Changing subjects, I loved the resolution with Blastaar, particularly Rich reminding him that, the last time he faced down someone with the Cosmic Control Rod, he "tore him inside out."  Good stuff.  It was a reminder of the super-competent Rich we saw during "Annihilation."  With so many loose ends resolved, DnA set up some great stories to come:  Rich rebuilding the Corps, Rich and Robbie workings together, the Corps trying to keep peace as the galaxy recovers from the Kree/Shi'Ar War.  It should be an exciting series of issues. 

War of Kings:  Who Will Rule? #1:  OK, this Fault issue is clearly going to get very interesting.  I only have vague recollections of Magus from the various "Infinity" cross-over events from the '90s, but his appearance at the end of this issue certainly spells trouble for the Shi'Ar Imperium.  (In fact, his appearance reminded me:  where is Adam Warlock?  I thought he would be a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy team, but we didn't see him anywhere in this event.  Maybe he appeared in the tie-in issues in the Guardians' own series, which would make sense.)  At any rate, the rest of this issue goes pretty much as expected.  It was pretty clear Gladiator was going to wind up taking over the Imperium, though, to be honest, I'm not entirely clear on how it happened.  Medusa was seemingly willing to keep control over the Imperium by appointing Crystal regent.  By giving the scepter to Gladiator, Crystal essentially renounces Inhuman/Kree control over the Imperium.  Did she have the power to do that?  Medusa just seems to let her do that, which surprised me, given how passionately Medusa reacted to the Imperial Guard's attempt to resist Inhuman rule.

Final Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this event for the first few issues.  I liked the way that DnA were pulling in all sorts of sub-plots that had been brewing since "X-Men:  Deadly Genesis."  Unfortunately, though , at some point, I feel like they lost the plot a little.

First, even after reading "War of Kings:  Ascension," I feel like the Fraternity of Raptors was a pretty superfluous addition to (and unnecessary distraction from) the event.  In fact, the entire mini-series felt more like an awkward back-door pilot than a vital tie-in series.  DnA didn't really sell the role the Raptors actually played in this series, where they more or less suddenly appeared half-way through the series and then disappeared.  It's no small complaint, though, given that, when they do appear, they assassinate Lilandra, an incident on which the entire event turns.  I feel like DnA probably could've had someone we already knew serve this role without adding in a galactic conspiracy to complicate matters.  Maybe it was Marvel pushing for one more mini-series to sell?  To be fair, I felt similarly about the "Secret Order" in "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire," because Brubaker never really fully explained who they were or what they wanted.  I guess it's the nature of these shadowy galactic conspiracies.  But, we still don't know a lot about the Raptors, like why their amulets are lost in dark matter, if they have a grander purpose beyond just helping the Shi'Ar Imperium expand its power, or why they chose Blastaar to take over the Ceded Territories (and why taking over the Ceded Territories was so important).  It's those remaining questions that make me wonder if, indeed, this mini-series was only really intended to be a launching point for a new "Darkhawk" series that never wound up materializing. 

Moreover, I wasn't thrilled with Vulcan's characterization here.  DnA discard some of the nuance Yost gave to the character and portray him as just completely insane.  You begin to wonder why someone as savvy as Ka'Ardum would've thrown in his lot with Vulcan if he were truly this insane.  I mean, Ka'Ardum originally chose Vulcan over Lilandra because he approved of Vulcan's expansionist approach.  But, I feel like Ka'Ardum has been portrayed as a smart enough warrior to know that a truly insane despot would wind up over-committing his troops and bringing ruin to the Imperium.  It's why Yost's Vulcan made Ka'Ardum's support a little more believable, because Vulcan wasn't insane 100 percent of the time.

In the end, I realize that, when it comes to these galactic cross-over events, I basically just want to read "Annihilation" over and over again for the first time, because it was just so perfect.  This event wasn't terrible by any stretch of imagination, but it lacked a certain je ne sais crois that "Annihilation" had.  At the very least, I'm interested in where the various galactic Marvel titles go from here, because the new status quo is definitely different from the previous one.

War of Kings #3-#4, War of Kings: Ascension #3, and Nova #26-#27

War of Kings #3:  Holy crap, this issue is awesome.  First, I freaking love Rocket Raccoon.  I haven't bought the "Guardians of the Galaxy" series mainly because, really, I've got a huge backlog of back issues I'm trying to read:  "New Mutants," "Spider-Man 2099," a good three years or so of "Uncanny X-Men" and "X-Men Legacy," just to name a few.  I just can't add another series to the list right now.  But, Rocket Raccon telling Gladiator to feel how soft his fur is when Gladiator realizes he's holding a mop, not a "Xarthian quantum cannon," pretty much made this issue for me.  But, the good news is that the rest of this issue is also great.  The battle between the Guardians and Starjammers and the Imperial Guard is as epic as you'd expect it to be.  DnA give everyone, not just Rocket Raccoon, witty moments, and Pelletier draws easily followed action-scenes.  Kallark's conversion to Lilandra's side, though essentially foreshadowed in his commentary throughout the series, was still stunning.  Pelletier does a great job of drawing the shock on the face of the Shi'Ar warriors and Lilandra herself.  (Also, I didn't realize that Smasher was essentially the Ensign Jones of the Imperial Guard.)  DnA also move along other plots here, showing that the Inhumans are definitely cooking up something, though it's still unclear what.  This series just continues to be great.  I honestly have no idea how it's all going to end.

Nova #26:  This issue serves mostly as a transition story, with Rich engaging in a mission to rescue the untrained Centurions currently deployed across the front lines of the Kree/Shi'Ar War.  He appears to have made the decision to disband the Corps, though he allows recruits Lindy and Tre to stay and help with the rescue operations.  Rich, meanwhile, takes Irani and Morrow (of the original expanded Centurion team) with him to find Robbie, who had left in the previous issue with Qubit to try to help Suki and the rest of Cohort 86 on Nil-Rast.  Although the issue is mostly pretty boring, with long periods of exposition (partiuclarly Lindy and Tre's "conversation" with Worldmind at the beginning), DnA do deliver some moments.  The stack of helmets that Nova finds on Nil-Rast was truly well done in terms of showing the impact of the war and explains why Robbie goes on his crazed search for Strontian.  Robbie is, unfortunately, due for comeuppance, so we'll see how it goes next issue.

War of Kings:  Ascension #3:  OK, first, the Raptors.  DnA are just really killing me with this plot line.  I'm still confused about their goal(s).  I get that the Raptors want Blastaar to take back the Ceded Territories from Ravenous, but why?  If it's to help Vulcan, why would it help Vulcan to have Blastaar in charge of a territory he didn't own in the first place?  Is it because Blastaar, by nature of the wards on the Cosmic Control Rod, would be beholdent to the Raptors, making him more or less beholdent to Vulcan?  (Also, I don't think we discover that the Raptors are in theory working for Vulcan until "War of Kings" #4, so, if you're reading this series in order, I'm imaging you'd be really confused.)  On the Chris front, I'm think I get where DnA are going, and I like it.  Talon wanted Chris to control his anger, because his anger was the thing that would let him exert control over his armor, not hinder him from controling it, as Talon told him.  OK, I kind of get that.  I also think DnA are saying that all the other Raptors are spirts imbuing the armor because a sacrifice inhabits the physical space in the Null Space, but Chris somehow managed to have his own body be his "sacrifice" and switch between the armor and his body at will.  (I think that actually makes the most sense of any Darkhawk origin story I've read.) 

War of Kings #4:  This issue suffers from a problem common to the last few issues of almost every cross-over event I've ever read, where the story begins to sag under the weight of all the various sub-plots that the authors try to import from the tie-in issues.  DnA grapple here with integrating the plot of "War of Kings:  Ascension," trying to make the appearance of Talon and Razor appear seamless.  We finally learn the goal of the Fraternity of the Raptors, promoting the Shi'Ar Empire.  To this end, Talon throws his support behind Vulcan.  Cool.  I'm still not sure how Blastaar invading the Ceded Territories is going to help on this front, but, whatever, at least we now know, in theory, why DnA have introduced the Raptors to the mix.  DnA really screw up the integration of "War of Kings:  Ascension" with the assassination plot, though.  I mean, when I first read this issue, I thought Darkhawk had assassinated Lilandra, which seemed totally bizarre to me.  Now, I understand it was Razor, but I had to go back and read "War of Kings:  Ascension" to learn that.  I feel like DnA really owed it to the reader to explain this plot point, without forcing us to read an additional four-issue mini-series.  In terms of the non-Raptor aspects of the story, DnA do a great job of detailing the chaos of Lilandra's return to Chandilar.  As I mentioned in "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire," Lilandra, to me, seems to be capable of making an unbelievable number of bad decisions.  Here, she seems to make a serious miscalculation in deciding to rush into returning to claim her throne.  You'd think she maybe could've spent a little more time rallying the troops on all those planets that we''ve heard are in revolt over excessive war taxes and demanding production deadlines.  But, DnA really sell the results of that bad decision, namely the chaos the Starjammers encounter in escorting her on Chandilar.  It was almost like watching one of those movies based on Secret Service agents trying to keep the President safe.  YOu could feel the tension as they made their way through Chandilar and you could almost hear Alex thinking, "OMG, bad idea."  Moreover, Lilandra's death definitely shakes up this entire event, given that we don't really have anyone to challenge Vulcan's rule at this point.  His advisers feared she would die a martyr if Vulcan executed her, but it's probably unlikely that she would gather as much support given that she died trying to depose him.  I guess we'll see.  Meanwhile, Black Bolt is almost definitely working on some grand plan.  This whole event doesn't seem like it's going to end well.

Nova #27:  OK, first, I have to note pet peeve #2.  Although the intro page tells us Robbie turned off his suit tracker, we actually don't hear about that until halfway through this issue.  Tsk, tsk.  Moving onto the issue itself, DnA really turn up the heat here.  Rich arrives at Kree-Lar to find it ravaged by Blastaar and his troops (as we learned in "War of Kings" #4, when Talon informs Vulcan that he has reached an accord with Blastaar).  Meanwhile, Robbie learns how hard being a superhero is as he struggles to contain Strontian, who's dying to kill him and Ravenous the minute his power falters.  I'm really not sure where DnA are going (in a good way) with the story.  The scenes of a devastated Kree-Lar (excellently rendered by DiVito) bring back memories of the Annihilation Wave.  But, those memories aren't exactly bad, because they recall how Rich shined when he led the United Front against Annihilius.  Rich has been off the game for a while, and I'm thinking his oncoming brawl with Strontian will be just the thing to remind him of who he is.  I'm more worried about Robbie, who seems now to realize just how much more complicated superhero-ing is than he thought.  I guess we'll see.  We've got two more issues of "War of Kings," though, before we get the answer.

Final Thoughts:  I enjoyed the first few issues of "War of Kings," but I'm starting to be confused about the story DnA are telling her.  At first, we seemed to be telling a Vulcan story, but now we might be telling an Inhumans one, in addition to a Starjammers one.  They're not mutually exclusive, obviously, but I feel like splitting the focus between the three groups has started to make the overall plot hard to follow.  "Annihilation" moved around a lot, but I felt like it was somehow clearer where the plot was going than it is here.  I mean, it's OK for us not to know how the book is going to end, becasue a good story should have some mystery.  But, I'm not even sure what sub-plots we've got oustanding at this point.  "Annihilation" had some pretty clear sub-plots, so you always knew what the status of all the characters were, whereas "War of Kings" just seems to have people fade into, and out of, view.  Meanwhile, I am enjoying the "Nova" tie-in issues, despite the fact that they don't have a lot to do with the main title.

War of Kings #1-#2, War of Kings: Ascension #1-#2, and Nova #24-#25

War of Kings #1:  Holy crap, DnA really just hurl us into the story here.  I loved Crystal's narration of the Starjammer hurling through the Shi'Ar's space barrier.  It really sets the tone of the events that follow:  Vulcan sends in the Imperial Guard to disrupt the wedding of Crystal and Ronan the Accuser, resulting in the kidnapping of Lilandra, the loss of Ch'od's hand, and the deaths of two members of the Imperial Guard, Nightside and Smasher (again).  I mean, what more could you want from a first issue?  So far, DnA take a somewhat different approach to Vulcan than Yost, falling down a little heavier on the "mad king" side than on the "tortured soul" side.  (His decision to drop Nega-Bombs essentially willy-nilly was particularly chilling.)  Yost generally made Vulcan a more nuanced character, certainly portraying him as insane but also never forgetting the tragedy that drove him there.  But, it's early days, so we'll see how his character develops as the series progresses.  DnA use the characterizations of other characters as foreshadowing here.  Crystal's arrogance in her conversation with Polaris will clearly not go unrewarded, if you will, and Gladitor's constant reference to serving at the pleasure of the Emperor seems to be him clearly reminding himself of that fact as he struggles to implement Vulcan's orders.  We'll see where DnA go with both those thoughts.

Nova #24:  OK, this issue is everything I hoped it would be.  I loved the use of Suki, a rookie Centurion, as our perspective on the battle at the Gulf of Sarenta.  (I also love that the battle at the Gulf was mentioned in "War of Kings" #1, just move evidence of the attention DnA pay to continuity.)  Using Suki -- and the fear she feels engaging in battle for the first time -- makes Robbie realize that his brother may have been right, that sending a bunch of inexperienced, untrained Centurions into battle might not have been the best idea.  Unfortunately, Robbie also thinks that he still wants to be on the front lines, and not at the strategic command, though we'll see if that opinion changes as a result of Suki's death.  By having Strontian kill the Centurion hostages, DnA remind us that Vulcan is playing for keeps.  I'm intrigued to see where Rich's confrontation with Ego-Worldmind goes, because I'm really waiting for the "Worldmind Gone Mad" plot to end.

War of Kings:  Ascension #1:  OK, after finishing the "War of Kings" series, I decided to read "War of Kigns:  Ascension," because I wound up being really confused about the whole Fraternity of Raports business.  Unfortunately I'm not entirely sure if I'm any clearer on the concept, though.  I spent most of this issue just wanting Chris to stop whining.  Seriously.  I did enjoy the moment where Chris, in his human form, talks about how much he just wanted to be like Rich, a honest-to-goodness hero, and realizes that it's easier said than done.  DnA excell at those moments of characterization.  But, the constant whining made it hard to sympathize with him, because he seemed to spend more time complaing about not being able to achieve his potential (and become said honest-to-goodness hero) than doing anything to try to realize it.  I do like the idea that the anger-management issues he's always had were a result of his poor union with the Darkhawk suit, because it seems to set up a scenario whereby he'll get past those issues and they won't constantly be used as his Achilles' heel everytime a writer has written himself into a corner.  At this stage, I'm not quite sure what to do with the reveal that the Fraternity of Raptors are some sort of cosmic bad buys.  Also, I'm not sure how exactly Chris reached full compatability with the suit.  He made it seem like Talon had taken control over his suit to activate his full armor mode (and make him kill their attackers), so it seems unlikely he had achieved full compatability if Talon had to do it for him.  I'm also not clear on where they're going with this other personality, Razor, taking over Chris' suit.  If I remember correctly, when Darkhawk first started, he switched places with his suit.  I'm pretty sure DnA are using that approach, where only a wearer's consciousness is imbued in the suit.  It leaves open the question, though:  where is Chris now?

War of Kings #2:  Well, the Empire strikes back.  I was thinking when Havok is exhorting Ch'od and Korvus to get the Starjammer to go faster that he sounded like Han Solo, a sense proven even more apt when he pilots the Starjammer underneath the Shi'Ar warship to board it.  The Inhumans definitely land some punches here, and it'll be interesting to see how Vulcan responds.  The Inhumans seem to be planning more than just destroying the Shi'Ar's second battle group, though.

Nova #25:  OK, I cannot possibly imagine a better issue.  When this whole "Worldmind Gone Mad" ordeal started, I had no idea how DnA were going to resolve it in a way that didn't result in Worldmind being a compromised character.  Here, they give us a brilliant answer.  First, they detail how Worldmind didn't just go insane but that Ego took advantage of its insanity to take control of it.  It makes so much sense, because it explains Worldmind's need to divest itself of Richard, since Ego probably realized that Richard was the one person who could get Worldmind to shake off Ego's control.  Second, at first, I simply loved the fact that Worldmind used Ko-Rel and Rohmann Dey as its avatars.  (Also, I need to say that I laughed out loud when I saw the He-Man figures in Rich's room.  Well done, Kevin Sharpe.  Well done.)  I thought Ko-Rel was a great character when she was introduced in "Annihilation:  Conquest," so I was glad to see her return, even if it wasn't exactly her.  But, the fact that she took over the personality of Worldmind was unexpected and awesome.  I'm sad that we won't have Worldmind and Nova's banter, but, if anyone could replace it, it would be Ko-Rel.  I've mentioned before how I haven't been a huge fan of this "Worldmind Gone Mad" plot, but DnA bring it to a close in such a way that I find myself appreciating it, even if I still find it annoying.  Looking at the rest of the issue, the one-liners in this issue are great:  Nova telling Worldmind that it is "critical you pay attention at this time" and telling Ego that it's "time to start thinking about others," not to mention his banter with Ko-Rel ("Is there a vegetarian option?"), were all excellent moments.  DnA brought back some of the fun that I've felt has been lacking since this whole "Worldmind Gone Mad" arc began.  I'm excited to see where they go from here, particularly given the surprise arrival of Garthan Saal at the end!

War of Kings:  Ascension #2:  OK, so, DnA set up a pretty significant ret-conning of Darkhawk, claiming that the original story we "knew" was something Chris created to try to make sense of the information he was being fed by the Datasource.  My guess is that, if I thought too hard about that or read previous issues of "Darkhawk," I'd wind up finding any number of inconsistencies with that story.  (For example, I'm pretty sure people saw Darkhawk and Evilhawk together, so I'm not sure how Evilhawk was just an "evil" manifestation of Darkhawk that emerged whenever Chris lost control.)  But, I'm actually willing to put my obsession with continuity aside, because, to be honest, Darkhawk could use a ret-con, particularly if he's going to be re-introduced as a major charcter.  In terms of the Fraternity, I'm still not sure what its game is.  I've read the series, so I know that their role is helping the Shi'Ar Imperium achieve its glory.  But, why did they decide to use Blastaar?  (I'll return to that thought in the review of "War of Kings" #3.)  Why was it necessary to bribe him with the Cosmic Control Rod?  Couldn't they have just used it?

Final Thoughts:  OK, I'm intrigued.  I'm enjoying the "Nova" issues more than the "War of Kings" issues at this time, but mostly because I feel like DnA are righting the ship, if you will, on that title, whereas they're still just building the story in "War of Kings."  I'm still skeptical of "War of Kings:  Ascension," but I concede that Darkhawk could use a shot to the arm, creativity-wise, so I'm willing to give DnA some space to work.  But, so far, so good.

Nova #23: "End of Story"

*** (three of five stars)

Favorite Quote:  "'Course, this would be worth real money if it was the rare "ponytail" variant."  -- Rich, contemplating his action figure

Summary

Rich is in Robbie's room at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., contemplating his brother's collection of Nova-related memorabilia and, possibly for the first time, realizing the extent to which his brother wanted to be him.  Quasar appears and tries to get Rich to talk about the fact that he's dying, but disappears before they can finish the conversation.  Meanwhile, on Nu-Xandar, Worldmind assigns the new Centurions to various tasks in their imminent involvement in the ongoing Kree/Shi'Ar War and opens a stargate to take the planet and the Corps to the front lines.  Robbie complains to Worldmind that he was placed on strategy and not combat.  At Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., Rich is nearly arrested when H.A.M.M.E.R. takes over the facility.  He's saved by Dr. Necker (who pretends he's her boyfriend), who promises to help Rich find a cure to his condition, despite losing access to the Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.' high-tech labs.  To this end, she takes him to a secret installation run by, in her words, "the people I...sometimes work for."  It turns out she has been a mole for A.I.M. at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. and Rich refuses her help as a result.  He leaves the installation, but Dr. Necker follows him, giving him Quasar's Quantum Flask, something she had planned on giving to A.I.M.  He and Dr. Necker share a kiss (in the rain...) and then he hurls the flask from him, saying he fears A.I.M. would get its hands on it after he died.  Unexpectedly, the flask explodes and Quasar emerges, declaring that he's recovered the Quantum Bands.  He gives them to Nova, who becomes the new Quasar.

The Review

The title of this issue -- "End of Story" -- is no accident.  DnA clear the decks here of several ongoing plots -- and kick a few up a notch while doing it -- in preparation for the "War of Kings" event.  I haven't really been the biggest fan of the post-"Secret Invasion" Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. interlude and I'm glad to see it's over.  But, DnA at least give it a good ending, using its closure by H.A.M.M.E.R. as a way to bring a surprising resolution to Rich's "relationship" with Dr. Necker and solve his whole "molecular-disintegration" problem.  I'm still vaguely annoyed by the "Worldmind Gone Mad "sub-plot and I feel like DnA are dragging out the obvious threat to Robbie that Nova has been predicting since Robbie became a Centurion in issue #19.  But, I feel like we're getting closer to addressing both issues now, so I'm excited to see where DnA take us.

The Good

1) I thought Rich's scene in Robbie's room was the best one in this issue.  It shows Rich coming to grips with his brother's adulation (and jealousy) of him, something that he's clearly tried to avoid acknowledging for years.

2) As always, I enjoy the extent to which DnA incorporate other events in the Marvel Universe into "Nova."  Here, we see the repercussions of the "Secret Invasion" arc, with Norman Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R. displacing Tony Stark's SHIELD.  It's a small moment, but DnA use it to resolve the annoying Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. arc, and I applaud them for it.

3) As usual, DnA really excel in giving us some nuanced character moments throughout the issue.  The revelation that Dr. Necker was working for AIM was a great touch.  I totally didn't see it coming.  It makes her a more two-dimensional character than she's been portrayed as being, a nice way to end her story (even if it's not exactly an upbeat ending).  Moreover, DnA use Rich's response to the revelation as a way to show how much Rich has matured, as he lectures Dr. Necker on how her good intentions don't matter when you're dealing with an organization like A.I.M.  He doesn't dismiss her simply as a bad guy (as I think the old Nova would have done), understanding that she's misguided in her belief in A.I.M.'s doctrine of science over religion though genuinely wants to help him with his condition.  Similarly, their conversation in the car -- where Rich says that it's arrogance, not courage, that makes a good superhero -- also shows how far he's coming in understanding himself and his powers.

The Bad
1) As I mention above, I feel like DnA have been really heavy handed in setting up the obvious tragedy we're going to see involving the new Nova Centurions.  I feel like the question is more when, not if, characters like Lindy and Tre die, let alone Robbie.  At the very least, I'm just hoping we end War of Kings with Worldmind back in control of his faculties and Nova leading the restored Nova Corps.  Fingers crossed.

2) The Quasar deus ex machina was a little much.  Given that Rich was, in theory, dying, DnA had to do something to preserve him, obviously, but this way just felt like a cheap trick, something they usually go to great lengths to avoid.  At any rate, it should be interesting to see how Nova...um...Quasar handles his new powers.

War of Kings: Darkhawk #1-#2

As I mentioned when Darkhawk first appeared in "Nova," I loved Darkhawk as a teenager.  He had that perfect blend of adolescent angst and undefined stress that made you really feel like he was a teenage superhero, not just a superhero who also happened to be a teenager.  But, his series, as a result, was always a little...whiny.  I never felt like anyone did a great job capturing a voice for him that let him be a scared teenager but also a nascent superhero.  I was excited, therefore, to see how Cebulski was going to present an older Chris.

War of Kings:  Darkhawk #1:  Cebulski focuses on Chris' anger-management issues in this first issue, something I remember being a theme of his original series.  I was a little surprised to see him living with his mom, since I'm assuming that being the security chief at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. pays well enough for him to afford his own apartment.  But, I get that he's doing it to spend time with his family.  That said, one of the overused tropes of the original series is that everyone seemed to know who he was, so his family was constantly in danger -- like, on an Aunt May or Mary Jane level.  Cebulski unfortunately also revives that trope, with Talon destroying his house and injuring his mom.  I'm hoping we seen an improvement next issue, because I'm disappointed that Cebulski picked up so much of the bad from the original series and so little of the good.

War of Kings:  Darkhawk #2:  Huh.  OK, I'll do the good first.  I feel like Cebulski (and DnA) do two things that really help make a break with some of the significant baggage that this character has and sets the stage for better stories. First, I liked the idea of having Chris be part of a "Nova Corps"-esque entity called the "Fraternity of Raptors," because Chris probably needs a better group of enemies (and an overarching sense of purpose).  I always felt like the enemies he fought in his original series were oddly matched to the type of cosmic-level power he displayed.  (I mean, Spider-Man can handle the Hobgoblin.  Why does someone who can, like, destory stars need to do so?)  As such, giving him a cosmic-level enemy will probably make for a better fit.  Second, by identifying a cause for his anger-management issues, Cebulski gives us the possibility of resolving them and moving past that terribly overused plot point.  Moreover, I also enjoyed the revelation that Chris has all sorts of different armors at his disposal because, to quote him, he could be really badass.

Unfortuantely, although I like the "Fraternity of Raptors" in theory, I think I'm going to like them less in practice.  I mean, their mission is to "serve as architects of the universal fate."  Um, what now?  It's not exactly, as Chris himself notes, a specific job description.  In reality, it's pretty clearly intended just to involve Darkhawk in the "War of Kings."   (Moreover, I think it's a retcon, since I'm pretty sure the original series had a different origin for the amulet.  Also, didn't Chris already fight a Talon in that series?  I'm going to have to look through my back issues when I'm at my parents' house for Christmas.)  I mean, who exactly opposes them?  Someone does, since he or she (or they) sent the "hunter drone" after Talon.  I'm all for a good ancient rivalry between good and evil, but Cebulski doesn't really sell it as something all that interesting.  I mean, again, all we get is "architects of the universal fate?"  Moreover, the art in this issue is terrible.  I could barely follow the action during the fight with the drone.  Honestly, I couldn't really even describe what it looks like.

According to the last panel, the story is continued in "War of Kings:  Ascension."  I don't have that series in my stack, and I can't say I'm all that intrigued by what Celuski has done here to make the effort to buy it.  At this point, I think I'll just read "War of Kings" and, if I feel like I missed something, try to see if Marvel has a digital version.  I get the sense, though, that Darkhawk isn't going to be essential to the "War of Kings" plot.  As such, even though I'm what I'd consider a huge Darkhawk fan, I can't say I really recommend this series.  Sad, but true. 

X-Men: Kingbreaker #1-#4

I've decided on the simpler issue-by-issue format for this review since this series leads into "War of Kings" and I'm pretty sure I'm going to use this format for that event.  It looks like that event has a lot of different series running through it, and I found it awkward during "Annihilation:  Conquest" using the larger overall arc format that I used for that event.  For example, I wound up recapping the "Nova" tie-in issues as three separate arcs, with two appearing after I reviewed "Annihilation:  Conquest," despite the fact that they actually happened concurrent to the event.  Anyway, enough shop talk.  The point is that I'm going to recap "War of Kings" issue-by-issue because it allows me to do it sequentially.  Onto the reviews!  "War of Kings" starts here!

X-Men:  Kingbreaker #1:  OK, we don't really see much actually happen in this issue.  Korvus, Lilandra, and Rachel steal back the Starjammer, and the Shi'Ar capture yet another world in their expansionary war.  The main focus of the issue, though, is the fact that Vulcan is stark-raving mad.  Rather than spend his time leading the troops on the front or rallying the populace at home, Vulcan is supervising the torture of Alex, Ch'od, Lorna, and Raza.  Havok correctly notes to Vulcan that he's won, because, despite Vulcan being Emperor, he still keeps coming to Alex waiting for Alex to bow to him, something Alex swears he won't do.  The issue ends with the reveal that Havok isn't as powerless as he's let his captors think he is.  Methinks a jailbreak is in the works.

X-Men:  Kingbreaker #2:  OK, a lot goes down here.  Lilandra tricks Gladiator, getting close enough to him (by pretending to seek his support) so that Rachel can read his mind for the location of Alex and the gang.  Gabriel recruits the four most dangerous criminals held by the Shi'Ar to go after Korvus, Lilandra, and Rachel.  Although the trio manage to escape the foursome, the foursome do manage to ascertain their destination, the world where Alex and the gang are being held.  Meanwhile, Alex breaks free of his imprisonment and frees Ch'od, Lorna, and Raza, telling them that they're going to make their stand against Vulcan there.  Vulcan, meanwhile, murders emissaries sent by the Galactic Council to clarify the Shi'Ar's intentions, thereby, well, clarifying his intentions.  Yost is turning up the temperature, moving the story along at a good clip.  My only complaint is that Yost doesn't really provide a reason for why Alex chose that moment to escape.  (It seems overly convenient that he did it just in time for Lilandra, Rachel, and Korvus to arrive to help them.)  Otherwise, so far, I'm a pretty happy camper.  Plus, lest I forget, let me take a moment and praise Weaver's artwork.  He not only gives us the sexiest Gladiator I've ever seen, but he also manages to excel at both small moments -- like Gladiator and Lilandra's conversation -- and epic ones -- like the battle between the trio and the foursome.  He seems a really inspired choice for this series, that has so much emotion running through it, yet is also set against a galactic backdrop.

(I will note that I'm a little vague on two larger continuity points, though it's not Yost's fault.  First, the Galactic Council refers several times to the Shi'Ar sitting out the Annihilation Wave.  But, I thought that it was unable to assist in the Annihilation Wave because it was in the middle of fending off Vulcan's attack.  Maybe the Council just doesn't realize that?  It would make sense, but, since Yost doesn't make that explicitly clear, I'm not entire sure.  Second, the Council refers to the destruction of the Kree Empire.  I'm assuming it's referring to the events of "Annihilation" and "Annihilation:  Conquest," which didn't exactly destroy the Kree Empire, just severely impaired it.  I'm also vaguely aware that this event is happening at the same time as "Secret Invasion," so I'm not sure if I'm just missing some part of a different story.)

X-Men:  Kingbreaker #3:  Okey-dokey, we've got a lot of ground to cover here.  OK, first things first.  Yost apparently read my mind, because he explicitly has Vulcan mention the events of "Annihilation" and "Annihilation:  Conquest" as the cause of the weakening of the Kree Empire.  He also mentions something that led me to a little Internet research, that Black Bolt took over the Empire from Ronan as part of "Secret Invasion."  So, I'm a lot less vague on where this story falls in terms of continuity than I was last issue.  (Thanks, Chris.)  Moving onto the events of the issue itself, Yost really hits the gas here.  First, I appreciated him having Polaris chide Alex for letting them fall so far as considering letting the escaped prisoners kill the Shi'Ar guards.  Alex and Rachel were both fairly bloodthirsty throughout "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire" and "X-Men:  Emperor Vulcan."  In fact, I had noticed reference to Rachel killing Shi'Ar warriors in issue #1.  I'm glad someone is reminding Alex that the line between avengers and murderers gets really blurry when you spend too much time embracing lethal methods.  Second, I just have to compliment Yost on a really tightly scripted series so far.  Everything really flows logically from one event to the next.  Lilandra, Rachel, and Vulcan make their way to the world where Alex and the gang are located, but they reveal their hand to the criminals Vulcan has dispatched to kill them, putting Vulcan on their tail.  Moreover, I like that Yost makes Korvus savvy enough to know that the criminals would know where they're going.  Also, I liked how Gladiator was in the dark about the foursome.  It shows just how manipulative -- and commanding -- Vulcan is.  When he appears at the end with the Imperial Guard, you really felt his presence, the sense that this lunatic controls an incredible amount of power.  I can't wait to see what happens in the end.

X-Men:  Kingbreaker #4:  Yost pulls out all the stops in this finale.  First, I loved that Yost has Vulcan pay the consequences for his short-sighted decision to release the criminals.  Gladiator would have surely defeated a de-powered Havok, but he's distracted when he sees his traitorous cousin, Xenith.  Then, in perhaps the most brilliant moment in the series, the arrival of the Hodinn allows Havok to re-power, putting him on a level equal to Vulcan.  Yost uses both these moments to turn the tables on Vulcan and show how immature and impulsive he is, given that they're both a direct result of his decision to free the criminals.  Second, we finally (finally!) see some semblance of emotional connection between Alex and Gabriel.  As I think I've previously mentioned, Gabriel is essentially the Marvel Universe's Jason Todd.  However, the authors of the various Bat-books have done a great job showing the Bat-family's heartbreak over the way they've failed Jason.  When it comes to Gabriel, the Summers brothers have seem remarkably incurious about the horrors Gabriel faced as a slave.  Here, with Gabriel failing under Alex's barrage, he recalls the horrors he faced, and Alex for possibly the first time shows some sense of understanding, noting that they would've helped him if he had not killed Corsair.  (Of course, I'm pretty sure Alex had decided to kill Gabriel when he realized how insane he was, not when he killed Corsair.  Moreover, this position seems remarkably un-X-Men-y, given that Xavier has thrown open his doors to Magneto and Sabretooth in the past, not to mention Wolverine.  But, I digress.)  Finally, I like how Yost, again, doesn't give us a neat ending.  Whereas it was Alex who suffered a loss (Corsair) at the end of "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire," it's Garbiel here who has to suffer one (Deathbird).  But, on a larger scale, both sides wind up engaging in chaotic retreats as the prison collapses around them.  Just like in "X-Men:  Emperor Vulcan," the Starjammers are forced to leave behind someone (a symbiote-possessed Raza), a decision Lilandra has to make to save their lives by teleporting them to the Starjammer before the prison fully collapses (much to the anger of Alex, who wanted to stay to fight Vulcan to the death).  Vulcan is left to contemplate the loss of Deathbird and manage the expansion of the Empire, creating essentially two Imperial Guards, one to fight the war, and the other to go after the Starjammers.  Yost keeps on giving us essentially a series of "Empire Strikes Back" episodes, with no "Return of the Jedi" to bring us closure.  It's why I enjoyed this series and "X-Men:  Emperor Vulcan" so much.  Everyone ends the series a little worse for the wear, with no clear victory to make their sacrifices seem worthwhile and only the promise of more struggles ahead of them.

Final Thoughts:  I can't think of a better way to set up "War of Kings" than the last few pages of the final issue, with the Starjammers seeking help from the Kree Empire, now ruled by Black Bolt.  By giving us the Galactic Council sub-plot, Yost has made it clear that the other galactic powers understand the threat posed by a Vulcan-ruled Shi'Ar Empire, explaining why the Kree Emperor would listen to a former Shi'Ar Empress.  Honestly, I'm hard pressed to find any real fault with this series.  Yost still manages to make Vulcan a sympathetic character, despite the horrors he inflicts on others.  It would've been easy for him to Doom-ify him, but he never goes there.  Moreover, he never exonerates Vulcan for his behaviors, laying the responsibility firmly at his feet, even if he makes us understand why he's behaving this way.  Yost also makes Alex and Rachel seem less blood-thirsty in this issue.  If their previous...exuberance, if you will, was based on the rage they were feeling in the moment, you can feel how weary they are of that rage, how much the difficult decisions (good and bad) they've made are weighing on them.  The fact that Yost ends this series with everyone having a long way to go is great.  If you're a "fan" of Havok or Vulcan, I think it's a must-read series.