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nathaniel_1206's review
4.0
Starlin is an intriguing writer, and since this is, essentially part one, I'm not going to comment too much on plot. In light of the little I know about where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going, this is an interesting road map? preview? something. If nothing else it certainly explains Guardians of the Galaxy getting such a (relatively) early movie. It also provides some background on Gamora, which for the life of me couldn't remember a thing about.
motheralwayssad's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
dcataldo's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tdwightdavis's review
3.0
Not nearly as good as The Infinity Gauntlet was. It actually has significantly less war than that book did. Art is still pretty, but not nearly as good either and the writing in this one alternated between pulpy seriousness and slapstick humor in a way that felt inorganic. Not bad, but not good either.
andreasbookishthoughts's review
3.0
actual rating 3.5 stars
really enjoyed this comic. I do want to say that I did know going into it that it had nothing to do with Avengers Infinity War the movie and I do think that that is important to know going into the story.
really enjoyed this comic. I do want to say that I did know going into it that it had nothing to do with Avengers Infinity War the movie and I do think that that is important to know going into the story.
alchemypotato's review
3.0
This book was... OK. Unfortunately it has less of what was good about Infinity Gauntlet and more of what was boring about about Infinity Gauntlet. The art was also really hit or miss. Lots of bad 90s anatomical proportions.
I did like seeing Thanos as more of an anti-hero and appreciate that he didn't just become a villain again. And it was good seeing the Fantastic Four and X-Men having larger roles. But the whole thing was weighed down in self-importance and stuff too big and cosmic to have emotional resonance and once again far too much focus on Adam Warlock.
This book isn't bad. It has moments of entertainment but ultimately it feels hollow. The sort of thing that might've appealed to me at age 10 but not at age 35.
I did like seeing Thanos as more of an anti-hero and appreciate that he didn't just become a villain again. And it was good seeing the Fantastic Four and X-Men having larger roles. But the whole thing was weighed down in self-importance and stuff too big and cosmic to have emotional resonance and once again far too much focus on Adam Warlock.
This book isn't bad. It has moments of entertainment but ultimately it feels hollow. The sort of thing that might've appealed to me at age 10 but not at age 35.
mcacev's review
4.0
Infinity War is the sequel series to Infinity Gauntlet, written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Tom Raney and John Lim. It follows several groups of characters on their quest to uncover who is behind the mysterious attacks and energy sources that keep appearing across the universe. It soon becomes clear that the being behind all of that is Magus, Adam Warlock's evil shade who is after one thing; the power of the Infinity Stones.
This is an excellent sequel to the original story, taking threads and plot-lines from both that story and the subsequent stories spanning from its aftermath, and feels cosmic and important, just like the original. The focus here is more on characters, rather than the cosmic entities and the fate of the universe, which makes the story that much more grounded and personal; I felt much more invested in the fates of Adam Warlock, Thanos, Doom, and Galactus, than I did previously. It helps that there is also some stellar character development, especially for Thanos and Adam Warlock and I genuinely liked a lot of their interactions.
Another great improvement, is that unlike the original, the pacing here is much better; instead of 4 issues of set up and 2 issues of fighting, here, we get smaller fights from the first issue onward interspersed with character development and the plot. It helps that the story follows all these different groups as they uncover what is actually happening, so it feels like more of a mystery to figure out what Magus' plan is.
There are still problems however. Magus' plan, though clever, feels incredibly convoluted. It relies on several heavy coincidences, like having the heroes, Galactus and Thanos arrive on the planet at the exact appropriate time, or somehow knowing that the individual attacks will take out the specific targets he needs, but also fail against the targets he needs them not to succeed against. His dialogue with Thanos and Adam was great, but as a villain he's much less interesting than Thanos; his motivation is just 'I want to be a god' and 'I'm awesome' which gets tiring pretty quickly. He doesn't even do anything insane with the powers he has like Thanos did with his; if you're going to be a megalomaniacal evil villain at least have the good sense to spell your name out in planets.
Another issue I had was with Earth's heroes. While they do do a little more here and they are more present in the story, they are still mostly wholly unnecessary as they come no close to being a threat to Magus. Moreover their entire presence is due to Magus manipulating them, and they serve as nothing more than a distraction for the Living Tribunal and Eternity.
Speaking of, I loved how clever Magus' plan was with tricking Eternity and the Tribunal to reactivate the gauntlet as he steals it from Adam, and also Adam and Thanos' plan to switch out the reality gem. I also really liked the final reveal with Adam's good side, and I can't wait to see where Infinity Crusade will take that.
This trade also comes with 4 issues of the Infinity Guard and 4 issues of Wolverine and Nightcrawler.
Infinity Guard, follows Adam's crew, and the issues are are just ok. They fill in on things that happen in between the story like how Thanos finds them, how they end up on Monster island, how Gamora wakes Eternity and how Thanos defeats his doppelganger. The issue with Gamora is the best and yet somehow the worst; let's just say I really appreciate that they changed her backstory in the movies.
As for the Wolverine and Nightcrawler ones, the art is terrible, and the first one is just an extended fight scene. There is some interesting stuff here with Thanos having to make a choice between Death and Adam Warlock, but while the debate is interesting, we all know the outcome. Like it's a trade and I already finished the main story. Oh no, such suspense.
Overall, great main story, could have done without the tie-ins and can't wait to read the next one.
This is an excellent sequel to the original story, taking threads and plot-lines from both that story and the subsequent stories spanning from its aftermath, and feels cosmic and important, just like the original. The focus here is more on characters, rather than the cosmic entities and the fate of the universe, which makes the story that much more grounded and personal; I felt much more invested in the fates of Adam Warlock, Thanos, Doom, and Galactus, than I did previously. It helps that there is also some stellar character development, especially for Thanos and Adam Warlock and I genuinely liked a lot of their interactions.
Another great improvement, is that unlike the original, the pacing here is much better; instead of 4 issues of set up and 2 issues of fighting, here, we get smaller fights from the first issue onward interspersed with character development and the plot. It helps that the story follows all these different groups as they uncover what is actually happening, so it feels like more of a mystery to figure out what Magus' plan is.
There are still problems however. Magus' plan, though clever, feels incredibly convoluted. It relies on several heavy coincidences, like having the heroes, Galactus and Thanos arrive on the planet at the exact appropriate time, or somehow knowing that the individual attacks will take out the specific targets he needs, but also fail against the targets he needs them not to succeed against. His dialogue with Thanos and Adam was great, but as a villain he's much less interesting than Thanos; his motivation is just 'I want to be a god' and 'I'm awesome' which gets tiring pretty quickly. He doesn't even do anything insane with the powers he has like Thanos did with his; if you're going to be a megalomaniacal evil villain at least have the good sense to spell your name out in planets.
Another issue I had was with Earth's heroes. While they do do a little more here and they are more present in the story, they are still mostly wholly unnecessary as they come no close to being a threat to Magus. Moreover their entire presence is due to Magus manipulating them, and they serve as nothing more than a distraction for the Living Tribunal and Eternity.
Speaking of, I loved how clever Magus' plan was with tricking Eternity and the Tribunal to reactivate the gauntlet as he steals it from Adam, and also Adam and Thanos' plan to switch out the reality gem. I also really liked the final reveal with Adam's good side, and I can't wait to see where Infinity Crusade will take that.
This trade also comes with 4 issues of the Infinity Guard and 4 issues of Wolverine and Nightcrawler.
Infinity Guard, follows Adam's crew, and the issues are are just ok. They fill in on things that happen in between the story like how Thanos finds them, how they end up on Monster island, how Gamora wakes Eternity and how Thanos defeats his doppelganger. The issue with Gamora is the best and yet somehow the worst; let's just say I really appreciate that they changed her backstory in the movies.
As for the Wolverine and Nightcrawler ones, the art is terrible, and the first one is just an extended fight scene. There is some interesting stuff here with Thanos having to make a choice between Death and Adam Warlock, but while the debate is interesting, we all know the outcome. Like it's a trade and I already finished the main story. Oh no, such suspense.
Overall, great main story, could have done without the tie-ins and can't wait to read the next one.
grantruby's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
buffalokid's review
3.0
Keep reading but definitely didn't hold my interest for the entire time. Adam Warlock is a trippy character, and Thanos again is a mastermind that keeps the pages going. Otherwise, a little too many characters hoping in and out which makes it distracting to the story line. Starlin and team definitely thought it out, but still not as good as Gauntlet.