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December 13 2010

Marvel Comics
Story: Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente
Art: Khoi Pham, Tom Palmer

Okay, first of all, what he hell is up with that cover? Every character looks like crap; it’s definitely not something that would entice me to pick this comic up off the shelf. Just… no. I’m actually going to stay on the art, as it’s been an ongoing point of discussion with this series. It’s apparent that Khoi Pham spent more time and effort on the first issue than here. While issue 1 had some impressive visuals with only a few awkward panels, every character here seems off, with too many lines where they’re not needed. There are still some high points, but overall, it just doesn’t look right most of the time. The heavy-handed light and shadow effects only make it worse. Maybe I had rose-tinted glasses on with the first issue, but Chaos War 2 just looks worse to me.

The story is more of the same; cosmic and divine entities are waging war on all existence. Hercules’s big assault at the end of the first issue failed miserably, leaving all of Earth’s mortal heroes down for the count. The issue mostly revolves around Hercules building up a force that can withstand the Chaos King, a new incarnation of the God Squad. Thor and Venus are already at his side and he quickly adds Sersi (from The Eternals), as well as Galactus and the Silver Surfer to his ranks. It also seems you simply can’t tell a story these days without Daimon Hellstrom making an appearance. The team works, and each character actually has their own motivations for fighting at Herc’s side; the table is set for big action in the next few issues.

A side story in this issue focuses on the chaos King attacking the various realms of the dead, and fallen heroes being called forth to fight back. It’s actually a solid setup for the various Chaos War tie-ins; X-Men, Dead Avengers and Alpha Flight. Besides, any time Ares is leading the charge to battle, your comic grows in awesomeness. The whole story is told in the usual straight-forward, Incredible Hercules style. The dialog isn’t very deep, but it keeps the pace up, constantly driving the story forward. In an odd twist, there isn’t even much humor to be found here; it fits the story, but there’s definitely more Pak here than Van Lente.

Chaos War may not be the greatest miniseries I’ve ever read, but I’m still enjoying it. The art’s making it difficult, and while the quality of the writing may not be on par with the likes of Shadowland, the content is solid. It’s big and fun and, when the story and art click into place, I can still see the potential here.

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