WHAT IS PROTOCOL V?
The S.W.O.R.D. station is thrown in at the deep end of a planetary crisis as Krakoa battles the KING IN BLACK! While a cross-division team take on latex dragons from outer space, Abigail Brand prepares a deniable operation all her own. What is PROTOCOL V - and can the Earth survive it?
Rated T+
Its usually inadvisable to throw a book into a massive crossover this early, but S.W.O.R.D #2 pulls it off admirably. It helps that this book is tailor-made for dealing with this kind of thing and that Ewing is such a good writer. Hes able to hit the story beats that work for the crossover and for the book itself, which isnt easy in situations like this. Svhiti and Gracias art is perfect for this issue and captures the characters and the action wonderfully. S.W.O.R.D. is a different kind of X-Men book and its starting to show. Read Full Review
The King in Black crossover ultimately serves as an opportunity for S.W.O.R.D to really flex its muscles. Al Ewing is great at writing high concept arcs in his books and I look forward to the many places S.W.O.R.D will go, as well as what role they might play as King in Black continues. The art falls in line with a lot of the recent X-books, which is to say that it's gorgeous. Artist Valerio Schiti draws glossy space adventure at its best, with plenty of action scenes that serve as eye candy. As the book presses on it will be interesting to see how she balances Krokoa's interests with Brand's accountability to protecting the whole world from extraterrestrial threats. Read Full Review
S.W.O.R.D" #2 is an excellent balancing act between King In Black tie-in and second issue to an ambitious opening. Read Full Review
S.W.O.R.D.#2 is Ewing and Schiti at their best, showcasing epic battles and a narrative that respects the history of what came before it. Read Full Review
Overall, I was impressed with how S.W.O.R.D. #2 turned out. I feared for things losing appeal being thrown into a tie-in in the second issue, but this creative issue is doing what they can to make this story their own. Read Full Review
S.W.O.R.D. #2 manages to negotiate the awkward position of having to be a Marvel line-wide tie in issue having only debuted one issue earlier by balancing a story that's relevant to the KING IN BLACK storyline as well as advancing the overall books separate narrative and character advancement. Read Full Review
S.W.O.R.D. #2 feels a bit like a distraction from the main show but the team makes it work. Along with strong visuals, the story overall helps build what's coming by focusing on a few characters who clearly will shake things up in upcoming issues. They make the best with what they've got and overall, it doesn't completely derail the series too much. While I'd have liked to see it continue with the seeds laid by the first issue, S.W.O.R.D. #2 does a solid job of laying even more for machinations yet to come. Read Full Review
Krakoa gets gooey in a tie-in that plays with a lot more than just the King In Black. Read Full Review
Overall like the previous issue this one was a fantastic read. If you want to not be a little lost when reading this issue, then I recommend Reading the first few issue of the ‘King in Black’ event first. That being said you can still get into this story and fully enjoy reading it without reading the event first. For a tie-in issue this was an action packed thrill ride that is thoroughly exciting and entertaining. Read Full Review
Al Ewing clearly has ideas for making his X-Men comic stand out, and he delivers well on those ideas in this second issue. Read Full Review
When all is said and done, S.W.O.R.D. #2 is a strong start to this chapter of the King in Black event. It sets several gears in motion and feels like it may be putting pieces into place for its own larger storylines, as well as being a piece of a big crossover event. Read Full Review
Al Ewing and Valerio Schiti deliver interesting characters and deliver on the 'King in Black' plot without making the reader feel like they're missing part of the story. The humor is nicely balanced, allowing for the story to keep its stakes without feeling overly grim. The artwork by Schiti and Marte Gracia is some of the best you'll find in a superhero book. If issue three can better connect the stories of the first two chapters, the series will feel like a more coherent whole. Read Full Review
Out of all the King in Black tie-ins we've seen so far, Al Ewing has penned the three best. A big event isn't just a way to goose sales on a new series. It can be used to further the storytelling of both parts. In this case, we see the mutant reaction to Knull's invasion as S.W.O.R.D. prepares for an all-out assault against these terrifying forces. This has made me more excited for both series. Read Full Review
The children of the atom take their hardest swing at the god of symbiotes. Will it be enough, or will Abigail Brand have to adopt more extreme measures. Read Full Review
I said it last issue and Ill say it again, this type of book may simply have too many moving pieces for Ewing to handle. Read Full Review
Watching how Abigail treats her team sets a tone that is unlike anything else currently being published in the X-men titles. Read Full Review
It lacks the series debut's ambition, but there are enough fun beats here to make it a worthwhile read, and Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia make it a lush and gorgeous book. Read Full Review
My favorite Marvel title!
I wish this wasn't a tie-in, but it was still very good.
It's unfortunate that the King in Black tie ins came immediately after the first issue. I was really into the opener and was excited to see the story continue uninterrupted, so it's pretty annoying to break away to deal with all the symbiote stuff so early on. That said, this was still a decent issue. Some good lines and great art.
Nice, nice.
SWORD swings into action, working the King in Black problem with a fair degree of panache. It's well-drawn, and the way the team is written, they just ooze competence -- even though they haven't made much progress yet. I like reading about a high-powered team with big ideas. But so far, attention and characterization are spread so thin that it's hard to connect with individuals.
S.W.O.R.D.
Vol. 2, Issue: 2
“In the Dark”
Publisher: Marvel @marvel
Writer: Al Ewing @al_ewing
Artist: Valerio Schiti @valerio_schiti
Colors: Marte Gracia @martegraciacolor
Letters Ariana Maher
Cover: Valerio Schiti & Marte Gracia
Knull has taken the Earth. With all communication between the Peak and Krakoa cut off, Commander Brand organizes a rescue mission. Random, Frenzy, Cortez and Paibok arrive and find themselves in the midst of a war zone. A power boost from Cortez gives Sunfire the upper hand in eradicating the attacking symbiotic dragons. However, their celebration of victory is cut short as symbiotic Cable emerges through a Krakoan gateway. Meanwhile, acting under secre more
Despite the fact the infographic pages read like a damn barcode (which seems to be an annoying trend of this series), I'm onboard for the Space-X-Men.
Strange to have your second issue a tie-in to something else. Then even stranger not to make clear that it was tying into something else (actually, I read it ties in, but I don’t even know what it ties into). There was no explanation of where the problem came from or how we went from the end of issue 1 to this.
Great characterization of Brand, I just don't buy Magneto being played by Cortez again.
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