Comic Review: Infinity Countdown

Marvel Comics came out with a new Infinity Stones-related mini-series last year as a prelude to the movie Avengers: Infinity War.  Now, personally, I am inclined to think Marvel has gone to the Infinity Stones well a few times too many in its comics.  And, to make it extra big, there was a separate Countdown mini-series headed into it.

So, here’s that.

In the wake of the universe reforming from the most recent Secret Wars, the since-destroyed Infinity Stones have reformed a bit differently.  The Power Stone is the size of a small house, under protection of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Nova Corps from constant attack.  The Reality Stone is in another universe where it doesn’t work.  A back-from-the-dead Wolverine has the Space Stone while the Super-Skrull has the Time Stone.  Most bafflingly may be longtime Daredevil whipping boy Turk got his hands on the Mind Stone.  Adam Warlock would like to get the Soul Stone back and makes a deal with Kang the Conqueror to get the time traveling baddie the Time Stone if Kang helps him get the Soul Stone back.  Gamora wants the Soul Stone too because there’s a part of her still in it.

Adam will have his work cut out for him.  Ultron got his hands on the Soul Stone.

So, most of this book covers the Power and Soul Stone storylines.  We get a little of the Mind and Space Stones as Wolverine just passes the Space Stone off to Black Widow while Dr. Strange just does what he can to convince Turk to give up the Mind Stone.  But then there are parts that were clearly covered in more details in other places not included in this trade.  The Super-Skrull only appears in the very beginning of the story, and somehow Dr. Strange has the Time Stone for no discernible reason at the end.  I assume that that happened somewhere, but it isn’t explained here.  Some of the Stones are barely referenced here, and then, in the end, there’s just word Thanos is coming and that’s that.  What was here of writer Gerry Duggan’s story was fine, the artwork was inconsistent, and all this was just to set up another story to be reviewed tomorrow, but for this one 8 out of 10 brief Wolverine sightings.