I have a soft spot for the Eternals. Of all of Jack Kirby's solo creations, they're the ones that I find the most interesting. I think I'd have found them more interesting if they'd stayed separate from the rest of the Marvel U, as they appeared to be in their initial forays, but in their current(ish) incarnations, they provide a nice link to the cosmic shenanigans of the Celestials, which I've always found to be a thoroughly intriguing aspect of Marvel history.
That aside, they act in a very un-Eternals manner in today's comic, at least from my perspective on the group. Without really any questioning of the High Evolutionary's plan or motivations, they agree to assist him in wanting to map the Silver Surfer's genetic data because...well, I'm not actually sure why. The Evolutionary says he wants to better understand humanoid genetics, but surely there's an easier candidate than the Silver Surfer. Especially considering that, as the story begins, he's not even on Earth.
I noted a couple of days ago that this is Marvel's first attempt at a cross-annual crossover, and it shows the signs of being the first of its kind. There's little continuity between the stories aside from each one being loosely connected to the High Evolutionary. So far the stories have been about mapping non-human humanoid genetics, sterilizing the Mole People, and taking out a drug kingpin. I'm not really certain how these things work into assisting in the evolution of humankind. Surely evolved humans would simply decide that using cocaine is a bad idea. And do the Moloids really present some kind of threat - if they're a dead end evolutionarily-speaking, why not leave them to their fates?
What I think is needed for this crossover is what many of the subsequent crossovers, from any of the major publishers, have had: a introductory issue. The Age of Apocalypse crossover had X-Men: Alpha, a preface to the main stories told through the crossover that set up for the reader the main concerns of the story. We don't get that here. We're simply dropped in partway through and left to figure out how each of the stories work with one another.
Though, another thought occurs: maybe they're not meant to. Maybe we're not meant to be reading this crossover the same way we read them now. Perhaps the conception was that each annual was simply going to be a story involving whatever team or character featured in the series, and they were only loosely meant to tell a whole story. This way we can enjoy the stories for their own merits, rather than having to rely on other comics to feel like we've had a satisfactory experience. I'll start trying to read them from this perspective, and see what happens.
To be continued.
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