Dormammu has been busy with a plan to take over not just Earth, not just the universe, but the entire multiverse. Marvel’s mightiest heroes have been doing their best to thwart him but this villain has been planning for a long time and he’s covered all the contingencies. It seems like Dormammu has won. But it’s not in a hero’s nature to quit, and our Shadow Avengers will never give up. So it’s time for a trip Into the Dark Dimension with author Stuart Moore.
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Aconyte for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of Into the Dark Dimension contains some spoilers!]
A crisis unfolds thanks to Dormammu
The Dormammu drama began in Target: Kree. He begins destroying and subjugating worlds far away from Earth. But his actions reach all the way to Earth. The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy end up in a huge brawl against each other. Dormammu seems to be defeated but Doctor Strange isn’t convinced it’s the end. He recruits a select few heroes to become his Shadow Avengers. These heroes stay vigilant for signs that Dormammu is returning to try and conquer Earth again.
When we left the team of heroes at the end of Shadow Avengers, the second Crisis Protocol book, they had just thwarted Dormammu’s second attempt to take over the Earth, or so they thought. As the book winds down they realize that Dormammu has still managed to infiltrate Earth. His dormamine, which allows him to completely control those that come into contact with it, has been added to all kinds of bottled drinks that are being sold everywhere. The Shadow Avengers aren’t ready to admit defeat, but they do admit that it doesn’t look good. And that leads us to a trip into the Dark Dimension.
At the beginning of Into the Dark Dimension Dormammu has conquered the whole multiverse. The only one who isn’t enslaved is Doctor Strange. Strange manages to free Ms. Marvel from his control and they embark on a plan to free more of their fellow Shadow Avengers.
How they’ll defeat Dormammu from there is uncertain but just knowing that they can throw off Dormammu’s control gives Ms. Marvel hope. The odds are stacked against them, but the entire multiverse needs them. They can’t fail again. They just can’t.
Huge hero team-up in this Marvel novel from Aconyte Books
Moore pulls out all the stops for the conclusion of the Crisis Protocol series. The entire series brought in a wide range of Marvel characters, but this final installment was really packed with heroes. All the heroes from the first two books end up coming back, plus more! Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers, Captain Marvel, the Shadow Avengers, Cloak and Dagger, Shang-Chi, and more end up in a knock-down, drag-out fight for the soul of the universe. Even with the heroes giving their all it seems like Dormammu is too much.
It was really fun to see so many different heroes fighting in such a small space. In Target: Kree I objected to the Guardians of the Galaxy fighting the Avengers for the majority of the book. But Moore takes a different approach in Into the Dark Dimension. In Target: Kree they end up fighting because no one takes the time to try a diplomatic approach. Instead of talking about what’s going on they just all start wailing on each other.
This time around the different heroes aren’t fighting each other because of their egos. They’re fighting because of Dormammu’s mind control. This changes the dynamics and the tone of the battle. It allowed me to really enjoy seeing these expert fighters going at it, instead of feeling like a totally avoidable situation.
And the heroes that have escaped Dormammu’s control do try to avoid the fight. They attempt to break his grasp on their fellow heroes but some of them are just too far gone for words to work. This allows for a guilt-free pounding. Of course, the heroes that aren’t under Dormammu’s spell hold back a little, they understand that their friends don’t really know what they’re doing. They don’t want to hurt them, they want to save them.
The Crisis Protocol series gets an action-packed wrap-up
Crisis Protocol got off to a shaky start in Target: Kree. Shadow Avengers picked up the story and really took off with it. Into the Dark Dimension wraps the story up nicely. Moore packs a lot of adventure into the book. Very little is just “filler” like some books have. Every page has action, adventure, and something to move the story along.
There are also a bunch of twists and turns to keep things interesting. Moore crafts a story that is more than a simple action plot going from point A to point B. It was really enjoyable and ended the Crisis Protocol series on a nice high note.
Of course, with this being the third part of a series, you really should read the first two books to understand what’s going on. Having said that, Into the Dark Dimension does stand on its own as a good story. Even if you haven’t read the first two books you should be about to jump in and not feel lost. There will be some things that will make more sense if you’ve read the first two. And of course, having the whole story makes Into the Dark Dimension that much better. But if you want to skip the first two it will be okay.
An exciting addition to the Marvel world
Marvel fans will enjoy seeing so many of their heroes come together in Into the Dark Dimension. From the well-known to the more obscure, this book has a hero for everyone. It didn’t have as many laugh-out-loud moments for me as some of the other Marvel books but there was still that characteristic humor running through the dialogue. Any Marvel fan should pick up this thrilling conclusion to the Crisis Protocol series and root for their favorite hero!
My Rating: 8/10
Into the Dark Dimension: A Crisis Protocol Novel By Stuart Moore is available on May 2. Are you going to be picking this book up? Let us know on Twitter or in The Cosmic Circus Discord. And if you haven’t already, check out our review of Target: Kree and Shadow Avengers!
Book Review Target: Kree: A Crisis Protocol Novel by Stuart Moore
Book Review: Shadow Avengers: A Crisis Protocol Novel by Carrie Harris
