I haven’t been following the Annihilation storyline. This issue makes me wish I have been. From what I can figure out (and from what the first page tells me), Annihilation is about a devastating new threat from beyond our universe that destroys planets for its own benefit.

ORBULUS GLOOK, IT’S UNICRON!!!!

Hahahaha, but seriously folks. This issue, part five in the six part series, focuses on the Kree warrior Ronan’s attempt to retake the throne of his homeworld. Now I’m no expert on Kree-Skrull politics, but I’m also no dummy, and I can figure out that something rather important is going on here. If I were a hopeless cynic, I’d say it’s the Marvel editors’ attempt to balance the universe-changing events of Civil War by hastily slapping together a storyline that alters the fate of the Marvel universe’s alien inhabitants. But as I’m a True Believer, I’ll give writer Keith Giffen some credit. The plot seems interesting, and the imprisonment of Galactus grabs the reader’s attention. There’s not much to say about dialogue, as this issue is quite action-heavy and doesn’t give the characters a lot of time to talk. Good thing Andrea Divito is up to the challenge of moving the story along.

What penciler Andrea Divito lacks in polish, she (he?) makes up for in emotional effect. Given that this is a big, splashy miniseries, the reader should expect the emphasis to be on big, splashy images, like the full-page spreads depicting Galactus’ escape, or Ronan braining someone. What makes Divito’s money-shots work is their convincing layout. These pictures will stay engraved on the back of your eyelids days after you’ve read the comic. The panels linking these big moments, however, lack the same conviction. One gets the sense that with a bit more practice, Divito could be capable of some very impressive things.

Worth the money? I’m going to say yes, if you’re an action junkie. The battle sequences are truly stunning.