Review by Frank Plowright

In Marvel’s more recent history Agatha Harkness is no longer a kindly, if somewhat spooky old woman, but after Kathryn Hahn’s sparkling TV performance she’s a glamorous young witch in purple with a purpose. That’s explained in a clever opening chapter from Steve Orlando and Carlos Nieto (sample art left) where she visits the Scarlet Witch seemingly with one agenda, but actually having another. She wants to create a new version of an evil book known as the Darkhold.

Unfortunately, much of the originality departs thereafter as chapter after chapter is occupied by having heroes fight each other, one that’s corrupted and the other maintaining their heroic personality. In succession Stephanie Phillips and Alberto Foche pit Spider-Man against Wolverine, Jason Loo and David Cutler have Storm take on Iron Man, followed by Zac Gorman and Alan Robinson sending Ghost Rider to plague the Human Torch. As all that occurs, short back-up chapters by Phillips and Foche (sample art right) follow Clea, Jessica Jones and Spider-Man as they attempt to solve a mystery.

Several more battles follow and as individual chapters some are okay and some a little better, with art good throughout. The problem is the repetition. Unless you’re relatively new to superhero comics sending one hero against another is beyond tired, and the lack of variety in a collection soon erases any novelty. The best individual chapter is Moon Knight facing Korean hero Dynamo, of interest for not co-starring a headliner and for being written by regular series writer Jed MacKay. Moon Knight operates on a level above most of the other characters and his attitude to the entire affair reads well.

Phillips and Foche finish everything off with the Avengers meeting the characters who’ve been corrupted, and a new menace is created, but it’s been a lot of fireworks to very little end.