War Of Kings: Ascension #2 – Review

By Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (writers), Wellington Alves (pencils) Scott Hanna and Nelson Pereira (inkers), GURU eFX (colors)

The Story: The Dark Hawks Talon and newly resurrected Razor continue their mission of acquiring the Cosmic Control Rod from Catatastophus. Meanwhile, Christopher Powell deals with his banishment into the null force and learns deep and difficult truths about the null source itself, himself and the Dark Hawks.

What’s Good: There are a ton of revelations about the Dark Hawk mythos, and although I am not a Dark Hawk devotee, I would reckon that these revelations are new and will completely transform everything about “The Fraternity of Raptors.” Let me blunt: these revelations are really interesting and entertaining. There is so much to explore in this newly reinvented Dark Hawk character. Who or what are the Servants of the Source? What is the Crystal Tree? Where is the Data Song originating from? Why did Talon come to be? I can’t forget to mention the return of an important figure, who we haven’t seen since the final pages of Annihilation, and who will no doubt play a major role in things somewhere down the road.

It’s kinda unreal that there are so many interesting dynamics at play in the Null Source and tons of other variant plotlines, like what is going to happen to Powell and, most importantly, how is this all going to effect War Of The Kings? To think I almost dropped this mini-series after last issue!

As for the art, it’s excellent; especially the character designs. Specifically of note  was a spread where swarms of Raptors were fighting some space battle that was drawn amazingly.

What’s Not So Good: Powell is supposed to have anger issues that hinder his evolution as both a hero and a raptor. However, he never comes off as angry–just snotty and whiny. This characterization gets very annoying very quickly, and it was one of the reasons I wasn’t going to pick up this issue. Additionally, not being steeped too deeply in Cosmic Marvel, I had no idea who Blastaar is and his arrival into this plot. His appearance at the end of the story didn’t allow for this issue to end as strong as it could have.

Conclusion: Saying that I am pleasantly surprised with this issue is a huge understatement. Is there anyone else who puts out as consistent and voluminous work as the Abnett and Lanning team? Seriously, how many books are these guys writing? And they are all above average, at the least. Lanning even finds time to do inks on certain other titles as well!

This issue is full of cool concepts and characters, and a plot that keeps you on your toes. Not to mention that there is the possibility hinted around that there could be thousands of Dark Hawks on the scene soon. Imagine: the Nova Corps and the Fraternity of Raptors roaming the Universe! Currently, Cosmic Marvel is a much more interesting place than its terrestrial counterpart.

Grade: A-

-Rob G.