Infinity Wars Prime #1

By Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato Jr and Frank Martin

Everything with the word infinity is hot property at Marvel these days. Infinity war is a smash at the box office, the infinity stones are in the books again and a new cross over called Infinity Wars Prime is hitting shelves today. It makes sense for Marvel to bank on the success of the movies, but this issue is very different from anything you’ll see on the screen. The heroes are different, the stones are different, and the new villain is to be very, very different.

Gerry Duggan has really been working his way up the list of great Marvel writers. He’s done lots of good work before, from Deadpool to Uncanny Avengers, but this is one of the best things he’s put out to date. The issue starts a little slow with Loki talking to an Asgardian he’s never met named Flowa. This will no doubt play into the story later, but it is the slowest part in the issue. From there, Duggan takes us to a scintillating exchange between Dr. Strange and Adam Warlock. These are two great players in the Marvel universe and Duggan nails their characterization. A trip to Soul World is in order, and this is where the issue starts to get tense. Duggan doesn’t show us what we want to see, but maybe what we need to see. There is a real threat to our heroes this issue, and we see that no one is safe. The ending of this issue should get people talking, because it’s surprising. These events can be hit or miss, but this is an issue that you should not miss out on. Duggan delivers an exciting first issue that sets the tone for the rest of the series, and may change the Marvel landscape moving forward.



The pencils this issue are handled by Mike Deodato Jr. with colors by Frank Martin. Deodato Jr. is good. There are a couple of graphic death scenes that he nails. Thanos looks big, brooding and menacing when he’s on the page, and that’s a credit to Deodato’s talent. In one panel his right hand is close to the reader and it really gives us some perspective of just how big the mad titan actually is. The panels between Dr. Strange and Adam Warlock are smooth, too. Deodato Jr. just has a way with pencils that makes almost every character look perfect. You’d be hard pressed to find a bad panel in this issue. The colors by Frank Martin really work here too. He uses moody and dull tones, like a light blue as Dr. Strange is in his spirit form. There aren’t many vibrant colors, except for the green coming off of the time stone, which is intentional. Martin uses hard reds as Adam Warlock enters the soul stone, which works out really well here. The combination of the pencils by Deodato Jr and the colors by Frank Martin is a recipe for success on any title.

Infinity Wars Prime is not some silly cash grab, this is a serious title that already has consequences. Gerry Duggan is playing with some top tier characters and that’s not a good thing for any of them. The art team was spectacular and pretty much flawless. This is a book you need to buy.