Doctor Doom! Emma Frost! The Hood! Namor the Sub-Mariner! Loki! They’re the members of Norman Osborn’s secret Cabal of villainy, united in common cause as they move to change the very landscape of the Marvel Universe! Now, in five all-new stories, learn how each member of this sinister syndicate intends to capitalize on the situation—and perhaps how they intend to deal with each other should it prove necessary! Rated T+…$3.99
If "Dark Reign: The Cabal" can be accused of anything negative, it's that there's really very little to it that'll matter in the long term. Given the title, you could be forgiven for expecting some major developments in the "Dark Reign" mythology, and instead you're treated to a loose collection of vignettes about the Cabal's members. As a product it's a tad misleading, but ultimately, as a piece of entertainment, it's so good that you'd be a fool to let that bother you. Expectation shouldn't get in the way of good stories like these. Read Full Review
As with all anthologies, this issue is something of a mixed bag. However, in this case the good outweighs the bad, and I can't help but feel that that's the result of the amount of latitude given to the creators to tell whatever type of story they want within the confines of this anthology format, rather than being forced to write something directly relevant to a given plotline or event. It's more "Free Rein" than "Dark Reign", and all the better for it. Read Full Review
Dark Reign: The Cabal definitely has its moments, but for the most part any reader mildly interested in the group or the "Dark Reign" drive could easily miss this one-shot and still be in the know. Those who do fork over their hard-earned $3.99 will find some great artwork and a fun story or two amidst a worrying number of duds. Read Full Review
Great Doom short story, some interesting character studies for the rest of the Cabal, but nothing that reaches out and grabs you or that people will be talking about months later like the various Illuminati stories. Read Full Review
The good outweighs the bad, but nothing in the Cabal one-shot is all that essential. It's worth reading for fun or if you just enjoy the characters, but you won't miss anything if you choose to pass on it. Read Full Review
The last story ends with a teaser to check out Thor #601 to find out more on what's going on. This annoys me in a number of ways, actually.. First, I dislike when a book like this is so blatantly designed to get me reading another title. Second, it's not really Thor #601. And Third, this Doom and the Doom from the first story don't seem to exist in the same reality, and I preferred that Doom characterization over this, even if it was all a dream. Our Joe Bob totals: Good story turns out to be imaginary; Okay story serves mostly as history lesson; Pretty good story undermined by main character; Okay story hampered by "Where does this take place and why do I suspect we'll never see this kid again?" syndrome; And finally, nice character bits used as bait to pull me into a new book. We're looking at some great art in this issue, from Adi Granov, Daniel Acuna and more, and some nice writing as well, but the overal effect is just above average. I like seeing more de Read Full Review
© 2024
Prev
