Review: Annihilation: Conquest Book 2
Quick Summary
Pros: The Nova chapters are great and help contribute to the main story. The main event is well-structured and pulls all of the plot threads together well. The entire narrative is exciting and has a number of good twists. The collection is visually impressive.
Cons: The Wraith issues are lackluster.
Overall: The conclusion of the Annihilation: Conquest event is every bit as exciting as one would hope it would be. This collection sees all of the event’s planning and effort come to fruition, as different stories come together in a satisfying and exciting way. There is only one portion of this book that feels lackluster but its quality does not affect the event as a whole. If you enjoyed the previous events in the cosmic Marvel universe, definitely give this one a shot.
Story
Annihilation: Conquest Book 2 is a worthwhile and exciting conclusion to a fun event. It brings together all of the plot threads and character arcs into one cohesive storyline. It then ensures that this storyline is engaging and exciting. The only place where the book significantly stumbles is during one of the prelude miniseries, which ends up being rather lackluster. However, as a whole, this is still a worthwhile read and a solid way to conclude was has, thus far, been an entertaining comic series.
For more information check out our Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order.
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Conquest Book 2 opens by detailing Nova’s initial fight against the Phalanx. This portion of the book is supercharged and exciting in a way that generates interest the whole way through. The character driven storytelling works well in creating respect for the heroes and contempt for the villains. This makes Nova’s journey interesting and builds toward a larger conclusion for the Phalanx.
From here, the book goes on to introduce and tell the origin story of Wraith. This is easily the worst portion of this volume and the low point of this entire event. Wrath’s personal struggle is almost completely unconnected to the rest of the event, making his character feel like a living plot device rather than anything more significant. His actions here are also overly dark in a way that constantly makes it seem as if the story is trying too hard to be edgy. There are a number of cool, individual moments within this story but these moments are overpowered by the failure of the narrative as a whole.
Luckily, the collection significantly recovers once the main event, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, starts. Here, numerous pieces coalesce to produce an epic final showdown between the forces of good and the forces of evil. It allows each of the event’s players to develop their personal journeys while also contributing to the event as a whole. This can be seen in Moondragon and Groot’s emotional sacrifice, the future Guardians of the Galaxy’s burgeoning teamwork capabilities, and Quasar and Adam Warlock’s progression as heroes. Seeing all of this come together is truly satisfying and makes this entire event into a rewarding read.
This portion of the book is also entertaining because of how the action is structured. Abnett and Lanning pull out a number of twists and turns to ensure the reader is never fully prepared for what is about to happen next. For example, Ronan seemingly begins this story by attempting an alliance with an old foe, quickly double-crosses his potential partner to gain a powerful weapon, and unexpectedly turns this weapon against his own people. Even Ultron’s involvement and fake-death make for some exciting reveals. This is a narrative that is hard to predict, which makes reading it far more enjoyable.
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Art
The first half of Conquest Book 2 looks good and does a great job in matching the tone of the individual miniseries. Sean Chen and Brian Denham’s work on the Nova chapters is bold and heroic looking, which helps enhance those attributes in Nova’s mission. Meanwhile, Kyle Hotz’s art on the Wraith chapter looks more sinister and dark, which reflects those same attributes in Wraith’s dark personality and backstory. This diversity in artwork works well with the diversity in storytelling for these prologue miniseries.
The main event ends up looking even better than this. Tom Raney’s pencils and Scott Hanna’s inks bring a wonderful level of detail to the main battles in this collection. This allows large-scale confrontations to look chaotic and full of life. It also makes each of the main characters look great, as all of the character depictions are visually impressive. Overall, this is a nice looking collection that complements the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe.
Continuity
Annihilation: Conquest Book 2 continues the Annihilation: Conquest event, which began in Annihilation: Conquest Book 1 (Review). This entire event is a sequel to the Annihilation (Reading Order) event, which it references a number of times.
For more information check out our Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order.
The Annihilation: Conquest event ends with this volume. However, the conclusion to this event helps start the Guardians of the Galaxy series, which begins in Guardians of the Galaxy by Abnett & Lanning: The Complete Collection Volume 1 (Review).
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- Some of Nova’s adventures are summarized at the end of his solo series. This summary details the events of Nova #8-12, now collected in Nova by Abnett & Lanning: The Complete Collection Vol. 1.
- Adam Warlock’s connection to the High Evolutionary dates back to Marvel Premiere #1, now collected in Warlock Masterworks Vol. 1.
- Ultron’s origin is mentioned. This origin is detailed in Avengers #58, now collected in Avengers Epic Collection: Behold the Vision.
- Ultron’s recent merge with Tony Stark and defeat by the Avengers is also referenced. This took place through the first six issues of Mighty Avengers, now collected in Mighty Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis – The Complete Collection.