Infinity #1 Review

Infinity has been coming for a long time in the Marvel Universe. The threat involving the Builders and The Black Order Of Thanos has been on a collision course with earth for some time. While many felt burned by large scale Marvel Event titles as of late, such as the recent Age Of Ultron storyline. This proves to be different for a number of different reasons. Readers can go back and track the progression of these threats from the various Avengers titles from writer Jonathan Hickman. Organic and Marvel are two words that do not jell together very well at the big two publishers, but this storyline begs to differ.

This issue is going to be frustrating to some people just based on the content of the book. 10 or so pages of this series are reprinted elsewhere such as Free Comic Book Day: Infinity title. Along with slight variations on pages from New Avengers, where the threat is recapped. While that will already make some hardcore fans angry, the other problem is that this title is $4.99.

The value for many will lie in other places, such as the art by Jim Cheung. This is an artist who does not do very many interiors, but has undeniable talent. His clean style leads to some of the best story telling at the house of ideas. Snow in Latveria is just one of the many images that makes this title really come alive. The more youthful approach to some of the main Marvel characters may see a few detractors.

Understanding this story is going to be different for most casual readers of this event. This is not a comic for people that are not playing close attention to writer Jonathan Hickman’s cryptic web of stories. For many this will be the introduction of nearly fifteen new characters. Along with the concept of the Builders, Gardeners, and the Alephs. Those who do not know characters like S.W.O.R.D. and the Skrulls also should stay away. For those following the saga closely, keeping track of the different players in the issue will still feel like a full time job. The thick plot of the story seems like it will play out in the grandiose style of  the writer. This story spends a considerable amount of time setting up the villains stakes of the plot, which presents a narrative that proves to be quite intriguing. The scope of the builders is more fleshed out in this chapter, yet it is also given a logical reason to attack the earth.

The person who lacks an extended amount of depth, motivation, and screen time is Thanos. The Black Order is shown in full here, along with their individual names thankfully. What they have not quite yet portrayed, is any attack on the strongholds as seen in the latest issue of New Avengers. Readers should look to the books tieing into the event for more information on these major players. A major wildcard at play are The Inhumans. The species has gotten the cold shoulder in the larger universe, and this event is set to put them back in the spotlight again. It seems as if these will be the main heroes teaming up to battle The Mad Titan in the coming installments.

A few others also fall into the background of the issue. Nightmask and Starbrand who both will hopefully play some big roles barely get a few lines of dialogue. Perhaps their stories will play out closer to the end of Hickman’s grand scheme. Equally unsatisfying is watching the Skrulls stumble around trying not to get killed. It is a big mystery why they are included in this ongoing saga. This whole story seems to based around a line of dialogue in the Avengers World arc about expansion. If the heroes do not become bigger they will fall.

Everything is at stake in this comic book event which has the tagline Nothing Lasts Forever. If readers come to this event having done their homework, they will see the art of a genius, and the mind of one of the greatest comic book writers ever completely unleashed.

9.5/10