Eternals #8 Review (4/5)

 I am very much enjoying Kieron Gillen’s Eternals run at the moment. I initially wanted to start reading the comics because I enjoyed the film and wanted more of the characters that I got to know and love from the film. The first arc of the comics I really enjoyed and I’m also enjoying this current arc as well with Thanos as the Prime Eternal, I think it’s a really interesting path to take.

This issue was one that I enjoyed but it wasn’t my favourite. That’s fine because it still did a lot of important work for the story that is being told without really being filler. I was waiting for what happened in the end for a while now. I kept thinking ‘how are they going to react to the results of the election’ and I’m really excited for the next issue to build on that reveal.

I always find myself wanting more Sersi in these comics, just because she’s my favourite character, and I think it’s interesting when one watches the film before reading the comics and sees how different the characters are in the two different mediums. I love both versions of the characters because while they are different, that is more than okay. Characters can, and should, change between stories, and I think that they do this in a really interesting way here. I think Ikaris is hilarious in the oddest way in these comics and it’s such a different type of humour to how he was in the film. The character himself is not funny, but I find myself laughing at Ikaris moments frequently in these stories.

While I am enjoying this, I do have a slight criticism on how much Marvel in general leans on Thanos as a character. He’s important to be sure, and has had a major impact on the franchise and character stories, but I kinda wish that he wasn’t used as much as he has been. However, I am willing to overlook it a little bit in this case because Thanos himself is an Eternal/Deviant so he fits into the story of the Eternals in a really important way. I think it’s important to see that not all of the Eternals are heroes, and furthermore that the heroes of the story are still very flawed individuals who have their own agendas.

This arc is really still sort of in the early parts of the story because we’ve only had two issues, but I do really look forward to the continuation of the story in future issues. This comic series is always surprising me with what they’re going to do, and I really do enjoy that because as a newer fan, I’m still learning a lot about these characters and simply find them fascinating. Issue #9 is out now! I highly recommend just reading Eternals because it’s such a well-written (thank you Kieron Gillen) and artistically beautiful (thank you Esad Ribić) story that is being told here.