Bludgeoning Darkness, Relentless Assault, Sub-Plots, and Inspired Ending
Couloration and shading is outstanding, excellently crafted details similar to a high budget film, panels chock full of action, nice storyboarding/directing. Comic work of art page after page. Many good things to be said for this collection as a full army of heroes engage an overwhelming horde of foes in a large-scale melee. Characters abound not only in familiar looks and skills, but also some insight into backgrounds and motivations. This series is dark, it's gruesome, but these attributes provide an excellent contrast to the good guys.
Writing is good, effort was made to avoid clichés (at times even poking fun at tropes). For those of us without a lot of lore knowledge of the plethora of superheroes, there are many times where the casual reader may feel completely lost. Who are they? What are they doing? Why would they do that? Who died when, and how? Many are the questions, but this series isn't here to answer them, rather propel the present state forward at full throttle. This continuity is likely a delight to those who have already read the hundreds of issues over decades. Other story disconnects could've flowed better for the reader. A re-read perhaps would help provide clarity to events. Though there was a departure from a stock story, beyond the action and perhaps some personal drama, there's not really a deep story despite some glancing philosophical ideas which improves by the end. The fact that this story has a (sort of) beginning, a middle, and an end is very satisfying.
