There was a lot more in Lords of Empyre: Celestial Messiah #1 than I expected. The confrontation between mother and son hit home extremely well. There is a lot of emotion in these pages. If you find yourself enjoying the larger Empyre storyline I would strongly recommend picking this book up. It gives a great background for one of its key players in a manner that hits home in an all too familiar way. After all, what person hasnt screamed at their parent from a few parsecs away? Read Full Review

This was the most enjoyable, needed, and the best-written issue of Empyre thus far for me. I feel a connection to the villains now and a deeper connection between Mantis and Quoi. The art served the story very well with detailed backgrounds and great panel to panel progression. The sad personal stories Mantis told her son I found heartwarming and heartbreaking. Especially the flashback scene to Quoi's childhood. I for one will be keeping my eye out for any comics written by Alex Paknadel he has some kind of Je ne sais Quoi about him I like. Read Full Review

Lords of Empyre: Celestial Messiah has the difficult task of humanizing Quoi while also reminding us he's the villain we're rooting against. There's just enough here to seed his redemption and make him much more complex than the main-line event could ever do. Read this for a full primer on the main villain of Empyre and to get a clearer sense of how deep Avengers history goes into the roots of this event. Read Full Review

"Lords of Empyre: Celestial Messiah" #1 gives us more nuance and backstory out of an event one-shot than we usually receive, and the emotional weight works. Read Full Review

Quoi, the Cotati Celestial Messiah, gets a chance to be more than just a villain in this one-shot. Read Full Review

While not necessary to enjoy "Empyre," I think this is one of those comics that helps bridge the gap for longtime readers, or helps new readers understand where "Empyre" fits in the grander scheme of the Marvel Universe. Read Full Review

Despite the title of 'Celestial Messiah,' Quoi is still no more interesting than any other would-be despot " but to this creative team's credit, that's a problem hanging over 'Empyre' as a whole. Alex Paknadel, Alex Lins, and Matt Yackey make the most of what they've been given, but there's a sense of been-there, done-that to the story being told. Event comics are hard. Creating new, effective villains is hard. But unless you're really enjoying the Empyre event, this tie-in doesn't have much to offer. Read Full Review

One of the better tie in out of the 30+ plus slug-fest Marvel is shaking out with Empyre. Far superior to that of Hulking. I learn a great deal about Quoi, who he is, where he came from, and more about his parents, Mantis and Swordsman and who they were. The art, its not bad persay, but I just don't think it fits with the story we got going on here. It probably would have worked back in the 80s, but with Empyre, it kind of feels out of place. Who knows, at the same time, it gives me a nostalgic Marvel feel when reading this, and that is good I guess. Issue is kinda out of sync with the main event though, which does hinder the reading experience for me.

What really carry this is the writing. Quoi has to figure out where he stands, with his Cocati background and their ambitions, or his mother. And the emotions and memories are not bogged down by walls of texts and exposition like Hulking. So it feels that much more personal and close. If you are reading Empyre, its best to read this and Hulking even though the latter is pretty ugh. I really liked this tie-in, a great gem in a overall mediocre and slogged event. more

Holy shit, this was actually good. I was not expecting anything from this. Just a cash grab tie-in, but this felt like more necessary than the Hulkling one. It told a good story. Color me surprised.

Quoi and Mantis dialogue hits in the feels and everything is perfect for new readers who don't know Marvel history. Not great, but a solid issue.

Sorry, I'm a little too familiar with the original Celestial Madonna/Messiah stories and at this point I've got flashback fatigue.

I thought this one was pretty good in the sense that now I know a lot more than I did about these characters.