Annihilation Classic #1

THE GOOD

I would have to say that my favorite was the short story from Logan's Run #6, The Last Flower which featured Thanos and Drax. This was a perfect little story which happens during Drax's constant struggle to find and destroy Thanos. It has all the wonderful torment that story arc should have... knowing that Thanos always "get's away" (well not always).

Obviously the art and writing varied from story to story, but it made sense given the mix of volumes collected. These are classic stories, so their merit should stand on its own. There were definitely portions of the trade that had better writing and art than others, but overall the collection is above average in both categories.

My second favorite portion of this collection is the four part Rocket Raccoon mini-series. I had heard of Rocket and seen his character on some covers, but I never knew about him or where he was from. This mini was a great way to get introduced to him and others from Halfworld, in a fun short series.

The stories about Nova, Quasar, Starlord and Warlock were nice introductions as well. I love their characters as they are now, but it is always nice to know where they came from.

THE BAD

If you have been paying attention, I have yet to mention the story about Groot. I liked the story as a whole, because it was short, simple and had a great "50's Sci-Fi Vibe". I even liked the mysterious (and most unbelievable) origin and intentions of the "Overlord of all Timber in the Galaxy" bit. I am just struggling with the ending. While crafty, what does it mean for the Groot character? I guess I am trying to fit a "stand-alone short sci-fi story" square peg into a "comic character with continuity" round hole.

Either way, that one portion of that one story is not enough to deter me from loving this collection. I really did not find any other major flaws in this collection or the stories it tells.

THE VERDICT

Highly Recommended. If you haven't already picked this trade up, then do so. If you have it, and it is just collecting dust on the shelf, pull it and take a read.

I did not know what to expect when I first started reading this book. In fact, looking at the cover, I didn't even know how it related to the Annihilation Story Arc at all (it doesn't). I just saw two of the heroes on the cover from Annihilation and the Annihilation font so I picked it up. If I hadn't picked it up, I would have missed out on some great stories.

I didn't have any background information on Rocket Raccoon or Groot - which as you likely know, do not make an appearance in Annihilation, but are part of the Annihilators mini-series especially the Variant covers).

I will reiterate, this trade is so cool because it collects a bunch of eclectic "old" characters, brought together by a "new" set of story arcs. Where else are you going to find Logan's Run and Bug in one trade? :)