Summary:
Doom, joined by Lancer, Dorma, Divinity, Shakti, and Technarx are fending off an attack on the government of Wakanda, with whom Doom has just made an alliance with. In its aftermath, the rightful King and Queen are killed leaving their son in the hands of Doom. Doom annexes the nation and puts it under his protection. We then see that Doom has placed pylons all over Counter-Earth for reasons unknown. Behind Doom's back, Dorma calls a secret meeting to try and topple Doom's growing empire. The main obstacle is getting past Doom's shadow, Lancer. Shakti casts a spell on Lancer causing her to transform into what she always wanted to be as a child. Unfortunately for Shakti, Doom empowered Lancer with certain defenses that allowed her see past the magic spell. Meanwhile, Dorma starts to pursue Doom as a mate and prospective king. Eventually even Doom succumbs to her temptations and unlocks his faceplate. Instantly we find that it was not Dorma playing the slut, but the Dreaming Celestial using her appearance. A battle quickly erupts and Doom is nearly blown out of his armor. Ashema then intervenes and takes on the Dreaming Celestial one on one. As their battle rages, the secret behind Doom's pylons is revealed. They were a trap to capture the Celestial's incredible energy to power the pylons that would transport the entire planet out of the pocket universe and place it in an orbit opposite the Earth. After the successful transport of the planet, the Celestials disappear. Doom assumes that Ashema is being held by the Dreaming Celestial and promises to make him regret it.

Comments:
Claremont does it again. The story is basically a continuation of the story told in Doomsday. The art and story hold up well. I also find it interesting that Doom caved in at the last minute to Dorma's advances. Course, he's only human, and with that blue skin...

Doom is at the top of his form here. Lancer continues to be an interesting and pivotal character who pulls in a strong presence in this issue. My only question is if Counter-Earth was a copy of the original, does that make the dead rightful king mentioned here T'Challa? If so, is the boy really the son of the Black Panther? Questions aside, Bottom Line: Buy It

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