Writer: Gerry Dugan
Artist: Mike Deodato
Colors: Frank Martin
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Once again the Infinity Stones (AKA the Infinity Gems) are becoming the focal point for yet another Marvel event. Since the 8th iteration of the Marvel Universe began in the wake of Secret Wars the six stones (Soul, Mind, Time, Space, Power, & Reality) have been popping up throughout the Marvel Universe and the hunt is on to track them down. This is the premise for Infinity Countdown and Infinity Countdown: Prime serves as a primer as to where the stones are currently located in the Marvel Universe.
I can’t say I’m excited for Infinity Countdown and Infinity Countdown: Prime did not help get me excited. I enjoyed the Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock special from a couple of weeks ago but this book does little to draw the reader in. Where that issue was a fun look at the history of Adam Warlock with beautiful artwork by Mike and Laura Allred this issue is a somewhat boring place setter that simply establishes where the Infinity Gems Stones. There’s some entertainment, such as Wolverine and Loki’s interaction and the return of Turk, most famous form Frank Miller’s Daredevil run and current comedic foal for the Marvel Netflix shows. But there’s more disappointment then entertainment. Mike Deodato has never been a favorite of mine and his artwork looks out of place in the Cosmic Marvel Universe. His dark and gritty style feels more at home with a street level book or the Dark Avengers days. I like Gerry Duggan but his humorous charm is absent in this issue and the end of the book is ten pages of summary of the history of the Infinity Stones. Marvel even somehow messed this up since any reader of the Ultimates and the Ulitmates² knows that the current iteration of the Marvel Universe is the 8th, not the 9th as is stated in Infinity Countdown: Prime, unless I missed a world shattering universe rearranging event in the past year…. Which with Marvel is a possibility. The rest of the cast is predictable since you can’t have anything Infinity Stone related without Thanos and all cosmic Marvel tales must now include the Guardians of the Galaxy and toss in a Nova for good measure and moments that were meant to be shocking just weren’t.
Verdict: If the goal of Infinity Countdown: Prime is to get the reader interested and to invest in the Infinity Countdown event coming this spring then sadly it fails. The comic is a place setter that does little to draw the reader in. I was more intrigued after reading Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock then I was by reading this issue. At this point I’m not sure I care how Infinity Countdown is going to change the Marvel Universe forever.
