I thought the choice to position Thor as the hero to challenge the others to explain why they should continue to resist Doom's rule was a smart decision. There has always been a tension in Marvel comics between the way pro-democracy rhetoric in most comics sits side-by-side by treatments of monarchy or even autocracy that present that form of rule as a legitimate and potentially even beneficial system. Kingship is presented as difficult, but not fundamentally wrong as a political regime.

Tony splutters a bit when Thor puts him on the defensive—he finds it difficult to justify why monarchy ought to be rejected out of hand. This difficulty is relatable: we are not often called on to explain what the merits of democracy are in concrete terms; because democracy has been ideologically so dominant, our reasons may amount to abstractions and clichés. It will be interesting if North can work through that difficulty not by crafting a better speech but by embedding a defense of democracy in the plot. If Doom's rule seems to be working even better than democracy, what are we not seeing that could make us reassess? more

I was eager to see some of the team members who have not yet appeared, but it's probably best for them to be introduced more gradually. I'm neither for or against the Natasha/Bucky romance, but more importantly it seems like they have complementary skills as team leaders but also differing m.o.'s, so it should be interesting to watch that play out.

Stupid

I thought this issue was an improvement on the first Giant-Size. I enjoyed Rod Reis's work in New Mutants and I thought he acquitted himself really well here, especially in some of the smaller panels that focused on characters' reactions and expressions (close-ups, in other words). The story didn't have to squeeze in so much but Lanzing and Kelly also integrated the Legion stuff into the classic story with less difficulty, or rather they seemed to be able to move more easily in step with the narrative momentum of the original plot.

I still don't entirely understand Kamala's mutant power, but I'm also not really bothered. more

Although this issue was rightly focused on Emma, there were a few panels that acknowledged the conflicted feelings that Kitty must have been experiencing as she saw Emma laid flat and near death. Just because Kate is my favorite character, I wish she had been given some more space for those feelings, although in the middle of an emergency she seldom wastes time emoting. Perhaps in the next issue, Emma and Kitty will get a moment to process and reach an understanding closer to that which they reached on Krakoa before Kate was appointed captain of the Marauder. more

Vying to be my favorite current ongoing.

This is likely my fault rather than Gillen's but Etienne is the only character whose power set I feel like I understand. This may be a series that will be much more enjoyable when it's collected in an omnibus.

I thought Camp couldn't top #2. I don't think this does, but it's not far off.

Cyclops's mini-monologue was the highlight of this issue for me.

Thunder War has been built up so much at this point that I'm not sure it can deliver, but I'm hopeful.

This two-parter (issues 6 and 7) really came out of nowhere and I enjoyed the heck out of them. Love seeing writers trusting that their readers can handle a left turn.

This issue puts a lot of pieces on the board, but it seems like Hickman has a plan.

On another note, it really bugs me that so many Marvel fans will pass judgment after one issue on whether Hickman has "done his homework" on the characters' histories.

They're also so possessive, acting as if the writer is playing with *their* toys and playing with them incorrectly. The idea that fans are the ultimate arbiters of what is "in character" or "canon" and writers just have to color within the lines that fans have set is rapidly ruining almost all popular culture.

There's more than enough comics in the world to read—if you don't like what a writer is doing with one of your favorites, go re-read an old issue or try something you aren't pathologically attached to. more

Would love for Ewing to give us some more clarity about what the flip is happening.

Although I've seen people reference The Omen and The Exorcist as inspirations for this series, I'm wondering if Jerome Bixby's classic short story "It's a Good Life" might also be in the mix. At any rate, it's a very promising beginning and I'm glad to be on board for the ride.