Last Planet Standing #2

Background

Last issue, we witnessed the beginnings of a plan hatched by Galactus to rid himself of his all-consuming hunger...mainly by continuing to consume galaxies, as he's always done. The Shi'ar Empire has fallen, and Galactus has now turned his sights towards Asgard.

Story 'Last Planet Standing'

The Fantastic Five exit a wormhole in their attempt to rescue their founding members at what is supposed to be an inhabited galaxy, but find absolutely nothing there--no planets, no stars, no anything. Lyja and Franklin scan the space for Mr. and Mrs. Richards, and finally Franklin locks onto something. Steering their ship toward the source of the readings, the team finds Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman floating in space, safely inside one of Sue Richards' invisible force fields, and the team is determined to find out who wiped out the now-empty galaxy.

Meanwhile, in Asgard, Thor rallies his subjects to take on Galactus, who has come to devourer the home of the Norse Gods. Even as they attack, however, Galactus's herald, Dominas, responds with the power cosmic, toppling Asgard's warriors. Galactus tells his herald to ignore them and seek out the Odinsword. Upon hearing this, Thor laments that the Odinsword (being the deadliest weapon in the universe) must not fall into Galactus's hands. His soldiers urge him to protect the weapon while they battle the hordes of Galactus.

Back on Earth, Spider-Girl is being excorted by the Mainframe robot to the council room of the Avengers mansion, where they find all the Avengers assembled. The Vision informs them of what little they know of the situation--that Reed Richards reported a possible threat and that the Fantastic Five have gone on a rescue mission. He reports that the President has ordered him to supervise the efforts to protect the Earth, which several of the Avengers object to. He also says that Nova and the Earth Sentry are currently in space on a recon mission, and when Jarvis enters the room to announce the reappearance of the Revengers, the Vision permits Mainframe to take only three Avengers with him. When questioned by Mainframe, he says only that some risks are acceptable in this situation.

The Asgardian warriors continue to use all their resources against Galactus, but to no avail. Galactus shrugs off their attacks and obliterates the armies of Asgard, as several of the other high gods help the inhabitants of Asgard evacuate.

Once rescued, Reed explains to the rest of the Fantastic Five that he believes Galactus has switched from consuming living energy to satisfy his hunger to gathering energy for a specific purpose. He also guesses that Galactus erased the former galaxy they were rescued from with a miniature Big Bang as a test for a greater scheme. He then reveals that he's been developing a weapon that may be able to stop Galactus for the past twenty years, and insists that they get back to Earth immediately for the sake of the universe.

As Thor fights Dominas, he inquires why Galactus seeks the Odinsword. Dominas knows nothing except to obey his master, who he claims has granted him more power than any who have wielded the Power Cosmic. As Thor chastises Dominas for being so power-hungry, he can hold the herald of Galactus back no longer, and Dominas enters the holding place of the enormous Odinsword. Just then, Thor blocks his path, but Dominas reveals that Galactus had sent him not only to retrieve the weapon, but the god, as well. A wormhole opens up and sucks both the Odinsword and Thor inside, signaling Galactus that his herald's task is complete. Galactus activates his elemental converter, and Asgard is destroyed.

At that moment, Mainframe's crew of Stinger, Thunderstrike, and Spider-Girl are fighting the Revengers, when Thunderstrike suddenly reverts back to his mortal form, his connection with Asgard's magic broken. Spider-Girl swoops in to save him from a vicious swipe from Sabreclaw, and Thunderstrike, now in mortal form, urges her to rejoin the battle without him.

Back on his ship, Galactus speaks with Dominas of his triumph over Asgard. With Thor, the Odinsword, and several other beings imprisoned in his ship, he explains that because of the birth of Captain America's star and the magical properties therein, he can finally evolve to the next level and be free of his endless hunger. Their next destination, he explains, is Earth. Meanwhile, cosmic beings from all over the universe meet to discuss plans to stop Galactus...

The team sent to capture the Revengers returns to the Avengers mansion with Kevin Masterson, formerly Thunderstrike. He informs everyone that he seems to have lost his powers, and the Vision revokes his Avengers status until they return. Mainframe begins to argue, but at that moment they are contacted by Nova and Earth Sentry out in space, who report the arrival of Dominas, riding a tidal wave of energy...before their ship is destroyed and communications are lost...

General Comments

Here we go again. Just like in Last Hero Standing, Tom DeFalco ravages his way through the MC2 Universe, destroying everything in his path, and just like in LHS, it's done completely without any drama or suspense. It's hard for me to care about what's happening in this story, as it all seems like an "imaginary story" to me. DeFalco tries to shock us with the destruction of Asgard this issue and the Shi'ar Empire in the last, both of which would be pretty shocking in the 616 universe. But in the MC2 universe, which DeFalco seems to do whatever he wants with? Frankly, it seems to me like a cheap ploy to sell a mini-series, just like Captain America's death in LHS. Yeah, we care about these characters in the 616 universe, but what vested interest do we as readers have in their MC2 counterparts? Most of these characters and places have never been used in the pages of Spider-Girl. So you'd better be building up to SOMETHING, DeFalco, or else this is going to be just another mini-series best left forgotten.

Overall Rating

Two webs. The only thing holding it this high is Pat Olliffe's pencils, and the radiant colours of the book.