Customer Reviews

Annihilation Classic

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It's obvious - this book tries to capitalize on the popularity of Marvel's cosmic Annihilation crossover event. But that doesn't mean you're getting cheap product as part of a money-making scheme. It's quite the opposite, in fact, and well worth owning.

The book collects the first appearances of principle characters from the Annihilation saga. As a result, this collection includes:

- Bug issue #1 from 1977, written by Todd Dezago with art by Derec Aucoin, and including Bug's Brain Ticklers: a series of games (like a crossword puzzle and maze) right in the comic
- Tales to Astonish #13 (first appearance of Groot) from 1960, written by Stan Lee and his brother Larry, pencils by Jack Kirby
- Nova #1 from 1976 by Marv Wolfman with art by the great John Buscema
- Quasar #1 from 1989 by Mark Gruenwald with the clean pencil style of Paul Ryan (famed for his FF and X-Men runs)
- Rocket Raccoon's 1995 mini-series (all 4 issues) by Bill Mantlo with Mike Mignola art
- Marvel Spotlight #6 from 1980, first appearance of Star-Lord, by Doug Moench with Tom Sutton art
- A 5-page battle between Thanos and Drax the Destroyer from the pages of Logan's Run #6 (1977) by Scott Edelman with Mike Zeck art
- Marvel Premiere #1 from 1972 (first appearance of Him as Warlock) by Roy Thomas with art by the legendary Gil Kane

What thrilled me was the all-star lineup of amazing artists, from Kirby to Buscema to Kane, Zeck, and Mignola. Awesome!

And the stories feature classic comic book writing at its best. Here's a taste: in the Warlock story from Marvel Premiere #1, Roy Thomas describes the High Evolutionary's headquarters hidden within an asteroid as it hurtles toward earth, "...and it really isn't just an asteroid unless all asteroids conceal (beneath their stone-cold skins) a hundred coiled miles of corridors, machines which hum and softly whine, and nothing showing outside to suggest what lies within save a small, defiant antenna which juts proudly into the darkness and turns... and turns..." Good stuff.

It's a thick book with high-quality pages, and a great trip down memory lane. I like that the collection includes all self-contained stories, so the reader isn't left hanging. That's why I appreciate that the complete Rocket Raccoon mini-series is included rather than just the first issue.

Whether you're a fan of Marvel's cosmic sagas (Annihilation/War of Kings, etc.), just want to see how these characters got their start, or a fan of the great creators whose work is showcased, this is a fantastic collection.