It's a bit long-winded and though they're all excellent, the artists have the usual collaborative "too many cooks" problem.

Those nitpicks aside, it's a healthy double serving of great work. Whether you're in it for the relentlessly awesome Doom characterization or the clever and significant twists in Eddie's story, you won't be disappointed. And if you like it all… *mwah*

Continuity nerdery: The mention of Dr. Doom trying to recruit Spider-Man indicates the relevant scene takes place shortly before ASM #5 (1963).
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#1 made me cautiously optimistic. #2 plants a hook deep in my interest and hauls me firmly on board. This was a perfect "fall in love" reading experience.

How did the creators do it?

Luca Maresca's artistic talents can't be ignored. He keeps the action scrupulously clear while layering the story with his own ideas, little visual-only moments that deepen and enhance the experience.

But I have to be most impressed with Deniz Camp's script. It's still wordy and stuffed with challenging concepts. This issue benefits from laser-like focus, though. It's all about revealing WHAT the Children are doing and WHY--and, through those revelations, showing WHO they are.

The final, most impressive trick (which the creators achieve together) is taking all of the Children's big, brain-cracking sci-fi ideas and balancing them against Bishop and Cable's fun, fast, action-movie opposition. It's a damned impressive juggling act.

Also impressive: That infiltration scene that FINALLY helps me appreciate Bishop's powers as more than just "get zapped, zap back." That was a treat.
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I appreciate that this volume accepts the whole status quo left by the last one. Though I was hoping for a slower journey back to Matt in costume, I appreciate the way it's done here. The art is excellent, and the script shapes up into a strong performance by the end (those priests cuss a little too much at the start for my taste).

Solid storytelling work helps carry me through the plot, which is serviceable but not too surprising. I don't think it takes a genius to predict what's next for Matt--say, his next six deadly opponents.
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The only things hedging my enthusiasm here are the limitations of the art (it doesn't do anything wrong, but it could do more right) and the fake-out of the entire premise.

By that I mean, this issue is an excellent setup for a medium-long ongoing where Janet Van Dyne solves hardboiled procedural mysteries in civvies instead of spandex. Call it a new Alias for a new decade.

Except this is also obviously a sequel to the author's recent Ant-Man and Wasp miniserieses, so it'll wrap after five issues of glorious time-traveling dimension-hopping weirdness.

As much as I'm gonna enjoy this chocolate-and-peanut-butter treat, I kinda wish I got the ingredients in separate, larger portions.
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There are plenty of nice developments in the war story, and they're all illustrated well. Still, the broad scope and the frankly too-big cast nearly strand this issue on the low side of good.

Fortunately, the REST of the issue reveals the Fisher King's backstory. It's crushingly cool/bleak stuff, showing him as a tragic figure and painting a grim portrait of life under Genesis/Annihilation. This insight elevates the issue almost all the way to greatness.
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My usual line on this volume is that it's speedy but simple. This issue definitely has its fast moments, but it packs an impressive amount of content. It's a whirlwind of new supporting characters, and Miles gets a memorable, distinct interaction with each of them.

Of course, it still looks frenetic and dynamic in the action moments. Partha Pratim slides into the art team smoothly, living up to the pace while putting his own spin on the characters. (Plus, it appears adding a little pigeon-to-the-face slapstick is what it takes to make me love this busy art.)
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Stylized art with a chromatic gimmick. A menacing but generic eldritch threat. Two narrative voices with dissonant tones. Appealing but ultimately fruitless romantic combat chemistry between the two leads.

No single part of this is truly great, but they're spun together and balanced with great talent. The result is a thoroughly satisfying read. It doesn't hurt that this eschews any pretense of pitching a follow-up series and concentrates on being an entirely self-contained story.
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This is a solid start to another short arc, though the individual scenes are so generously paced that we don't make a lot of plot progress. Those scenes are tastily written, minimizing any regret about the speed.

Sadly, on the visual front, I can't report a change over the many years I've encountered Travel Foreman's art. I KNOW he has talent, and it's very much in evidence here. He has a knack for going full blast on the key splash panels, and he capably holds up this title's rep for body horror. I still can't get past how EMPTY he leaves so many of the non-critical panels.
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There's a solid action scene and an appreciable bit of plot development. The art is generally impressive, though I see a few shortcuts taken in the details.

I think that short, beautiful scene with Domino and Black Tom and Sage locks it in as a good comic, though. It gives them the extra bit of depth and commitment that makes me care about the plot.

The title says "Venom" and it's part of this dumb Contest of Chaos, but what this actually is is an annual/epilogue for Deadpool's last charming volume.

Frigging comic books, right?

Anyway, I was a big fan of Deadpool (2022), so it's a treat to get one last serving of that tone. This violent romp also benefits from some excellent art and the slow reduction of pointless mysteriousness that comes with the "progression" of the event. (I use "progression" just in the sense of time passing, I don't mean to imply real plot development is going on.)
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I was the opposite of thrilled when I first met Talia Warroad; she seemed yanked straight off the "gothy young witch" cliche shelf at late-90s central casting. But she sank smoothly into the story and her generic qualities were overshadowed by her real contributions to plot development.

Now we get her backstory. And--in the abstract--it's another pile of cliches. But this exploration of them manages to make her compelling and sympathetic as she tackles standard "teen angst + witchcraft + devil-worship" tropes. Expressive art and terse, well-chosen words get beyond the simple chain of events and emphasize what Talia's felt.
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I'm still interested in how the story plays out, and this installment features some solid plot developments.

The art change threw me for a hard loop, though. Combined with some weak writing in the script's first half, I wound up much more distant from this story than I wanted to be.

Hypothetically, I could get used to these highly stylized visuals if I encountered them in a tabula rasa situation. Thrown into the middle of an arc, they just make everybody look WRONG.
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A nice clear fight with Orchis gives this issue a solid core narrative. It's illustrated with some shiny, dynamic art that makes the conflict easy and appealing to follow. On the script side, there are some great lines and great empathic beats where the characters express themselves engagingly.

Unfortunately, there's still the OTHER writing--the hyperbolic world-building and idea-spewing where everyone exposits at length in the same authorial voice.

I think it's ironic/tragic that Steve Orlando is quite good at soap operatics and quite bad at establishing the fantastical situations his characters have to deal with. The tragic side is that he seems to divide his attention in inverse proportion to his talents. He'll casually nail a heartbreaker of a mother-son reunion in two panels after wasting multiple pages failing to make his elemental murder-bots seem interesting.
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I think the most appropriate/ironic way to critique this comic is to demonstrate subtle contempt for the material by ignoring it and concentrating on a tangent that mainly serves to demonstrate my own smarts. Thus:

The author uses the term "feral" with scrupulous accuracy, as it technically applies to domesticated animals that have escaped into the wild.

This issue is pandering in a lot of ways, taking a lot of easy shots. It's a Thing-centric book. It teams him up with a cute animal.

But most importantly, it shows Ben REASONING his way out of a fix instead of just clobbering. He Sherlock Holmes-es the ☠☠☠☠ outta this!

And pandering isn't a problem when it's done with this much storytelling skill. The art is clear and dynamic, the pace maintains a consistent narrative journey, and the dialogue is packed full of charm, wit, and humor.

This is a great FF comic and a great Thing comic--judging by the standards of any era.
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This is a good chapter, fantastically told. The art's stunning and the dialogue sparkles with brilliant (if melodramatic) turns of phrase. This issue wraps up all this volume's plot threads (along with some from past volumes) into one ruthlessly rational conflict to challenge Doctor Strange.

I can't wait to see how he tackles it.

Verbal restraint, outstanding art, and terrific focus make this homage/dark echo of Kraven's Last Hunt formidable. There are plenty of little world-building questions going unanswered here--but that's entirely appropriate, as any digression would lessen the single-minded clarity of the story.

Fun stuff continues to happen with Orchis's Hellfire baddies and the hero contingent lost in the desert. It's illustrated with bright, (mostly) clear art, and it features plenty of wry, memorable dialogue.

Cause and effect drift apart as the issue progresses, though. The creators are talented enough that I trust them to come back and explain some of this issue's mysteries later--but I can't deny I feel a little frustrated at the end of this one.
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It's true that the pace is a little slow here. And many of the scenes--not just the Big Fight, but some of the important conversations--trail off without satisfying conclusions.

But on the plus side, world-building and character/relationship development continue all the way through. The artistic collaboration works better here, with both artists delivering highly satisfying segments.

And a little error I made with #3 comes back to teach me a lesson. I noted that Beisa's precious bracelet changed designs; I assumed this was poor communication between the artists. But this issue makes it clear that those are two different bracelets.

That tells me that the creators have long-term plans for everything they do. So I'm not worried if, say, Deathlok seems under-utilized by the end of this issue; I know we'll see him again.
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It's a talky, introspective visit with a rapidly-growing-obsolete version of Loki. Although there's talent and effort invested in Wanda and Loki's dance, it doesn't feel consequential. And on the other issue's plot thread, while Joseph clearly has an important role in the story to come, the way it's established feels a little contrived.

The crossover cruises to a satisfying if somewhat predictable end. This is the kind of plot that sinks or swims based entirely on the storytelling attached to it. Fortunately, it gets creepy, powerful art and tough, sharp prose. Content and talent are all of an equal quality, landing this squarely in "good comic" territory.

I am torn with this one. The creators throw on some stylish, appealing bells and whistles to make this a lot more than just "Moon Knight interrogates Vibro." The strongest part is the thematic tie binding the three spotlight characters: They're all dealing with their own form of fractured personality.

But the ultimate prize here is the revelation of Black Spectre's plan, and that plan left me underwhelmed. A "meh" moment that no amount of talented window dressing can entirely redeem.

It also feels that although this episode is complete as presented, it's a little short for a full issue, a little decompressed. For all its dynamism, the fighting is filler that doesn't build as much tension as the creators hope it will.

So what we're left with is a comic that I think is one of the volume's weaker issues--but still a good read compared to the average book being sold today.
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I think this was a very good story told in the wrong format and length. If Cindy Moon had an ongoing solo series (or even the annoying chain of minis that Marvel throws at its B-listers these days), giving her brother Albert the spotlight for a two-issue arc that evolved their relationship this way would be great.

As five standalone issues, the premise stretches too far and begins to crack. Saya isn't enough of an antagonist to go this distance, and there are undeniable drawbacks to sidelining the titular hero for this long.

It still winds up eminently readable thanks to excellent art and fearless commitment from the author. Imperfect, sure--but with tons of appeal waiting for readers who can forgive the formatting foibles.
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It's another fairly eventful comic where really interesting things are happening, and the words and art used to convey them are in constant danger of veering into "regrettable" territory.

Maximum snark: Boy, that Gerry Duggan gets pretty good at recapping an event after he's done it three-four times!

For a young and/or inexperienced reader, this is an eminently satisfying first chapter. For the more mature reader, this is a bit thin and simplistic. I hope that rose-colored hindsight will help fans of the original Marz/Lim Surfer enjoy this without getting held up by its predictability.

In this script, there's a sharp divide between decisions and actions that affect the story and…everything else. Magneto's self-doubt, the New Mutants' fractious debates--these things fill up the issue and space out the actual plot developments, but I'd argue that they don't contribute enough to the story or the characters to justify the space they occupy. Worse yet, some of the IMPORTANT plot developments are shoved off-page in a misguided attempt to build tension.

The art remains tasty to me, but even there I see signs that the story is moving too slowly. Note the panels where the New Mutants start hanging Christmas decorations in the middle of this crisis--because the artist has to put SOMETHING behind a page of chatter before the New Mutants get in gear and move the plot.
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Karla Pacheco tries mightily to make the Contest engaging. Her two secret weapons: protagonists who are too smart to fall for the event's lame "you two fight now" mind control, and a lot of intriguing, rapid-fire world-building. Sadly, the visuals leave a lot of the script's potential (particularly on the latter front) unrealized.

Big picture event complaining: In this episode, White Fox is persuaded to participate by appealing to basic "you gotta save the world" heroic principles. I'm pretty sure that'd work on ALL the "champions" collected so far--so why the fighting rigamarole? It's not the plot hole that irritates me as much as the CERTAINTY that the explanation for it will be "something something chaos chaos yadda yadda."
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This series keeps rolling with its icy-cool cinematic style. The dialogue is lethally sharp, exciting action happens all over the place, and it's illustrated with incredibly stylish, inventive art.

In my opinion, what holds it shy of greatness is that there's still no space for deep examination of the characters or ideas. This may be a Catch-22; if it were more insightful, it might have to be less stylish.

I think the ideas would stand up to increased scrutiny, though. I hunger to know more about Rotha and her cult and I think the author could say a lot more on the subject.
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It's brutal and brilliant in its simplicity. The author is great at restraint, putting in only the best dialogue and letting the artist handle the heavy lifting in the copious, thrilling action scenes.

I don't even mind the text page of background at the end (something that's gotten too common in Marvel books in the Krakoan era). It's placed correctly as an appendix, and it provides genuinely interesting supplemental material.
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I have no idea what excuse Marvel is using to justify this giant-numbered anthology. And it doesn't really matter; the strips inside are strong enough to justify themselves.

They're all at least decent, and mostly pretty saccharine, but genuine creator enthusiasm makes them engaging. The art in particular is top-tier across the board.

My favorites are the Jean/Scott strip (I'll read anything that gets 14 pages of Marguerite Sauvage art, and it being a Rainbow Rowell romance is a big bonus), the Daredevil strip (It's a solid execution of a clever idea about how Matt's powers developed), and of course the sappiest of all, the final strip with Stan and Jack and Steve. Sappy it may be, but it knows exactly where my heartstrings are.
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