The plot advancement in this issue doesn't take up much of the story, but it will have some real consequences in the immediate future. Allen discovers the Viltrumites are living on Earth now, and as leader of the alliance it is his duty to do something about it, even if it means Earth is destroyed. He wants to use the Scourge virus that worked well against the Viltrumites once, while Omni-Man tries to convince him that just as Earth changed him, so could it change the rest of the Viltrumites. This exchange sets up the main conflict of the next book, as Omni-Man will be battling Allen over the fate of the Earth.THE VERDICT: Not much happens, but it's a lot of fun! Read Full Review

Cory Walker is back this issue and I have to say that I prefer when Ryan Ottley draws this series. The characters still look very much the same though, but Ottleys work is more lively and the faces more interesting to look at. Read Full Review

This is a fun book, with aliens and super-powered folks, strange planets, and fun technology. This issue has a great deal in it. It's rather intimidating for a relative newbie, but the sense of fun and excitement both shine through. There's a lot going on here on the surface, in the backgrounds, and in the near future as Kirkman sets up quite a few stories all in one broad stroke. This issue gave me enough to flip through the next. Where it goes from there, no one knows. Read Full Review

While it's not completely believable that every leader in the known universe is a super-strong muscular male with a mostly sympathetic female (of one species or another) on his arm and in his bed, such a stereotypical tough guy setup does allow Kirkman to create a parallel of empathy between the Great Allen and Telia and Nolan and Deborah (and Mark and Eve, whom we've seen have many bedtime tte--ttes), just in time to break it forcibly in the cliffhanger. While not as interesting as Mark's story on Earth, check-ins with the supporting players like these are important because of the long-term plot implications. And Cory Walker's version of space opera is exuberant, brightly lit and funny, despite the dark note on which we end. Read Full Review