The title says it all. People. Buy this issue if you hate Stark as much as I do.

"Thor vs Iron Man" isn't the right way to describe this issue. That would imply that Iron Man stood something of a chance. He didn't. Okay. Maybe he mussed up Thor's hair for a few seconds. Maybe. But otherwise, it was Thor proving that if didn't bother holding back, the entire Initiative couldn't stop him.

This issue is all about the God of Thunder teaching the mortals why he's a god. Finding the first of the sleeping Asgardians is the icing.

The setting being placed in New Orleans adds a lot of flavor to an issue already filled with the joys of seeing Marvel's favorite new punching bag take another solid beating.

Relatively Spoiler-Proof

This continues the story begun in Annihilation: Conquest#0 and the first issue of the mini. Phylla and Heather are revealed to each be saddled with their own demons as they seek the mysterious "savior." Phylla has to deal with not having fully mastered the quantum bands and the fact that they are losing more power. This is without taking into account the corruptive berserk influence Annihilus left in the bands themselves. There is an excellent summary of Moondragon's origins, narrated by Heather herself, which establishes the character's present state quite nicely. The Super Adaptoid and the Phalanx drones continue to plague the pair, resulting in a transformation at the end of the book that almost guarantees you'll buy the next one.

Art-wise, the pencils continue to please, though you would strictly note that the quality in book 1 is slightly better.

Another great issue.

While I wasn't anticipating a book centered around Liberty Belle, I'm grateful. She's one of those characters that intrigues you, but later discover that you know very little about them.

The book does a great job of telling the reader about the present-day character, her background, her powers, and her motives. Despite the limited space, there's enough of a story to keep readers already familiar with Liberty Belle interested.

The history and animosity between Damage and Zoom is well-presented.

A couple of things made me scratch my head. The whole "mantra allowing me to channel my powers" was a bit too weird for my tastes. Also, the ending illustrates just how powerless mundane law enforcement in the DCU really is in the face of powered heroes.

Spoiler warning.

With the defeat of all the major heroes, Avengers and FF included, the US military moves in, under the command of Hulk's most classic mundane foe, General Ross. This time though they're armed with ADAMANTIUM bullets and tank shells. How they obtained that much adamantium, or why they stockpiled so much of it in the shape of ammunition, I'm not certain.

While the Hulk's under the adamantium barrage, Dr. Strange uses the distraction to force the Hulk into the astral plane, where he manages to convince Banner to speak with him. He discovers though that Bruce is just as angry as the Hulk, with painful consequences. The Hulk then goes on to destroy the entire military force sent against him, adamantium ammo notwithstanding.

When Hulk's warbound go to fetch Dr. Strange, capturing Iron Fist, Echo and Ronin in the process, the desperate magician is forced to unite with the essence of the demon Zom in order to fight back on the Hulk's own terms

An important element here is that this is the first time an member of the Illuminati denied planning the explosion that destroyed Hulk's new home and killed his queen.

Also presented here are the opposing points-of-view of the Hulk's two closest "friends," Rick Jones and Miek (carried over from the latest Incredible Hulk issue).

Overall, the book does a great job of maintaining the violent elements of the previous two installments while promoting the underlying plot elements which motivate the green goliath. All this while promising a greater smashfest to come.