Infinity #6

By Jonathan Hickman, Jim Chueng and Dustin Weaver

Yes! Finally! After a long line of Marvel events that ended poorly and gave us no closure, they finally end one with a bang instead of a whimper. Modern, big superhero events never really resolve anything; they just attempt to sell you the next major storyline. From a business perspective, that’s understandable. However, if you’re like me and become emotionally invested in the stories, it’s irritating to never receive a proper send out. Infinity cures this ailment by waiting until the epilogue issue (New Avengers #12) to sell us things. In place of the sales pitch is an incredible story with a decisive ending.

Hickman was juggling a ton of plot threads and (almost) every single one is dealt with and wrapped up nicely. The Avengers had their final battle meet a proper end, their alien allies got an appropriate scene so we know where they are, and even the Guardians get their chance to shine. The Illuminati are shown as well, but their story is mostly reserved for New Avengers #12

The majority of the narrative revolves around Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, Hulk, and Hyperion making a final stand by slugging it out with Thanos. The action is wonderfully told and reminds you of the action that makes you love superhero comics in the first place. Without spoiling too much, Hickman managed to make both the victor and the loser of the fight look great, since the loser technically didn’t lose.

The art in this issue is stunning. Jim Chueng’s pencils are perfect for this epic battle. If you stare at some of these panels long enough, you become dumbfounded at the level of detail put into every single page. Dustin Weaver closes things out and his work manages to be less epic, but equal in overall quality. Their styles are also really similar, so if you aren’t paying enough attention to the art, you won’t even notice that they pulled the switch on you.

Infinity is one of the best major events in years. If you have been reading Avengers and New Avengers along with it, it’s even better. All writers of future events need to look at how Infinity was done and take some notes. This entire event has left me with a sense of satisfaction that DC/Marvel hasn’t given me since Infinite Crisis and Civil War.