S.W.O.R.D. #7 by Al Ewing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the second time in its short seven issue run, S.W.O.R.D. is interrupted for a crossover. Previously that was King In Black, but this time it’s for The Last Annihilation. So far, four out of the seven issues of S.W.O.R.D. have been tie-ins to crossover events. Wait…wasn’t #6 a tie-in to the Hellfire Gala? So that means that only #s 1 and 5 have been nothing but pure, unadulterated S.W.O.R.D. It’s to Al Ewing’s credit that he’s managed to pull it off flawlessly.
For those not reading The Last Annihilation, of which I’m one, Ewing manages to tell a story that doesn’t make you feel hopelessly lost. I mean, it helps that I read Empyre and those issues of Captain Marvel that introduced Lauri-Ell, and I’m a Wiccan and Hulkling fan so I’m up to date with what’s going on with them…but still, I didn’t feel like I needed to have read something I haven’t read just to understand this comic. And all the bits with the Kree and the Mindless Ones were pretty cool.
And then there are the parts where Doctor Doom has dinner with Storm on the planet Arakko (formerly Mars). Ewing writes Storm as the goddess she is, and Doom as the arrogant shit he is.
Artistically, Schiti has long been a favourite of mine, and the book’s aesthetic stands up alongside the work of Larraz in the main X-Men book. Basically, this book is gorgeous.
All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable book, but I’m very much looking forward to it finally settling into a proper arc of its own, free from crossovers and events.
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Random Ramblings Of A Ragamuffin 