‘Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock #1’ Review
Written by Gerry Duggan | Art by Michael Allred
Gerry Duggan has quietly been reshaping the Marvel cosmic universe into its past glory. Back when series like Annihilation, Nova, and Guardians of the Galaxy where some of the best books in comics. Marvel must have noticed the success he was having as they have given him the reigns to their next big event and the buildup is already underway. The term event can be a dirty word in comics as the industry has burn many bridges due to over saturation. Despite those past failings Infinity Countdown brings with it some promise. If this issue is any indication of what we are in store for this may actual live up to the hype if its namesake.
This is a true prologue issue solely designed to provide hints for what is to come. When you have a character like Kang the Conqueror though it is enough to get excited about. Duggan has a complete grasp on Kang, which is saying something as he can be a hard character to write. He has the arrogance of someone like Doctor Doom turned up to an even higher degree due to his expanded lifespan. There is a sense of morality though as he has no desire to see the world burn. He just wants to see it kneel to his power. So when something arises that scares even him it causes everyone’s eyebrows to immediately raise. They raise even further when he actually takes the time to seek the help of another individual.
That individual is Adam Warlock who is another character that is hard to define. In this story, he is more of an observer listening to the commands of Kang. For a story that is nearly all exposition, it flows extremely well. Mainly due to the fantastically absurd dialog. When it gets to actual conclusion of Kang’s plan it is dark and twisted as it shows once again Duggan knows what he is doing.
Michael Allred’s art style is not one I expect to see in an event book. It’s a niche look that I personally love, but could see many feeling looks off. His work on Silver Surfer with Dan Slott showed how much personality he can bring to this universe and that is again shown here. He gives it a timeless quality which makes this feel like a book that can exist today or back when Jim Starlin first penned comics for Marvel.
Seeing Marvel coming out with yet another title with the Infinity tag does appear like a cheap ploy to mooch off the anticipation of the cinematic universe. Past attempts like Civil War II have certainly left a bad taste in many readers mouths. Despite that, there is reason to believe in what Gerry Duggan is doing. This issue shows he is a solid writer with a grasp of what makes these characters work. The best way to get people excited for future comics is to make good comics and that is exactly what he has been doing.
**** 4/5
