Infinity Wars #1

It’s easy to feel a sense of apathy towards Marvel’s cosmic franchises of late. The Inhumans line has contracted and may well be gone in a few more months. Silver Surfer and various other key characters are missing in action. And while Gerry Duggan’s cosmic saga has continued in the transition from Guardians of the Galaxy to Infinity Countdown, lately it’s felt like Marvel has been publishing a never-ending cosmic crossover with no real selling point to speak of. That’s finally started to change with the advent of Infinity Wars, however. Between last week’s Infinity Wars Prime prelude and the start of the core series, the latest Infinity crossover is making a strong case for itself.

This issue establishes Infinity Wars as the rare cosmic event set mostly on earth and featuring a largely human cast of characters. While that may seem to defeat the purpose of a cosmic story in the first place, there’s a certain appeal in seeing characters like Turk Barrett, Black Widow and Bullseye dragged way out of their usual element and bumping elbows with the likes of Adam Warlock and Rocket Raccoon.

For another, Duggan continues to drop new plot twists that make Infinity Wars feel significant in a way previous stories never quite managed. The general tone of the story is dire, as it quickly becomes clear this ragtag Infinity Watch has no idea how to protect the universe from the threat posed by Requiem and the Infinity Stones. And the pacing is brisk. Duggan wastes little time in revealing requiem’s true nature and in setting the stage for the multiverse-melting events to come. After an over-long build-up process in 2018, we’re finally getting to the good stuff.

Unfortunately, the art doesn’t quite measure up to the visuals in this case. In some ways, Mike Deodato is an apt fit for the story. His art greatly reinforces the foreboding quality of the script. This is a cosmic story dominated not by massive displays of energy and outlandish, Kirby-esque beings, but by humble Earthlings and dank, seedy locations. However, as with much of Deodato’s recent work, the reliance on computer-rendered figures works against the story. The figures too often have a stiff, lifeless quality, and there’s an annoying uniformity to most of the human characters.

And as much as the art generates that creepy, uneasy vibe, it goes a little overboard in terms of sheer, overwhelming darkness. Deodato’s shadows are too heavy, and Frank Martin’s colors too dim. Regardless of setting or subject matter, the book creates the sensation that someone turned off all the lights in the Marvel Universe. That could be problematic as the story veers in more outlandish directions.

Infinity Wars #1

Its easy to feel a sense of apathy towards Marvels cosmic franchises of late. The Inhumans line has contracted and may well be gone in a few more months. Silver Surfer and various other key characters are missing in action. And while Gerry Duggans cosmic saga has continued in the transition from Guardians of the Galaxy to Infinity Countdown, lately its felt like Marvel has been publishing a never-ending cosmic crossover with no real selling point to speak of. Thats finally started to change with the advent of Infinity Wars, however. Between last weeks Infinity Wars Prime prelude and the start of the core series, the latest Infinity crossover is making a strong case for itself. This issue establishes Infinity Wars as the rare cosmic event set mostly on earth and featuring a largely human cast of characters. While that may seem to defeat the purpose of a cosmic story in the first place, theres a certain appeal in seeing characters like Turk Barrett, Black Widow and Bullseye dragged way out of their usual element and bumping elbows with the likes of Adam Warlock and Rocket Raccoon. For another, Duggan continues to drop new plot twists that make Infinity Wars feel significant in a way previous stories never quite managed. The general tone of the story is dire, as it quickly becomes clear this ragtag Infinity Watch has no idea how to protect the universe from the threat posed by Requiem and the Infinity Stones. And the pacing is brisk. Duggan wastes little time in revealing requiems true nature and in setting the stage for the multiverse-melting events to come. After an over-long build-up process in 2018, were finally getting to the good stuff. Unfortunately, the art doesnt quite measure up to the visuals in this case. In some ways, Mike Deodato is an apt fit for the story. His art greatly reinforces the foreboding quality of the script. This is a cosmic story dominated not by massive displays of energy and outlandish, Kirby-esque beings, but by humble Earthlings and dank, seedy locations. However, as with much of Deodatos recent work, the reliance on computer-rendered figures works against the story. The figures too often have a stiff, lifeless quality, and theres an annoying uniformity to most of the human characters. And as much as the art generates that creepy, uneasy vibe, it goes a little overboard in terms of sheer, overwhelming darkness. Deodatos shadows are too heavy, and Frank Martins colors too dim. Regardless of setting or subject matter, the book creates the sensation that someone turned off all the lights in the Marvel Universe. That could be problematic as the story veers in more outlandish directions.