This issue retains the strengths of the first: polished, imaginative art; a slightly-too-large serving of clever (possibly even pretentious) language; and oodles of fascinating, mystic worldbuilding.

What it adds, boosting it to greatness, is that classic narrative trick: the "innocent newcomer" audience surrogate character.

It's not a new tool, but a talented creator can wield it to great effect, and I'd argue that Jonathan Hickman does so here.

Maximum salt take: Harriet Potter and the Philosopher's Conspiracy!
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With the stage set and the groundwork laid, this title bursts past world-building into the first stage of a climax. It's all "effect," with just enough "cause" to verify that it all makes sense.

And yet, I'm rating this just shy of greatness. The words and the art are both very good. But they don't fully evoke the potential epic-ness of the latest plot developments. And there are some loose threads that, while compelling on their own, leech focus from the main story.
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It's slow and perhaps a little too mysterious.

Barring those shortcomings--and you could argue that they aren't even shortcomings--this is excellent.

The art agrees strongly with my personal taste, but I think it's very polished and clear, even if it's not your style. I like the time spent building up a mundane viewpoint character. It makes a nice contrast to jumping straight into the punchy-zappy heroics.

And of course, the core mystery here is that she's probably not all that mundane.
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Taking a full issue for the antagonist's backstory is right in line with this volume's pace. There's enough material to make it a compelling read.

The storytelling--words and art--never quite break through to exceptional. However, they are consistent, clear, and enthralling. You have to step back from the story and take a moment to appreciate the skill and subtlety with which it's being told.
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It's corny as all get-out, the plot points are predictable, and the art style--though not at all bad--doesn't really suit the material.

And none of that matters, because it's just a pummeling series of good-feels gut punches and "hell yes" moments, particularly for animal lovers.

And I only realize, here at the end, that this miniseries is ideal for younger readers.

It was a satisfying end to the arc, albeit not a particularly surprising one. The art was terrific, and the prose was decent.

Orchis agent Jun turned out to be a red herring/loose end, though. In retrospect, devoting so much of #45 of her seems to have been a mistake.

I'm happy Chronicler was sent to comics Limbo. Though his powers were interesting, they also tempted the author toward self-indulgent meta-fictional nonsense. I think he should stay in Limbo, too; he'd present the same temptation to other authors.
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It's a collection of cool scenes that run smoothly at a brisk pace, but the "big picture" plot development leaves something to be desired. It doesn't dig particularly deep into any of its characters, either.

Perhaps the big Warlock reveal was too heavily foreshadowed; I get the sense that the author wanted it to be a bigger surprise.

It's still fun and stylishly drawn; I'm hoping that it reads a little better as part of the complete series than it does by itself.

At least the Dagger scene from #2 makes sense now.
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It's entertaining for sure, and the plot takes a nice left turn before winding up where I expected it to be. But overall, there's not a lot of development. On the character side, what we get is spread a bit too evenly across the entire team for any one Guardian to stand out--which isn't a terrible fault. The art's appealing and the dialogue has its fair share of good lines.

Peter's reaction to Rek-Rap mirrors my own feelings about most of this volume: "Ugh, this buffoonery wastes a lot of time. Wait, the buffoonery's important?!"

I wonder how much of that similarity is intentional self-parody and how much is ironic serendipity?

Anyway, the storytelling standards remain pretty high. But the friction between the ludicrous and the dramatic erodes my enjoyment.
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From Frank Castle to Joe Garrison? Who's next? Bill Militaryplace?

I love the art. And the script conjures up some memorable action set-pieces, garnishing them with tasty tough-guy one-liners. In terms of storytelling, this might have the makings of a great comic.

But the relentless, shameless ripoffitude oozing from every pore means that it's not even a good comic (though it's close).

In-universe, there's a cowardly throwaway line that suggests--utterly unconvincingly--that the perfect recreation of the Punisher's iconic look is accidental.

And outside the narrative, no part of the premise suggests anything except utterly cynical imitation.
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Pay attention to the title: While Blade has his role to play, this is really an epilogue to Marv Wolfman's original Tomb of Dracula series. Blade going full vampire doesn't really change his character, but it does lead to doom for the Big D himself.

The plot is solid, and it's relayed with workmanlike storytelling skill. But it lacks any real inventiveness or surprise. It makes for a decent dessert after finishing the 70s run, but it is by no means a must-read.
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AI, sustainability, and the dehumanizing effect of modern technology are all important themes. This series addresses them through the lens of half-baked, half-comprehending Boomer technophobia. Not fun.

Still, this final issue perks up a little, featuring compelling (though not particularly deep or insightful) characterization for Carol and Nitro. And the Ferals are left in a position where another writer just might get good mileage out of them somewhere down the road. The art's pretty good, too.
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The style of the art and the tone of the words are both precisely suited to the material at hand. Talented storytelling and enthralling content combine to create a great comic.

Yes, it's derivative of past art (Thompson's Hawkeye, Pacheco's Spider-Woman). Yes, it ignores prior comics characterization in favor of MCU Yelena. Yes, it's sassy and comedic.

*These are not inherently bad things.*

Some readers, like me, might see them as positives. It's been more than a hot minute since Marvel did a female solo title in this style, and Florence Pugh's Yelena is one of the best things to come out of the MCU since Endgame.

Is it perfect, or even great? No. But it's certainly not terrible, and to the reader who's predisposed to like it rather than loathe it, it's a good, fun read.
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A heap of cool plot developments pile up on each other, shepherded to the reader with highly-polished art and tough, terse prose. It's definitely good, but I'm also convinced it's not great. It's not just cool; it's downright cold. The scope is far too global to allow for deep characterization. There's still a chilly thrill in watching the well-tuned clockwork of the story operate.

This magic fight is a beautifully-drawn and fairly satisfying conclusion to the volume. (Between this and Dr. Strange #9, it's a good week for magic fights, huh?)

For several nitpicky reasons, I can't call this comic great. First, though the prose plays well on a casual read, it dissolves into clichés and clumsiness if you scrutinize it. Second, Hexfinder's backstory is rushed and unsatisfying.

And finally, Joseph is possibly more intrusive here than in the last two issues. #10 is really more about his sacrifice than any of Wanda's choices or actions. It's disappointing to see her robbed of agency here at the finish line.
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The plot developments are rolling along nicely. The dialogue is a little uneven; some parts are dull and expository. But there are also some snappy lines, especially at the end. The art looks gorgeous all the way through.

Nitpickery: The X-Men are fugitives with minimal resources. How many of those resources did they spend crafting that custom branded parachute for Ms. Marvel?

I'm warming up to this arc. The "evil terrorists vs. evil corporation" plot is engaging (and it agrees with my politics). Though the characterization of Dylan and Natasha is still pretty thin, the author does good work with Bren. Plus, the old "give a goon a backstory" trick works well.

Tie it all together with some highly-polished art that handles ordinary people and goopy symbiotes with equal skill, and you've got a pretty dang good comic
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It's a well-cooked slab of apocalyptic Avengers, but that's not exactly a novel recipe, is it? And it's ultimately a big fake-out.

This issue's highest accomplishment might be picking up the foreshadowing from Timeless (2022) and, retroactively, making that a more interesting read.

Though I wasn't impressed by the preceding issues, I think this finale is a good capstone. All the plot and character developments tie together nicely, producing a thoughtful portrait of Magneto's inner struggles.

I remain underwhelmed by Irae and her forgettable Sisterhood, though. The longer they stay in comics limbo, the better.

Finally, I've been a fan of the idiosyncratic art throughout the series, and this last serving might be the best. Subjectively, at least, it's a real pleasure to look at.
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It's pretty dang close to perfection as both a Thor comic and a comic-comic. There's an admirably self-contained story, yet it's undeniable that this will prove meaningful to the larger narrative in the end. The characters are smart, engaging, and deeply in-character. This shows both Thor and Loki at their best, and their interactions are completely captivating

It's your standard Spurrier joint: an amazing amount of content crammed into a single issue. While that doesn't always work, I'd argue it works like gangbusters here. This is delightful (though I question the utility of throwing Dagger in there).

It's also beautiful. The art is very good in its broad strokes and its visual storytelling, and truly brilliant in its subtleties, like the way Sable unmasks Nightcrawler.
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The pace speeds up, the script does a great job keeping past and present straight, and the art is beautiful all the way through. I was quite enjoying it.

But then came those big, wordy exposition scenes from the Nazis in the 30s and the baddy in the present day. They sapped my enthusiasm and, I think, the pace.

Still definitely a good comic; still not quite a great one.
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The plot continues to race along, and I'm quite satisfied with the developments. The visuals are impressive, too--not always detailed, but often very striking. The characterization is subtle. I like the way character traits and developments are mostly inferred through action rather than through bald-faced exposition. It gives the plot-driven story just the extra depth it needs.

The story is engaging and the art is excellent, particularly for a collaboration. Dr. Gaiha is developing into a solid, interesting antagonist, and we get plenty of good character insight into Kamala and her new status quo. The dialogue, though, could be a lot sharper. It's not particularly flawed at any point, just not as memorable as it could be.

The art shift is no problem for me; the visuals remain clear and dynamic. And the animals are as adorable as ever. Their interactions reach new heights of insight and charm. The dialogue is a bit of a weak spot, offering the occasional clumsy phrase to balance out the most memorable lines. The story is simple, but that's no deal-breaker. This is a good comic, and a thoroughly enjoyable one if you meet it on its own terms.
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The pace trots along nicely. I'm invested in how the plot develops, and the art is right in line with my taste. I'll call it a good comic, but just barely. Why?

The biggest shocking developments in this issue all rely on a level of Alpha Flight scholarship that I don't have. And frankly, better writing could get me past that, but this script doesn't try.

Well, this is ridiculous. It's a pretty fun brand of ridiculous if you play along with the tone. The art certainly helps; Ed McGuinness is having so much fun that it's infectious.

A slapstick farce might not be the course correction this volume needs, though. And this issue's Gang War foreshadowing scene (Silvermane, oy) suggests that the upcoming Big Serious Event isn't going to be all that serious. (Devil's Advocate: It may turn out that slipping the silliest GW guest-star into the silliest run-up arc might be a stroke of brilliance.)
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The art is splendid, but the script leaves much to be desired. The dialogue is very expository. The plot is long on setup and short on resolution. I still appreciate the ties to Immortal X-Men that make this more than your average What If…? series, and this issue really ups the ante on that score. And, given that I'm not that familiar with the original Inferno, the heaps of exposition do have subjective value.
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I'm ambivalent to Marvel Zombies. I know the company's done linear feet of these comics already, and I haven't read a lot of them. Maybe that's why this anthology strikes me as pretty novel and entertaining.

For a start, the art standards are high, particularly for the first two strips. Secondly, all three strips have inventive ideas. Garth Ennis sketches a setting that's refreshingly different from the MZ standard (I think). Alex Segura digs deep to find the dark pathos in a simple "Spidey vs. zombies" tale. And Ashley Allen delivers a twist on the "zombie superhero" idea that's uniquely suited to Moon Knight.
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