It’s not a risk to say that there’s never been a good Eternals movie.
But I’m also going to go out on a limb here and say that there has never been a great Eternals comic. I know that fans of Jack Kirby will say that’s sacrilege, but…Can anyone tell me an Eternals story that moved them? Made them feel something? I can’t even think of one that held my interest.
As far as Eternals books go, this one is one of the best. It picks up threads left dangling by Neil Gaiman, which was also one of the better Eternals books, and it kinda reads like someone trying to write like Gaiman. And like a Gaiman work, it’s obtuse, takes work to understand, it doesn’t lend itself to a simple summary.
The Eternals find out that “The Horde” is heading towards Earth, to destroy it. Many of the Eternals are hidden on Earth as mortals, with no memory of who they really are.
So, Ikaris and Thena begin the process of finding and waking them up to fight the incoming threat.
Assisting the Horde is the “Dreaming Celestial” who is gradually causing everyone on Earth to sleep. (Kinda like in Sandman. See what I mean about this feeling derivative of Gaiman?)
After various engagements, the Eternals learn that Thena’s son, Joey, has been co-opted by the Horde and spying on them all along. Makkari tries to stop Joey from assisting the Horde, but Gilgamesh kills him.
The hero has also been brainwashed by The Horde, who have caused The Eternals to break into two factions. One is led by Ikaris, the other by Ajak.
Along the way there are guest stars to help sell the book. Like Iron Man, who was the subject of the last Marvel series written by the Naufs. It was MUCH better.
There’s also a bunch of new Eternals but…I don’t feel like tagging new Eternals who are rarely, if ever, seen again.
In the end, Sersi sacrifices herself to stop the Sleeping Celestial and saves humanity by fusing her consciousness with the Dreaming Celestial. So she’s not really dead. She’ll be back. And she brings Makkari back to life, too. So…Nothing’s really different at the end, except that Ajak’s Eternals faction is still on the loose and Ikaris wants revenge.
Like I said, this arc doesn’t really fit the mold for a summary. It’s worth a read if you’re curious, and it’s certainly better than the movie.
Next will come an X-Men tie in and then the book will be cancelled.