Review: Infinity Watch Vol. 1

Infinity Watch Vol. 1 by Jim Starlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So continues an infinite round of Infinity storylines that began with Infinity Gauntlet. In what is probably the longest-running title Adam Warlock ever graced, a collage of cosmic deities commands our golden protagonist to give up the Infinity Stones. Sort of. He winds up dispersing them to a group of colleagues uniquely disqualified to hold them. We have the usual gang from Jim Starlin's gallery--Warlock, Gamora, the troll Pip, Moondragon and Drax the Destroyer, plus a jaw-dropping choice to hold the Reality Stone. These stones are not supposed to be used in unison ever again; yet in their first story, all the members of the Watch with the exception of Warlock are captured and used in an inane revenge plot. and this won't be the last time that happens.
I think what this collection suffers from most is the weakness that plagues comics to this day: once a year, during the summer, every storyline gets dropped for four or five months in order to participate in the annual Cosmic Catastrophe that all comics have to tie into. This happens twice, four issues tied into a separate miniseries, which is intended to force you into buying yet another graphic novel collection to know what exactly the F--K is going on!
Even worse, the thing that always happens with a Starlin series continues here, ie, we're forced to endure a rotating roster of artists, inkers, colorists etc. of varying talent, leaving the impression of an inconsistent visual style. Now Angela Medina-Terry Austin-Ian Laughlin are magic; Tom Grindberg-Bob Almond & Laughlin less so. I wanted to love this, but the sum is less than spectacular. 3 out of 5.

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