It’s all coming together now. After insanely epic events of ‘Avengers’ #18 and ‘New Avengers’ #9, ‘Infinity’ has funneled back into the main title to widen our scope of exactly what Jonathan Hickman has going on in his massive crossover that’s making everyone say, “Ultron who?”

After an action-packed first issue, the latest issue of ‘Infinity’ picks up after Thanos’ generals known as the Black Order had arrived on Earth to take the planet for their master. While heroes from all over the world did their best to fend off the invading forces, it’s the Inhuman king Black Bolt who ends up having to deal with the brunt of attack when the generals appear at his front step making demands. Meanwhile, the Galactic Council was forced to retreat from their battle with the Builders after they were taken by surprise by the enemy and lost a good chunk of their armies.

Now with Thanos and the Builders gaining power on their respective fronts, things are really heating up for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, wherever they may be in the galaxy. Stakes are constantly being raised in this series and it’s getting impossible to pry away from it, especially when the tie-ins are so well connected to the main story. When the story is this large, it’s cool to take a break and focus on one aspect of the story in titles like ‘Avengers Assemble’ and ‘Thunderbolts’, but when it’s all brought back together in ‘Infinity’, things are so incredibly balanced despite the plethora of things going on.

Even though things are pretty serious in ‘Infinity’, there’s still some room for cute, comedic moments. Don’t get me wrong. I’m immensely enjoying the action of the book, but for Hickman to throw in those lighter moments without breaking his stride is pretty awesome. The moment that I refer to is a quick two-panel interaction between Smasher and the Hulk. Even as they prepare for another battle, they can still be playful. It was a nice calm before the storm since what came after was incredibly heavy.

While the writing was balanced, the artwork had great balance as well. The amazing Jim Cheung stepped aside from this issue to make way for two other incredible artists, Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver. In terms of page count, this issue was not as big as the first one, but the action was greater than or equal to the amount featured in Cheung’s issue. But the two working on this issue managed to cram it all in there with their fast-paced paneling mixed with longer landscapes that allowed the reader to get a larger view of the events taking place.

Basically, what I’m really trying to say is that ‘Infinity’ beats any huge summer blockbuster that appeared in theaters over the past few months. I am still in awe at just how many things are falling into place and connecting to each other from the start of Hickman’s run with the Avengers. There hasn’t been a wasted issue under his watch and the pure scope of things is nothing short of epic. Plus, with an ending like the one in this issue, how could you not want to keep reading? The next chapter simply cannot come fast enough.

Final Score:

atoms_5

 

 

INFINITY #2
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Jerome Opena, Dustin Weaver, & Justin Ponsor
Cover by Adam Kubert & Laura Martin