Writers: Ethan Sacks
Art: Luigi Zagaria and Antonio Fabela
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 19th, 2022
Zoe Laveau was revealed to be the cause of a coming apocalypse last issue, when all the magic users on Earth had a shared vision of her destroying the world! With everyone gunning for her (either to hide her or destroy her), Agatha Harkness took Zoe to a safe magical realm. This issue, in Midnight Suns #2, Doctor Doom himself comes looking for her, and only the Midnight Suns (Wolverine, Spirit Rider, Magik, Nico Minoru and Blade the Vampire Hunter) stand in his way. Get ready for an all-battle, all-action issue!
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The Story
Midnight Suns #2 starts off with Agatha Harkness and Zoe Laveau having a moment of quiet bonding and conversation, then switches to the Strange Academy, where Doctor Doom booms in and immediately starts attacking. The bulk of the issue consists of the Midnight Suns desperately trying to take down Doom and simultaneously get the kids at the Academy to safety.
The battle is electrifying, with the Midnight Suns hopelessly outmatched and throwing everything they have at Doom. What makes matters worse is that Nico doesn’t have her staff, thereby rendering her pretty much powerless. It’s always so much more interesting watching heroes battle villains that are above their pay grade. Had the Fantastic Four been here, they could have taken Doom, but when your most powerful member is Magik, it makes it almost a one-sided impossible fight.
The fascinating thing about this is that Doom’s not totally wrong here. He wants to take out Zoe to prevent the coming apocalypse. Remember, this is a guy that’s been around practically since the beginning of the Marvel Universe, and when he sees a vision of death coming, he’s going to do his best to nip it in the bud. At times he’s hilarious here, hitting each of the Midnight Suns with insults and burns as often as he hits them with force beams. He gets an especially nasty burn in on Blade.
The B story involves Agatha and Zoe trying to decipher Zoe’s visions and try to ascertain how the apocalypse will happen, so they can prevent it. It’s a nice interlude to break up the craziness of the Doom battle and we get more details on a threat from Agatha’s past that may be the cause of the apocalypse. It’s a tremendously fun issue, with tons of action, some great dialogue and repartee, a chilling look into Agatha’s past and the entry of a surprise character at the end who sets up a great cliffhanger finish.
The Art
Luigi Zagaria’s art on Midnight Suns #2 is wonderfully detailed and vibrant, reminding me of classic John Byrne artwork at certain points. His Doom looks incredibly formidable, and the battle scenes are drawn beautifully, with Doom’s gauntlets pulsating with energy, Wolverine’s claws (as well as Magik and Blade’s weapons) having a metallic sheen. Magik’s sword looks especially gorgeous, making trails of flame as she whirls it around her. The panels flow and keep the action moving at a great pace. Despite the fact that many panels contain tons of characters (Doom, the Midnight Suns as well as the Strange Academy students), there’s never any confusion on who’s who and where they’re located in relation to each other. Beautiful work.
Final Thoughts
Midnight Suns #2 is a super fun continuation of the story, with mostly non-stop action, great dialogue and character moments, and a perfect cliffhanger ending. Highly recommended.