The Infinity Gauntlet #1-6 (July – December 1991)
Written by Jim Starlin
Pencilled by George Pérez (#1-4), Ron Lim (#4-6)
Inked by Joe Rubinstein( #1-6), Tom Christopher (#1), Bruce N. Solotoff (#4)
Colour by Max Scheele (#1-6), Ian Laughlin (#1, 3-5), Evelyn Stein (#6)
Spoilers (from thirty-one years ago)
I’ve been revisiting the Silver Surfer for the last little while, having wanted to read Marshall Roger’s too-short run. I’d thought I might end my reading with Steve Englehart left the book, but I found I got sucked into Jim Starlin’s story. I wasn’t going to bother with The Infinity Gauntlet, wanting to stick with the Surfer, but as Starlin’s issues, and the supplemental The Thanos Quest piled up, I found myself more and more interested in the main event of the early 90s.
Then I remembered that it was George Pérez who drew this miniseries, and I knew I had to include it in my reading. Over the last few months, a good chunk of the comics portion of my Twitter timeline has been devoted to giving Pérez (who has been diagnosed as not having a lot of time left) his flowers, and while I’ve recently read and written about his New Teen Titans and Wonder Woman work in these columns (his Avengers run with Kurt Busiek was one of the reasons I started doing these columns in the first place), I haven’t seen anyone mention this event.
At the start of this miniseries, Jim Starlin had returned Thanos to life and Marvel continuity after a lengthy absence. He had Death give him a mission to depopulate the galaxy by half. To help with this, Thanos tracked down and acquired the six Infinity Gems (née Soul Gems), and stuck them to his glove. With their powers, he acquired omnipotence, and the subservience of Mephisto, but he was not able to gain the love and respect he desired from Death. He spent time toying with the Silver Surfer, whom he believes is the only being capable of stopping him, before preparing for his mission.
When we last saw the Surfer, he was on his way to Earth to warn the planet’s heroes, but an encounter with Thanos left him injured. On the last page of issue 50, he collapsed as he flew through the skylight at Doctor Strange’s Greenwich Village home…
Let’s track who turned up in the title:
Heroes
- Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange; #1-3, 5-6)
- The Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd; #1-6)
- Pip the Troll (#1-3, 6)
- Adam Warlock (#1-6)
- Gamora (#1, 6)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker; #1, 3-4, 6)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers, Avengers; #1-4, 6)
- Sersi (Avengers; #1, 6)
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton, Avengers West Coast; #1, 6)
- Nick Fury (Director of SHIELD; #1-3)
- Valentina de Fontaine (SHIELD; #1, 3)
- Hulk (Bruce Banner; #1, 3-6)
- Starfox (Eros; #1-6)
- Firelord (#1-6)
- Drax, the Destroyer (#1-6)
- She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters, Avengers; #2-4)
- Thor (Eric Masterson, Avengers; #2-6)
- Vision (Avengers; #2-4, 6)
- Quasar (Wendell Vaughn, Avengers; #2-4, 6)
- Dr. Pym (Henry Pym, Avengers West Coast; #2)
- Cloak (Tyrone Johnson; #2-4, 6)
- Wolverine (Logan, X-Men; #2-4)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark, Avengers; #2-4, 6)
- Human Torch (Jim Hammond, Avengers West Coast; #2)
- Wonder Man (Simon Williams, Avengers West Coast; #2)
- Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff, Avengers West Coast; #2-4)
- Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie; #2-4, 6)
- Namorita (Namorita Prentiss; #2)
- Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff, Avengers; #2-3)
- Nova (Richard Ryder, New Warriors; #3-4)
- Cyclops (Scott Summers, X-Factor; #3-4)
- Moon Knight (Marc Spector; #3)
- Dagger (Tandy Bowen; #6)
Villains
- Thanos (#1-6)
- Mephisto (#1-5)
- Death (#1-5)
- Nebula (#1-6)
- Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom; #2-6)
- Terraxia (#3-5)
- Annihilus (#5)
Guest Stars
- Empress S’byll (Skrull Empress; #1)
- Mentor (#1, 6)
- ISAAC (computer on Titan; #1)
- Epoch (#2-3, 5-6)
- Odin (#2)
- Manitou (#2)
- Svarog (#2)
- Tezcatlipoca (#2)
- Zeus (#2)
- Itzamna (#2)
- Osiris (#2)
- Nuada (#2)
- Galactus (#2-6)
- Eternity (#3-5)
- The Watcher (Uatu; #3-6)
- Lord Chaos (#3-6)
- Master Order (#3-6)
- The Living Tribunal (#3)
- The Stranger (#3-6)
- Love (#3-6)
- Hate (#3-6)
- Kronos/Chronos (#3-6)
- Celestials (#3-6)
Supporting Characters
- Wong (#1)
- Rintrah (#2-3, 6)
- Mary Jane Parker (#6)
Let’s take a look at what happened in these books, with some commentary as we go:
- Thanos and Mephisto are on a barren planet talking about Thanos’s power (this was a recurring theme in the Silver Surfer run leading up to this event). Thanos is ready to put his awesome powers to work. Doctor Strange is trying to relax at home with his servant, Wong, when he hears a crash in his house. He discovers the Silver Surfer has crashed through his skylight. He’s there to warn Strange of Thanos. He helpfully recaps recent events, explaining how Death restored Thanos to life, increasing his power, so he can kill half the living beings in the universe. To show Mephisto his power, Thanos destroys the world they are standing on, and prominently displays the Infinity Gems on his gauntlet. The Surfer continues his story, explaining how he gathered the Infinity Gems, making himself more powerful than Death herself. The narrative switches to follow three people – two men and a woman – who recently robbed a liquor store, killed a man, and then spent the day drinking. They get into their car and, driving away, end up going over a cliff. The Surfer continues to talk about how he and Drax were not able to fight Thanos, and instead got trapped inside the Soul Gem, where they met Adam Warlock and some others. He explains how Warlock freed them, and although he was delayed, the Surfer came to Earth to warn everyone and get help. Thanos and Mephisto travel to Death’s realm, where Death still won’t speak to Thanos. The unseen (but it’s kind of obvious that it’s Pip the Troll) talks about how he and his two friends took over the bodies of the three criminals, and searched somewhere where they could heal their new bodies. The woman starts to turn a little green. Mephisto wonders if Thanos is going to be able to manage his new powers, as he has a limited way of thinking and seeing the world. Thanos pines after Death, and her servant explains that now that he is superior to Death, she finds his love a form of bondage. To impress her, Thanos builds a massive temple to Death, wanting her to rule alongside him, but she turns away again. Mephisto suggests that Thanos is not dark enough, so Thanos summons his burned and half-dead granddaughter, Nebula, to show Death how twisted he can be. Death turns away from him again, so Thanos destroys her servant. He is upset that she still rejects him, but Mephisto reminds him that he never completed his original mission. He stands at the edge of his temple and raises his gauntleted hand. In a scene that made it straight into the Avengers movies, he snaps his fingers. In New York, Spider-Man is webswinging when his spider-sense goes mad, and he watches as half the people in Times Square disappear. He rushes home to check on his wife. Captain America enters Avengers headquarters, and sees Sersi, and Hawkeye, who is visiting from the west coast. He picks up a file from Sersi, and then his two friends disappear. Nick Fury is in a helicarrier that appears to be in a low Earth orbit, speaking to the President about how half of the people on the planet have disappeared. He tells Valentina de Fontaine that he thinks this is going to be bad. The Hulk (this is the jumpsuit era) is drinking at a bar when he hears about what’s happened. He knows that Rick Jones has disappeared, and believes this has something to do with the Abomination. In the Skrull Empire, Empress S’byll assumes that the sudden loss of half her subjects has been done by the Kree, and she prepares to go to war. As the Surfer and Strange speak, Wong disappears. The Surfer can feel that billions are dying around the universe, and he collapses. On Titan, Starfox brings his friend Firelord to Mentor and Drax, the Destroyer, to talk about Firelord helping them find and fight Thanos. Mentor disappears, and Drax blames Firelord until ISAAC, the AI that runs Titan, reports that half of the population is gone. Pip narrates the end of the issue. He finds his new body improving, and while he talks to Gamora, she disappears. He rushes into the adjoining room in the motel they’re at, and finds that Warlock is in a cocoon.
- Some Avengers – She-Hulk, Vision, and Thor (this is the Eric Masterson era) respond to save an airplane that lost both its pilots when Thanos snapped his fingers. Quasar is summoned by Epoch, the being that directs him in his role as ‘cosmic guardian’. The Kree believe that their sudden depopulation was caused by the Skrulls, and prepare to go to war. Doctor Strange has called on Hank Pym to consult on the Silver Surfer, who is slowly recovering from his ordeals. Strange enters into a trance and communicates with a powerful being who believes he can stop Thanos with Strange’s help. To gain his trust, he lets him see inside his soul, and Strange is shocked by how much this being (who we all know is Adam Warlock) has seen. Doctor Doom charts the energies involved in the depopulation event, and sees a connection to Strange’s home. He wants to know what is going on , and how he can gain from it. Drax, Firelord, and Starfox learn about what’s happened from a computer, but then Eros also disappears. He finds himself at the new temple Thanos built, a prisoner of his mad brother. Thanos tells him they are there for a family reunion, and when Eros tries to use his powers of suggestion, Thanos makes his mouth disappear. Captain America stands in front of a screen showing heroes who have disappeared (including all of the Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and some others) as She-Hulk and Vision try to contact as many remaining heroes as possible. Thor worries about being discovered for not being Thor. In Asgard, Odin meets with the sky gods of other pantheons (only Zeus is a recurring Marvel character), to get them to agree to work together. Epoch has Quasar wait somewhere in space for something to happen. Pip the Troll, now looking more troll-like, watches Alf on TV until Warlock emerges from his cocoon, and blows the wall out of the motel in the process. Doom has Doctor Strange captive, and attacks the Silver Surfer. He demands to know what’s happened, but the two heroes are rescued by Adam Warlock. Thanos tortures Starfox and Nebula to try to appease Death, who still ignores him. Eros realizes his brother is truly insane now. Warlock, the Surfer, Strange, and Doom talk, and Warlock insists that he is the only person who can lead the fight against Thanos, which Doom disagrees with. The others agree to follow him. Thanos uses more elaborate ways to torture his relatives, and gets more angry with Death for ignoring him. In his rage, he sends out a blast of force powerful enough to explode a nearby star. The forcewave of his tantrum extends through the universe, carrying destruction with it. Galactus is about to eat a planet that is destroyed by this wave, but he holds his anger in check. He calculates the impact the wave will have on Earth, assuming it will have dissipated to only 2% of its force. Cloak contemplates suicide, having lost Dagger, when an earthquake collapses the building he’s standing on. Wolverine rescues a woman and her child from falling debris. Iron Man is in space trying to study energy signals when the wave hits him and sends him falling back towards the Earth. He manages to reboot his armor but finds that the entire west coast of the USA has fallen into the ocean. He connects with the Avengers West Coast (Human Torch, Wonder Man, and Scarlet Witch) and they survey the ruins of Los Angeles. Odin realizes that the Rainbow Bridge is broken and that Asgard is cut off from Midgard, trapping him and the other gods there. Zeus consoles him that it wasn’t his fault. Sub-Mariner investigates tremors under the ocean, and discovers massive volcanoes that have emerged from the sea floor suddenly, sending tidal waves towards the land. Namorita is flying through Atlantic City and sees two young lovers on the boardwalk as a giant wave approaches. She saves them, but the wave ruins the city (we see the Trump Casino get washed away). Thor flies over the place where Japan once was, and reports that the entire nation is gone. Cap and the Avengers (joined by Black Widow) continue to coordinate heroes, while Scarlet Witch does the same in the west. They survey how much damage there is. Strange’s house was not damaged, while the rest of the Village is in ruins. Warlock knows this disaster was caused by Thanos.
- Thanos continues to show off his powers to Mephisto by torturing Starfox, but is sad that he still can’t win Death’s favor. A SHIELD scientist realizes that the shockwave sent by Thanos has knocked the Earth out of its orbit, signaling cold death for the planet. The Surfer, Dr. Strange, Dr. Doom, and Warlock continue to discuss their course of action, until Warlock figures it’s time to depart and Strange teleports them all away. They appear in the Avengers’ HQ, surprising Captain America, Thor, and She-Hulk. Warlock tells them he’s there to raise an army. Black Widow is in a part of the city that was badly hurt by the shockwave, and while she’s able to save a baby from a burning building, she’s not able to rescue a woman, and needs comforting from some of the survivors. Strange starts teleporting other heroes to join their cause, bringing in Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Drax, Firelord, Nova, Namor, Cloak, Cyclops, and the Scarlet Witch. The Hulk refuses to join them at first, but Cap says he can be an Avenger, so he gives in. Once the forces are assembled, Doom makes a play to be the leader, and Cap has to stare him down. Warlock and the Surfer depart through a portal. Moon Knight surveys the burning Hudson River and wonders how much worse things will get. Spider-Man gives Cloak a pep talk that he’s not sure he believes himself. Quasar and Epoch arrive at their destination, and are joined by the Surfer and Warlock. They are then joined by a bevy of cosmic beings – Eternity, the Watcher, Order, Chaos, the Living Tribunal, the Stranger, Love, Hate, some Celestials, Kronos, and Galactus. Eternity and the Tribunal discuss whether or not Thanos can unbalance all of existence, and decide that this is all natural selection, and they bow out. Warlock wants the help of the other cosmic beings, but now it’s Galactus’s turn to want to be in charge. Warlock shows that Galactus can’t hurt him, and some of the other beings decide to throw in behind Warlock. She-Hulk and Vision discuss how they’ve always beaten Thanos in the past because he subconsciously didn’t want to win. They worry that won’t be the case this time. Iron Man and Doom almost get into a fight, and the other heroes have to separate them. Cap makes it clear to Doom that he needs to tow the line, and that’s when Warlock and the Surfer return, with Quasar. Warlock says he’s close to sharing his plan, but first needs to talk to Wolverine. Logan’s on the roof with the Hulk, and everyone worries they’ll fight. Thanos and Mephisto talk about the fact that the Watcher is hovering over their temple, which Thanos sees as a sign that the heroes are about to attack. Hulk and Logan are actually getting along when Warlock joins them and asks them to take any opportunity to kill Thanos that they get – he sees them as the only two who might have no problem doing this. Logan notices that it’s starting to snow. Thanos is still frustrated that Death is ignoring him (really, this plotline is creepy), so he creates the perfect woman for him, Terraxia The Terrible, and then as she kisses him, he looks at Death some more. Warlock is ready to make his move, and has Strange cast a spell so everyone can breathe in space, and then open a portal for all the heroes to go through. He and the Surfer head somewhere else, where the Surfer can just see Thanos’s temple in the distance. He tells him that the others are really being used as cannon fodder and a distraction. The other heroes jump in and make their attack on the temple.
- The heroes move into attack position, and Thanos freezes time to contemplate what to do. Starfox, who is not frozen, narrates the issue throughout. Mephisto reminds Thanos that Warlock and the Silver Surfer watch from a distance, and then stops Thanos from immediately killing everyone. Instead, he suggests that he put himself in danger to impress Death, since he assumes she’ll like seeing him show courage. Thanos limits his powers by removing all of his extra-sensory and cosmic awareness. Eros notices that Mephisto is up to something, and hopes he’ll succeed. He also notices that Nebula is not paying attention to any of what is happening. Thanos turns time back on, and the initial attacks on him go nowhere, since he’s moved. Drax and Hulk each land a punch on him at the same time, sending him flying, but when they pile on them, he pushes Drax away, and shrinks the Hulk. Vision tries to fry Thanos with his beam, but it does nothing. Captain America directs his troops, and Namor and She-Hulk start beating on the Titan. The Surfer narrates for Warlock, and is reminded that they are waiting for something in particular. Thanos puts something on Namor and She-Hulk that grows and encases them in rock or putty. Thor knocks Thanos down with Mjolnir, but can’t push the attack when Dr. Doom goes after the Gauntlet. Thanos sends him flying, his armor barely intact. He then teleports Mjolnir away, giving Thor only one minute before he’ll revert to Eric Masterson. Thanos tosses him into space, and then resists Firelord’s attack. Wolverine pounces and sinks his claws into Thanos’s chest, but Thanos turns the mutant’s skeleton into rubber. Eternity appears to Warlock, who admonishes him to wait for the right moment before Thanos senses that the cosmic being is involved. Cyclops and the Scarlet Witch attack Thanos from opposite sides, but Thanos kills Wanda. Scott shuts off his eyebeam, making Thanos stagger just as Iron Man attacks. Terraxia gets into the fight, pulling Stark away, and Thanos puts a block of force around Cyclops, suffocating him. When Vision tries to attack, Thanos pulls his circuitry from his chest. Thor makes it back to the platform just as he turns into Eric Masterson, and finds he can’t breathe. Captain America rants, distracting Thanos from Cloak, who envelops him momentarily, before being ripped apart. Thanos starts to boast. As Drax attacks, Terraxia rips off Iron Man’s head. Firelord tries to choke Thanos with his staff. Starfox notices that Nebula is not paying attention to what’s happening, and assumes she’s lost her mind. Mjolnir returns, and Eric is able to grab it and turn back into Thor. Thanos tosses Firelord and Drax back through time to prehistoric Earth. Spider-Man webs up Thanos’s face, making it easier for Thor to attack again, but Thanos turns him into glass. Nova moves in to keep Thanos from shattering him, but Thanos turns him into a pile of little cubes and smashes Thor anyway. Quasar moves in, boasting of his quantum bands, which Thanos explodes. He then kills Quasar. The only hero left is Captain America, who moves towards Thanos. Warlock tells the Surfer to be ready to move. Cap tries to fight Thanos, who has the platform grip his ankles, and then smashes his shield. As Thanos prepares to smash Cap with the Gauntlet, Warlock sends the Surfer in. He flies at great speed, but just misses his chance to grab the Gauntlet off Thanos’s hand. Realizing that he almost lost the fight, Thanos restores his cosmic senses and kills Cap with a backhand blow, like an afterthought. Warlock realizes that his first plan was a failure, so he calls on Eternity to make the next move. A variety of cosmic beings – a pair of Celestials, Order, Chaos, the Stranger, Kronos, Galactus, Love, and Hate appear in space next to the Watcher.
- The Watcher begins to narrate the fifth issue, which has no George Pérez art in it at all (I had forgotten that happened), as Thanos prepares to confront the various cosmic beings (which now include Epoch, who is called Eon sometimes?). Mephisto plays with Starfox a bit, making it clear he’s not likely to survive this conflict unless Thanos restores him, like he did Nebula. Doctor Strange talks to Warlock from Earth, and learns that many of the heroes were sent elsewhere in time and space (although it seemed clear last issue that they were killed). The battle begins, with a massive wave of energy that destroys worlds. Eros is shocked to learn that Death has saved him and Nebula. The Surfer spots a cascade of inter-dimensional distortion, and he and Warlock flee it. The wave hits Earth, and Annihilus leads an invasion of the ever-colder planet from the Negative Zone. The Celestials throw planets at Thanos, and then Chronos sends him through time. Order and Chaos try to ‘dichotomize’ him, and Galactus, the Stranger, and Epoch/Eon throw wild amounts of energy at him. None are successful. Neither are Love and Hate, who play with his emotions. Mephisto makes his play for the Gauntlet, and Thanos almost kills him, but Death intervenes. He is hurt by her betrayal, and then all the cosmic beings, including Death, attack at once. Thanos freezes them all. The Surfer wants to search for survivors, but Warlock reveals the extent of the destruction. Eternity appears before Thanos, and their battle is depicted as a maelstrom of white. The Surfer can’t figure out who won, but Warlock has a good idea. He calls on Doctor Strange to bring them back to Earth. Starfox worries that everything is lost, while Terraxia freaks out that Thanos’s body seems inert. He’s taken on a semblance of Eternity’s cosmic self, and has no need for his body anymore. This is when mad, burned Nebula makes her move and grabs the Infinity Gauntlet, instantly restoring herself and returning Thanos to his mortal state. She points at Thanos and Terraxia and they disappear. Warlock senses this. Terraxia is not able to withstand space, and dies instantly, while Thanos floats until Strange opens a portal and brings him to Earth as well. The Surfer attacks him, but Strange opens another portal, bringing Thor, the Hulk, Dr. Doom, Firelord, and Drax back. They pull the two men apart. Nebula struggles to manage the power that comes flooding into her. Warlock has shared a plan with the others, and once again, Doom stirs discord, suggesting that Warlock and Thanos are partners in this. Warlock and Thanos have a conversation in secret, in which Warlock reveals that he understands Thanos better than he does himself, and that he keeps providing the key to his own destruction. Thanos agrees to work with him. The group of heroes (and Doom) head off to attack Nebula, while the others hang back. Nebula talks to Starfox about her plans, and senses the coming attack. She restrains the heroes easily, and tells Starfox that three more are coming to stop her, including Thanos. That’s when Thanos, the Surfer, Strange, and Warlock appear, but again, Nebula can’t seem to see one of them (likely Warlock). They prepare for a final fight.
- As Nebula and Thanos talk and posture, Warlock moves behind her. She’s unable to see him at all. She encases Thanos in rock and continues to argue with him about his goals. Warlock signals to Doctor Strange, who prepares a spell behind his back. Nebula uses the Gauntlet to restore things to the way they were twenty-four hours before, which means we see Hulk back in a bar, Firelord, Drax, Starfox, and Mentor returned to Titan. Cloak embraces Dagger. Doctor Doom, Namor, and Thor brood, while Iron Man, Quasar, and Vision stand around in their homes or bases. The Earth returns to its place in orbit, and warms up, while Captain America chats with Sersi and Hawkeye, and Spider-Man goes to see his wife. Thanos points out the folly of Nebula’s choice, as she returns to her burned and misshapen form, and Thanos is freed. He reaches for the Gauntlet, but Nebula restores herself, encasing him again. This is when Warlock makes his move, but when he grabs the Gauntlet, its energy strikes the Surfer, and Nebula knocks Warlock off the platform. She figures out that Strange kept them all in a time bubble, and Thanos points out that other beings were restored too. The group of cosmic beings, excepting Death and Eternity, appear before her and attack. The Surfer wakes up in Soulworld, the space inside the Soul Gem, with Warlock beside him. Adam explains that he’s come there to gather power. Adam has a plan to defeat Thanos, but needs the Surfer to be his spiritual anchor. The cosmic beings fight Nebula as one. The Surfer now knows Warlock’s plan but doesn’t understand how Warlock can be so detached from humanity. He explains that his emotions are cauterized, as he begins to grow bigger than Soulworld. Nebula gains the upper hand on the cosmic beings. Warlock has become the Soul Gem. On Earth, Gamora and Iron Man join Pip and Rintrah at Doctor Strange’s. Warlock starts to infiltrate the remaining Gems. Nebula is triumphant, and has turned the cosmic beings into statues. She boasts to her grandfather, but that’s when Adam makes his move. The Gauntlet hurts Nebula, and she drops it. Strange decides it’s time to call in some reserves. Thanos breaks free and moves for the Gauntlet. Thor, Drax, Starfox, and Hulk appear and move against Thanos, while Strange tries to magic the Gauntlet over to him. Nebula knocks it away from him, and they all dive for it. It turns into a big pile-on, with Drax fighting the Hulk. The Gems give off light, and we see that Adam Warlock now wears the Gauntlet (the Surfer is back too). He releases the cosmic beings, sending them on their way. Thanos insists that the Gauntlet should be his, but Warlock makes it clear that he is in charge now, promising to use his new powers wisely. Drax wants Thanos, but he slaps him and the Hulk, and activates a thermonuclear (the book says thermal nuclear, but…) bomb on his belt, saying he’d rather die than be imprisoned. Thor hits him with his hammer, sending him flying away to explode away from them. Starfox says he wants to take Nebula to Titan to be imprisoned, so Warlock sends them, and Drax and the Hulk away. He stays with Strange, Thor, and the Surfer, because they have seen inside his heart (not sure when Thor did that). He wants them to let the cosmos know that Warlock will be good with his power, but it seems to unsettle Strange some. Warlock admits that he’s feeling increasingly detached, but then sends the heroes away, replacing them with Gamora and Pip. He takes them to a green world sixty days into the future, where they find that Thanos is now living as a peaceful farmer. Adam wants advice from him, but Thanos can’t offer much, saying he either needs to endure his power or surrender it to him. They leave Thanos behind, and the Mad Titan thinks about his ordeals, and how he has probably come out of the whole affair better off than Warlock did.
I’m not sure about this event now. When it came out, it felt very exciting, but this time around, it felt like a lot of exciting buildup to a pretty dull conclusion.
Thanos has acquired the Infinity Gems, and all that comes with sticking them on his glove, so he can win the heart of the entity Death, who still spurns him. He kills off half the living beings in the entire universe, and then faces down an assemblage of the most powerful cosmic beings, just to get outmaneuvered by the granddaughter he tortured, who is herself outmaneuvered by Adam Warlock, so that Thanos ends up with nothing, but it happy. To tell that story, Jim Starlin laid ground for about a year of his Silver Surfer run, and then had this massive tentpole series with each issue being oversized. But by the end of it, nothing really had happened, except that Adam Warlock was positioned to have his own series (Warlock and the Infinity Watch).
I think Starlin did a good job of portraying some of the complexities of Thanos’s character, but I’m not sure how satisfying that was, as at his core, he’s still just a big bully. Warlock remained a bit of a cipher (I haven’t ever read Starlin’s original run with the character, and now I’m curious), and really, none of the Marvel heroes got much development. They were mostly used as plot devices and cannon fodder.
One thing I noticed was how the main book was used to set up events that must have taken place in the tie-in issues. Annihilus attacked Earth in the middle of this mess? Someone must have dealt with that, right? Moon Knight got worried that things were getting cold? What an odd choice for a page in the middle of an issue, unless that thread got picked up somewhere. What struck me as most odd was the way in which Odin and the other sky gods were positioned to be prominent in this book for like one issue, and then never seen again. Maybe that got resolved in Thor’s title?
Anway, like the Marvel movies that featured Thanos, I felt like this was all about the big wide-screen moments, and not enough about character and motivation. It wasn’t bad, but I did have to downgrade my expectations of the story.
And then there’s the art to discuss. I’m amused that one of the reasons I was looking forward to reading this book was George Pérez’s artwork, and then I’d forgotten that he only drew the first half of the series. I don’t know what the particulars of that situation were, only that even the first issues didn’t feel terribly Pérez-like to me, and then he was replaced by Ron Lim. Pérez’s art has always been very consistent, even as it improved from his early days, through his New Teen Titans work, then his Wonder Woman run, and then the excellent Avengers run he had after Infinity Gauntlet. It’s weird that this is among the weaker work of his career, I’d say, and wonder if that’s because of Joe Rubinstein’s inking. I don’t really know. Lim came on, and the book felt much like his Silver Surfer runs, and looked good. He did a very good job with the big cosmic fight scenes.
I don’t know, in the final analysis, I was underwhelmed. I know that the Infinity War sequel was enjoyable (I might give it a column if I ever decide to also read Warlock and the Infinity Watch again, which I kind of am at the moment), and that the Infinity Crusade sequel was a step too far, and helped contribute to my dropping of almost all Marvel titles in the mid-90s.
I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and have only watched each Avengers movie once, so I don’t think that’s responsible for me having built this series up in my head. Probably I am remembering the hype from the time more than I am the actual book. Still, this was a good slice of the early 90s, and I’m glad I took the time to read it again. I appreciate the way Jim Starlin revisited characters from earlier in his career and made them relevant again, and the way he elevated Thanos into being the biggest villain in the cosmos.
I am still re-reading the Silver Surfer, so I’m looking forward to see how the aftermath of this event impacts that book.
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