[Discussed in this post: New Avengers: Illuminati #1-5.]
It's Sunday now. Only nine more hours of this.
I'm not sure I can write anything now about this book better than I wrote about it when I named it the worst comic of 2007. Granted, that was just out of the comics I'd read that year, so I'm sure there were worse, but I really, really hate this mini-series. I won't blame it on Brian Reed, because it shows some of Bendis's worst traits in retconning the past: namely, if it suits his needs, screw what came before. Normally, I'm not necessarily opposed to that line of thinking, except there's nothing here except changes and promises that there will be pay-offs later.
The first issue isn't that bad. No big changes there, but I will always be bothered by Black Bolt being able to blow up the ship with his voice, but the Skrull King who is ten feet away not dying. How does that work? No one seems to be able to answer me in that area. How can a voice blow up a spaceship and not a little squishy thing 10 feet away? It just drives me insane. I wind up shaking my head and gesturing with my hands wildly while trying to make sounds that come up like parts of words. But, this issue matters in that it sets up Secret Invasion, WHICH HAPPENS NEXT! The Illuminati, after the Kree-Skrull War, go the Skrull homeworld, tell them to fuck off, blow up their main starship, get captured, escape, and the Skrull King vows that Earth will be his!
The final issue also matters since it has Tony bring the Skrull body to the group and Black Bolt reveals himself a Skrull and they fight. Then two more Skrulls show up the Illuminati barely survive. But they survive.
The other three issues? The only one that I have strong feelings about is issue four, which features the official introduction of Noh-Varr into the Marvel universe... and they call him 'Marvel Boy.' I will admit that I'm a little possessive and weird about Noh-Varr in the worst fanboy sort of way, but his name isn't Marvel Boy, that's the title of the goddamn comic book. How does no one mention how hypocritical it is for Namor to judge ANYONE who declares war on humanity? My original thoughts on the issue stand.
I don't mind Jimmy Cheung's art, but it's stuck drawing godawful writing, so it kind of sucks as a result.
In 30 minutes, we begin the big, three- or four-part Secret Invasion series of post. Are you excited? You should be!
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
Phoenix #5 annotations
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