Comic Review: Infinity Wars #1

Infinity Wars #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Mike Deodato

Wow. I will say here at the start; I like this issue. It’s not what I was expecting, but that’s probably for the best. There’s a lot going on here, some of it good, some of it not so much. I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but one or two might slip in. Both for this issue, and Infinity Wars Prime #1.

The Infinity Stones have all surfaced, and Doctor Strange calls together a new Infinity Watch. Worried that Thanos will come for the stones, they must decide what to do with them. Turk Barrett, who has the mind stone, brings various villains as his backup. A fight breaks out, and in the middle of it the new villain, Requiem, drops in and stops the fighting, demanding the stones for herself.

First of all, I like the assortment of characters that have an Infinity Stone. Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, Adam Warlock, Star-Lord, Black Widow and Turk Barrett each have a stone. The inclusion of Turk and Black Widow will throw a wrench in the gears, in a good way. I like the Infinity Watch approach to it. I don’t think we’ve seen one for a good 15+ years. We don’t entirely know what exactly is going on yet. It’s so far a fight for the Infinity Stones, but something is going on involving Loki and alternate universes.

That brings me to what I didn’t like about this issue. Loki is at the edge of the universe at the God Quarry. According to him, someone is manipulating him, and then an alternate universe Loki drops by. This new Loki carries Mjolnir and all six Infinity Stones and is a hero, but promptly dies. There’s mention of an original universe, but then we cut back to the Infinity Watch. There’s no further explanation. I’m sure it’s going somewhere and will tie into the rest of the story. But, as of now, it feels forced and interrupts the flow of the story.

I’ll keep it short, but you should skip the next paragraph if you want to avoid SPOILERS. Final warning, SPOILERS AHEAD!

The identity of Requiem is also a bit of a letdown. It’s Gamora. She’s tired of guarding the galaxy, and a piece of her is stuck in the soul stone. So she decides to kill Thanos (happened in Infinity Wars Prime #1) and now is after all the stones. I don’t think she was supposed to be Requiem originally, but it’s what we get.

The art by Mike Deodato Jr. is good. I like his style, but I don’t think it’s the best fit for this story. It’s probably just me. I like the way the characters look; there are good details. Where there’s fighting, it looks a little busy, but it’s good. You can tell what’s happening for the most part. But overall, it just feels overly gritty and grim. I can’t say it’s bad, because it isn’t. The tone of the story and the art are just slightly off by a few degrees.  

Like I said at the start, I like this issue. Some of it does feel forced in, and not what Gerry Duggan intended. The art feels like a puzzle piece that’s the right shape, but the wrong size. But I like the overall narrative. It feels like it’s going to be a straight fight over the Infinity Stones, but there are hints that something is going on more than anyone realizes. I don’t think you can read this as a standalone issue, but if you’ve read the Infinity Countdown series, you’ll enjoy this first issue.