Dark Reign Cabal

Since this whole Dark Reign quo is essentially the Norman Osborn book, it seems only right that the other members – particularly Namor and Doom – get their own times in the darkly-lit spotlight.

Doctor Doom: …And I’ll Get the Land
It’s a shame that the first part of Doom’s story is borrowed from Secret Invasion: Dark Reign, in which Doom and Namor plot their futures and against Osborn, if only because it does not give Hickman more time to breathe and do his own thing. He’s already wowed me with Dark Reign: Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors, and now he has proven himself or true worth after doing a so-far-so-good job at writing Doom. Granov’s art is shiny and nice to look at, as always, but reminds me that a realistic depiction of Doom’s mask is a hard thing to face, especially from certain angles.

Emma Frost: How I Survived Apocalyptic Fire
I’ll be honest and admit to only skimming through this one. I’m sorry, but I just can’t be bothered to invest that much into the X-Men, especially a character like Emma Frost – give me some Beast, Colossus or Nightcrawler and I’ll consider bleeding my heart a bit more. It doesn’t help that this was mainly a recap of Emma herself, and has little to do with the current, Dark Reign state of the X-Men. The art is nice, though, and although not fitting for X-Books in general, it did lend itself well to those Pheonix panels.

The Hood: Family Trust
Oh Parker Robbins, you inglorious bastard. The Hood is quickly becoming one of my favorite anti-villains – since he is definitely past the point of anti-hero by now – with his mix of street crime and demonic chaos. This story reminds us, however, that Hood is a family man, and a man nonetheless. There’s more depth to this character than people to whom give credit. Max Fiumara accomplishes mixing grit with lighter reflections wonderfully.

Namor, The Sub-Mariner: The Judgment of Namor
Namor has by now reestablished an oceanic position for Atlantis, and now sits on his lonely throne once again. Gillen, new-ish writer who recently wrote the Beta Ray Bill one-shot, nails the characterization of an older, Doom-rubbing-off-on Namor down wonderfully, with his reserved yet raging personality. I was less than impressed with the art, to put it lightly – it does not fit Namor at all and was rather sloppy and confusing in general.

Loki: Dinner With Doom
Other comic book readers might tell you there’s a problem with Doom having more screentime in a story focused on someone else than his own, but I will take what I can get when it comes to the good doctor. Milligan, author of Sub-Mariner: The Depths, takes the villainy of Loki and Doom to a more simpler time, when Doom would sacrifice his own henchmen – butlers are henchmen, right? – in order to resolve his own paranoia. This is fine by me, for Milligan does it in a way that maintains the spirit of Silver Age antics while still giving the two a modern treatment. Zonjic’s art follows suit, with simple, almost Kirby-like pencils but contemporary methods of shading and depth.

So there you have it. A little something for everyone, and then some. While I didn’t care much for Emma Frost’s story but enjoyed the art, the case was vice versa for Namor’s, leaving this one-shot only slightly less than point-for-point. If you’re one for Dark Reign, or villainy in general, pick this one up.