Review: THE INFINITY GAUNTLET #1

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THE INFINITY GAUNTLET #1
Written by Dustin Weaver, Gerry Duggan
Art by Dustin Weaver
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: May 27, 2015

One of the most iconic pieces of apparel in the Marvel Universe is sought after in one of the realms of Battleworld in The Infinity Gauntlet #1 by Dustin Weaver and Gerry Duggan.

Weaver and Duggan structure this issue well, giving readers a family to latch on to and then sending them through an intense adventure of survival in a realm that has been overrun by a horde of bugs. It is unclear if this is a Negative Zone or something else entirely, but the fact remains that this family is in grave danger and it looks like most everyone else has died at some point during the invasion. Duggan’s script is solid, with the family interacting in a very natural way. I was surprised by how quickly I was worried for their safety, and how quickly Weaver and Duggan sucked me into this story at an emotional level. This is a terrifying realm they are in, and I legit didn’t want any of them to be hurt. Their rage is palpable for their situation, but when it comes to survival the issue changes in tone very quickly. The frantic scramble to survive takes over and I liked the way Duggan did the narration of the panels. The design of the narration boxes drove home how young the kids in the family are, and juxtaposed the danger of the situation very nicely. Props to Albert Deschesne for the design, and to Duggan for the script within the boxes. Duggan’s dialogue for a certain shadowy figure is ominous and intriguing, as well and I can’t wait to here this character speak a little more in the future.

Dustin Weaver is credited as a storyteller and it is good that the synergy between Duggan and Weaver is acknowledged in that way. I’m not sure if this was written Marvel style or what the collaborative process was, but there is no doubting this was a collaboration where Weaver had a hand in how this story was told. His artwork is brilliantly cohesive with the script and dialogue and…hell, his artwork is just brilliant as well. Weaver captures the terror of this world very well, and the panicked fight for survival actually had me stressed as I was reading it. He did a great job infusing his pencils with the emotions of the family and, at times, it feels like we are running from the bugs as well. He excels at the emotional aspect of the issue as well as the huge action and the last couple pages are both ominous and fantastic. Considering the title of the book, and the cover you can imagine who is going to be heavily involved and Weaver does the big purple baddie some serious justice.

The Infinity Gauntlet #1 is a great comic and a very solid Secret Wars tie-in. Weaver and Duggan take readers deeper into a ravaged realm of Battleworld and I can tell you right now I want to know more about this place, this family, what happened and what is going to come next. The creative team had me emotionally invested from the outset and I can’t wait to see where they take The Infinity Gauntlet as Secret Wars continues.

The Verdict: 9.0/10

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One Comment;

  1. db fan said:

    I was expecting to like this book, but not nearly this much. I’m kind of starting to see what creators are saying about Battleworld giving an opportunity to do stories they could never do otherwise. This was just stellar.

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