The Good
Jonathan Hickman writes this issue. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to quantify exactly why that’s a great thing, but here we are, here he is, and we’re now...seven for seven in terms of the quality of this event. This is the book where, more than others, we get to see the psychological toll taken on the heroes and big players of this event. Reed Richards momentarily forgets himself, Beast is unaware of the limitations placed on this group, Dr. Strange is most definitely not himself, Namor and T’Challa are having trouble seeing eye-to-eye and is Tony Stark even HERE any more?? Despite these guys being some of the biggest, heaviest hitters in the Marvel Universe, even their minds are unravelling at just how bad everything’s gotten and how much they’re being stretched to their absolute limits. Tonally this is definitely the darkest book of Infinity and this issue definitely reminds the reader of that with careful, nuanced portrayals of familiar characters.
Mike Deodato really was and is the absolute correct choice for this project. He and Frank Martin, on colors, match the darker, more bleak outlook that this book has. The characters communicate so much to each other and the reader without saying anything (and that’s not even counting Black Bolt). Some things are obvious, some are inferred but with the art being as top-notch as it is, both work equally well because there are ticks and tells behind the eyes of all the main characters. This is one of the most interesting books to read as well as just look at.
The Bad
Can’t think of anything. Even if you’re a fan of New Avengers and don’t care about Infinity, this is remarkably self-contained and could have just been its own arc in the series.
The Verdict
Whether you’re fully invested in Infinity or not, whether you’re a longtime reader of New Avengers or just love superhero comics in general, there’s not a single reason not to pick up this title. Grab the previous ones if you can find them, but rest assured that this is an easy book to follow and catch up on. I feel like how great it is might be getting swallowed up or overshadowed by the other Infinity titles because, as I stated before, this would have worked without the tie-in. Absolute highest recommendation.