Warhammer 40.000: Sisters of Battle #2 by Torunn Gronbekk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This feels disappointing after Kieron Gillen’s thoroughly excellent Marneus Calgar series, but it’s probably just…ok. The art is ok, the writing is ok. It’s ok.

Which is a shame, because I expect a lot of people who enjoyed Marvel’s first foray into the world of 40K will be put off by this. The real problem is that it’s pretty much impenetrable. Gillen did a great job of making this universe accessible to new readers, but I’m fairly familiar with 40k and I have no real clue who anybody is or what’s going on in this comic.

The art doesn’t help. It’s not bad, it’s just, as I said, ok. And after the jaw droppingly gorgeous cover art, it again disappoints.

All in all, this is exactly what I’d expect from a licensed comic book set in the world of Warhammer 40,000. The problem is that the previous series gave me so much more, and this series can’t help but feel like a let down in comparison.

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Warhammer 40,000 Sisters of Battle by Marvel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Keiron Gillen was always going to be a hard act to follow, and I’m considerably less familiar with the Sisters Of Battle than I am with Space Marines in general, so this book was inevitably less accessible than Marvel’s previous excellent attempt at Warhammer 40,000 comics.

That said, there’s still a lot to enjoy here. The Sisters Of Battle are an interesting group and GrØnbekk has set up some intrigue that’s bound to play out throughout the series. Salazar’s a capable enough artist, and while the art isn’t as good as in Marvel’s previous Warhammer 40,000 series, it’s still pretty decent and the cover art by Dave Wilkins is excellent. This feels like 40K, and that goes a long way to making it work.

While this first issue didn’t blow me away, it’s drawn me in enough to be happy to stick with is till the end and I’m interested to see where the story goes.

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Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar #5 by Kieron Gillen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastic first foray into the eternal warfare of the forty first millennium this has been for Marvel Comics?!

I honestly never thought I’d read a Marvel comic in which people yelled “Blood for blood god!” and “Skulls for the skull throne!” But here we are, and it’s every bit as good as it sounds.

While this issue is mostly tasked with wrapping things up, there’s still time for some amusing asides, like the titular Marneus Calgar declaring that Space Marines do not run, the withdraw.

All in all this has been an impressive series, sharply written by Kieron Gillen and beautifully, if gorily, illustrated by Jacen Burrows.

The only question that remains is whether or not Marvel will be taking any further forays into the world of Warhammer 40k, and I, for one, sincerely hope that they do!

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Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar (2020-) #4 by Kieron Gillen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gillen and Burrows continue to impress with this excellent series.

I think I’ve pretty much said everything in my reviews of the previous issues, but this series is amazing and speaks to the fifteen year old within me that used to spend hours painting Space Marines and reading the first edition of the Warhammer 40K rule book.

So, yeah, I’m loving this.

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Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar (2020-) #3 by Kieron Gillen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!”

Kieron Gillen continues the story of Marneus Calgar, or the man who took that name, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines and Lord of Ultramar…and…this is just great stuff.

The writing is perfect, as you’d expect from a man of Gillen’s prodigious talents, and the art is perfectly suited to Warhammer 40K larger than life, brutal and bloody universe.

Calgar and his Ultramarines are all that stand between the Imperium and the forces of Chaos, but as ever in Games Workshop’s twisted future world, the Imperium is every bit as warped and dark as the chaos gods that besiege it.

I love this. It’s just…cool. And the fifteen year old WH40K fan that’s buried deep inside me just can’t get enough of it.

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Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar (2020-) #2 by Kieron Gillen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you’d told me thirty years ago that one day Marvel Comics would publish a Warhammer 40k series and that it would be excellent, I wouldn’t have believed you. Not because Marvel weren’t good, but because the idea of Marvel putting out a book like…well, like this…was just incinceivable.

And yet here it is! And it is, indeed, excellent. Both the writing and art are superb and , I’ll be honest, I didn’t see the twist at the end of this issue coming, but it feels entirely right.

If you like 40k and you like comics then you’ll like this.

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Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar #1 by Kieron Gillen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Thought For The Day: Why are you thinking?”

Like most British men with a healthy interest in both sci-fi and gaming, I had a Warhammer 40k phase. However, it was so long ago that the rules I had were first edition, and my Space Marine army all had pointy noses and came in a back of thirty for £10. For anyone familiar with the cost of Space Marines now that will no doubt be shocking.

The world building done by Games Workshop, even back then, was outstanding, and I spent many hours poring over the cutaway diagram of an Ultramarines monastery in the rulebook. I never got around to reading any of the books, and getting back into collecting the miniatures isn’t financially viable, but when Marvel announced this series, written by Kieron Gillen, I couldn’t resist.

And I am not disappointed.

This is excellent stuff. Of course, much of this issue is set up, introducing those who are unlikely to be familiar with the world of 40k to the status quo in the galaxy, but it’s done exceptionally well. Gillen draws you in to the story of Marneus and by the end I was hooked. The cliffhanger at the end is perfect, leaving you needing to know what happens next.

The art is fantastic, and perfect for Warhammer 40k. I was worried that Space Marines wouldn’t transfer well to comics, but Jacen Burrows pulls it off perfectly.

This is great stuff and I’m thoroughly looking forward to the rest of the series.

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