Jim Starlin

Ron Marz

Ron Lim

Marvel Comics Staff

Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus

Ryan LaFerney

The Infinity Gauntlet is the major event book Thanos is known for, so naturally with Infinity War coming out in three weeks, this was a must read comic to understand Thanos as a character. The story, written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by George Pérez and Ron Lim, was first serialized as a six-issue limited series from July to December 1991 and ties in Thanos' quest for the infinity gems that dates to the 1970s. It's obviously a tad different than the upcoming Infinity War film. And although the film does draw inspiration from "The Infinity Gauntlet" comic, it seems it may focus more on Jonathan Hickman's 2013 "Infinity" storyline.

Infinity Gauntlet mainly centers on Thanos' quest to woo Mistress Death by impressing her with his nihilistic cosmic powers. In addition to the Avengers, there are a lot more players that I wasn't really familiar with including Adam Warlock (who plays a huge role in the comic), Eros (aka Star Fox) and Eternity. Reading this will give you a better handle on the neat nods featured in the upcoming Infinity War movie, like how Gamora mentions Thanos could "wipe out half of existence just by snapping his fingers." In the comic, Thanos does just that in the opening chapter. That's pretty wild and horrific.

The Good: The storyline is epic. It was fun to have some of my favorite Avengers together. Infinity Gauntlet gives us a good understanding of just how powerful Thanos is and how dangerous the infinity gems are. The artwork is insane. The colors are eye-popping (colorists Max Scheele and Ian Laughlin must have had a blast).

The Bad: Story telling feels a bit dated. Also, given this is a cosmic event, I wanted a little more heart to the story line but it was interesting seeing Thanos so sadly and pathetically trying to woo Mistress Death (she is really hard to please). I think the narration felt flat at times and often, it comes off as a bit too heady. Still, this is a classic for a reason. And I do recommend it for fans of the MCU.

Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus

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