Dark Reign Part One REVIEW

Reviews from The Blog From Another World

It’s that time of the week again–time to review this week’s Dark Reign comics! Josh and I are reading each issue as it comes out and “live blogging” as we go. This week includes some special issues, including Uncanny X-Men Annual #2 and Dark Avengers #1.

Let’s kick things off with the ultra-popular Thunderbolts #128. Norman Osborn’s team of baddies is on the move, attacking Air Force One and framing Doc Samson! Watch your back, Samson–that’s what happens when you tell President Obama that Norman Osborn is a sociopathic psychopath who should be locked away. What’s that? Oh yeah, Obama is pulling double-duty this month, with appearances in Thunderbolts and Amazing Spider-Man this month.

There’s still time to pre-order Thunderbolts #128 for next month–frankly, I can’t wait to see if Black Widow II accepted Osborn’s offer of field leader . . .

Dark Avengers Assemble! Ummm . . . it is a scary time to be in the Marvel Universe. Too bad Peter Parker never had a conversation with the Gobby about great power coming with responsibility. I doubt he would have listened anyway.

Dark Avengers #1 hit the stands this week, and it’ll be gone by the weekend. The issue is super popular, and deservedly so. Osborn is replacing our heroes with his own agents, and things are gonna get ugly. You’ll want to jump on board to see who’s joining the team. You’ll get no such satisfaction from me. No spoilers today. Does Osborn resemble a young Tommy Lee Jones to anybody else? Make sure to pre-order Dark Avengers #2 if you want to get in on the action!

Uncanny X-Men Annual #2 focuses on Emma Frost, the White Queen, delving into her history with some of the major Dark Reign players–including Namor, Prince of Atlantis, and Tony Stark!

I’ve never been a fan of Emma Frost as a major player in the X-Men universe, and this reads more like a romance novel in places, but it does showcase the White Queen at her most calculating, and there are two distinct artists being showcased: Mitch Breitweiser for the present-day story, and Daniel Acuna for the flashbacks. This definitely gave the feeling of two different time periods, and I am a sucker for the old-school Hellfire Club!

Rhodey is back for the War Machine #2, and Greg Pak bumps it up to the next level. Glenda is hurt, and it’s time for some good ol’ fashioned retribution!

The plot gets deeper and deeper as we’re introduced to the arc’s villain, and boy is he bad. Not bad as in weird costume kinda bad. Just a normal-looking guy who relishes the terror and pain he’s causing. Meanwhile, our hero continues to prove that he’s just that, a man who will throw himself in front of a missile before he inflicts harm on innocent people. War Machine has been selling out, so make sure to pre-order War Machine #3 before it’s too late!

The Mighty Avengers have been decimated by both outside forces and one of their own–the Scarlet Witch! So it seems only fitting that the Witch comes back and assembles them once more. But is Doctor Pym, formerly known as Ant-Man, up to leading the new team? And does his new codename, the Wasp, mean he’s going to start cross-dressing?

The new team has its work cut out for them: disasters of biblical proportions are consuming the world–including floods of blood and the disappearance of the state of Oklahoma, to name just two! Again, all of our Dark Reign titles have been extremely popular, so make sure to pre-order Mighty Avengers #22.

So what’s your take on the Dark Reign story arc? Which series are you following? Any ideas on where the heck this is going? Post your comments and opinions below!

Author : Elisabeth@TFAW

Original post blogged on ComicList.

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