Reviewer: Kevin S. Mahoney
Story Title: Destroy All Monsters Conclusion
Written by: Tony Bedard
Penciled by: Jim Calafiore
Inked by: Mark McKenna
Colored by: JC
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: Marvel Comics
There’s a lot to be said for out of continuity stories. They have more creative possibilities since the characters readers already know can be altered to suit the story. The multiple settings involved in a pan-universe book like this leave room for multiple interpretations of the same events, people, and mood. The creative team can do the ultra bleak “heroes gone wrong” plot and then follow it up with a single issue story devoted to humor without making it seem forced. Even the title characters can rotate in and out of the book without too much editorial fuss, since they are more expendable than their more legitimately historied counterparts. And if a truly imaginative mind gets hold of the concept, the sheer potential for cool surprises is much higher than any establishment book could ever offer.
This issue, there are lots of cool surprises including giant robots out of Kaiju Big Battel, a certain hero regrowing his extremities in a truly hurl-inducing fashion, Sabretooth cracking wise, a few dead villains & bugs, and Beak actually doing something intelligent and heroic for a change! It’s an action-packed romp, with a few longstanding consequences for the book. Readers get hints about the direction of the book post-Timebroker, the fates of the vanished Exiles and Weapon X team members, and of course a teaser concerning the next issue which involves a trip to the House of M. All that, plus a naked Fin Fang Foom, makes the issue a real treat.
The art only adds sweetness and spice to the deal. Calafiore’s pencils just drop so much detail onto the page that even boring things like squished bugs in a glass hallway look keen. His replacement Paul Pelletier will certainly have massive boots to fill. Hopefully, the rest of the art team will be there to help him out. Dave Sharpe’s lettering (from his font choices to the special sound effects) have a flash that adds wonder and verve to the book. McKenna is a truly invisible workhorse if he has kept up with Calafiore’s level of detail without making a misstep. JC (if that’s not an alias I’ll eat my Ladder 49 promo cap) does a better than average job making the art pop, but makes a couple of gaffes at the end of the issue with Cal’s soul patch. The mistakes are forgivable, if only because the rest of the book looks so good.
The long-term Exiles fans might have issue with the new direction (or lack thereof) of the book. The exposure of the Timebroker con might drain some of the urgency out of the title if team membership becomes voluntary, but it won’t dilute the series’ essential best attributes. There will be more universe hopping. Team members will still come and go. And surprises will await around every corner until the current scribe runs out of gas, hopefully many installments down the road.
