Superhero Media: Annihilation

One of the biggest events to ever hit Marvel Comics, at least in term of impact, is one that many have never heard of, Annihilation. When Annihilus and his army punch into the 616 Universe, the Nova Corps, Skrull Empire and Omega Corps are wiped out immediately, and only a handful of Cosmic heroes remain to fight back against an endless wave of death. Published at the same time as Civil War, Annihilation never garnered as much interest, but as an event, would have a much longer legacy; namely, the rebirth of "Marvel Cosmic". Birthed through the tireless work of Jim Starlin in the 1970s and 80s, Marvel Cosmic is the expansive 616 universe beyond the confines of Earth, and brings us characters as vital to the Marvel brand as Thanos, Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Until the publication of Annihilation, most of these characters had languished in obscurity for years, but with sharp writing and a universe-upending story, Nova, Drax the Destroyer, Thanos, Starlord, Gamora and others were thrust back into relevance. 

Across three volumes, a cosmic war of epic scale is fought, with the narrative woven around Nova (Richard Rider), Silver Surfer, Ronan the Accuser and Super-Skrull, with a massive supporting cast of old classics and new characters, with some really deep cuts; Stellaris and Morg, anyone? Like most event comics, Annihilation varies in quality depending on the artists and writers working on each issue, but the main comics, as well as the lead-in stories dealing with Nova and Drax, are excellent. I could honestly use up the rest of my space just listing the awesome moments in the series, like Galactus screaming for blood and he wipes out an Annihilation fleet, Ronan smashing the Universal Weapon over Ravenous' head and Starlord lamenting not having any super-powers in the middle of a fight, but I'd quickly stray into spoiler territory and you really should read this one for yourself. Few superhero stories I've read really manage to parse the difference in power between characters as well as Annihilation, with Drax and Gamora being incredibly deadly when compared to a human, but not being able to hold a candle to the Heralds or Seekers. 

Of course, Annihilation is a major inspiration for my own games, with my eventual goal to run a, very long, series of games telling the story, but including all of the non-Marvel heroes I have along the way. In fact, I'm only waiting on a handful of minis to get the ball rolling, but finding some of the characters is a major pain. Chasing down 3D prints and commissioning sculpts is time-consuming and expensive, but hopefully, I'll be there one day soon. The follow-ons to Annihilation vary in quality, from the excellent Conquest to the lazy Thanos Imperative, but the original remains excellent and one of the best introductions to Marvel Cosmic out there. The best known legacy of Annihilation, of course, is The Guardians of the Galaxy film series, which is based on a reboot of that comic which spun out of this event, with the new version of Drax being born in the run-up to the coming of the Wave. Hopefully, there will be a version of Annihilation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point, but if it will have all of the lore and references of the original, only time will tell. Until then, grab yourself a copy of this and get reading.