The Good
Jonathan Hickman has become self-sustaining and cannot be stopped. The power of the sun is in the palm of his hand and he just needs to have an eight-armed aperture fused to his spine to complete the transformation. This issue picks up after last week’s intense, hope-inducing Infinity #3 and the Galactic Council are riding at least a little higher after a legitimate victory against the Builders’ seemingly unstoppable tide. This issue recaps those events with the usual efficiency before moving on to a bit of calm, dialog-heavy planning as well as some very, very interesting developments from the Gardeners. After a few issues of intense space battles and treachery at every turn, it’s good to settle down and take stock, letting the reader and characters catch their breath.
Leinil Yu charges forward on, providing sharp, angular, dark visuals that, nevertheless, keep their clarity. He’s an interesting fit for a book that leans so hard into sci-fi, but he proves that he’s the right man for the job every single issue. His vision of the book, and it's myriad strange denizens is one of the most interesting because of his crisp, highly jagged style. He brings a very unique look to every issue.
The Bad
Certain parts of this issue, and Infinity in general, have to be taken a little for granted and guessed about based on context. There’s a very specific couple of developments with the Gardeners that are definitely significant, but they’re significant because the characters react to them as such rather than the reader having any real context for them. The issue itself is a bit overstuffed with developments, both character and plot, happening in such rapid succession that it can be difficult to keep track of exactly what’s happening to whom.
The Verdict
Hickman’s vision continues on with incredible clarity and impact. This book is incredible for it’s ability to fit seamlessly into the larger narrative of Infinity while simultaneously being friendly to fans of past issues who haven’t kept up with the other titles, or even the main one. Hickman isn’t normally big on recapping or explaining, so it’s great to see him bend that rule since so much goes on in other titles.
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