This oversized comic is an anthology. Each member of the Osborn Cabal gets a short story, with Doom and Namor featured in two stories each.
Here’s a quick rundown: First, Hickman and Granov show Doom and Namor secretly agreeing to help Osborn because they know he’ll screw up and then Doom will take the land and Namor gets the sea.
Then Hickman offers a truly hilarious fantasy where Doom takes the seas, too, killing Namor and making Emma Frost and Girl-Loki his sex slaves. It’s an awesome 6-page read–although I will note that Doctor Doom has never expressed such carnal desires before.
Next are an Emma Frost story and then one about The Hood, both of which offer recaps of their family histories. Not much here. Ditto the Namor story where he defends a mutant Atlantean. But then it’s time for Loki’s tale, where she goes on a dinner date with Doctor Doom. Only it’s a Doombot, and the dinner is poisoned and then the room set on fire–burning the servants within.
Sometimes I forget how downright evil Doom is.
It’s all so that Doom has proof that she is actually Loki. After that, Loki asks if Latveria can be the new host for Asgard after she moves it out of Oklahoma and Doom agrees in exchange for an unnamed thing that he is lacking. The final panel tells us the story is continued in Thor #601.
THIS is what anthologies should be about. Fantastic story that is a great lead-in to another story–makes me anxious to read Thor. Very well done.
Overall, two really good stories and the rest are just okay. I’ll give this a B- because the really good stories are terrific.
Note also that Hood’s army of criminals appears in this issue but I’m too lazy to tag them all. They’re just in a panel or two.
English (US) · 