A newly empowered Groot and the rest of the team on Telferina join forces with Drax and the Nova Corps to take the power stone against impossible odds, but a surprise champion could soon turn the tides of battle in their favor…
Infinity Countdown #2
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Pencillers: Aaron Kuder & Mike Hawthorne
Inkers: Aaron Kuder & Terry Pallot
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What You Need to Know:
The Infinity Stones were reborn and scattered, passing from hand to hand across the universe, through time, transgressing the boundaries between worlds…
To protect the power stone, hidden on the planet Xitaung, Drax and the Nova Corps face down the Fraternity of Raptors and the Chitauri army. Meanwhile, as the Guardians work to defeat a race of evil tree-creatures, a newly transformed Groot flexes his muscles…
What You’ll Find Out:
While the enslaved dwarven smith continues to work on the helm from his mysterious master, Groot takes on Scar on the planet Telferina. Restored back to his original self, Groot has no problem making quick work of the massive tree-monster. After being swallowed whole, Groot causes Scar to puke a nearly endless stream of what looks to be poisonous flowers until the top half of his body completely explodes. Much to the group’s surprise, the Gardener had helped them after all.
Star-Lord quickly rallies the team to back up Drax who is taking on the Fraternity of Raptors and the Chitauri army led by Warbringer with only the help of the Nova Corps. Just as Commander Eve Bakian reveals that she has been in labor for the past few hours, Galactus appears above them. However, it turns out to just be Rocket in a suit that malfunctions and crashes violently to the ground.
As Rocket comes out with guns blazing, Warbringer spots the Guardian’s ship and blasts it in half, sending it crashing to the ground. With the help of Nova’s forcefields, the team drops into battle with a plan to use Ant-Man to shrink the power stone and leave with it immediately. However, after a blast from Warbringer sends Nova to the ground, a Talon from the Fraternity of Raptors drops in front of him. He removes his helmet, revealing himself to be Richard’s brother, Robbie. But just as they begin to talk, Warbringer drops onto both of them.
Meanwhile, the Guardians lead the way for Ant-Man to reach the power stone and shrink it with the Pym Particles, but it doesn’t work. Star-Lord orders a retreat, but they soon notice that Gamora has just helped Commander Eve Bakian give birth to a baby girl in the middle of the battle, so they continue the fight.
Elsewhere, Adam Warlock emerges from a pyramid, directed by Kang to recover the soul gem in return for delivering the time stone to him. With warnings of the danger ahead, Adam Warlock proceeds to the Planet Saiph in Orion’s Belt. Once arriving, however, he quickly encounters Ultron and is forced to destroy a swarm of his interconnected alternate bodies. One of the remaining heads lead Adam Warlock to Ultron himself, only to discover that he is performing a terrible experiment on the Silver Surfer!
What Just Happened:
The second issue of the Infinity Countdown event from Marvel continues a thrilling and action-packed story that involves a huge cast of characters. After a uniquely strong first issue that sees Groot return to his incredibly powerful former self, the action picks up right where it left off, beginning with a beautiful explosion of poisonous flowers causing Scar to explode in a plume of colors. The narrative really ramps up the intensity once the team is able to unite in their attempt to take the power stone though. As the epic battle continues on around the power stone, there is a discovery of a long-lost brother and even a birth happening.
This event has so far established itself as a great example of heroic escapism, allowing for fast-paced action along with various twists to drive the narrative forward. There is no lack of magnificent superhero fights against seemingly impossible odds, but the story does a great job of managing these scenes with character interaction and development.
The artistic direction is top notch, using modern panels to emphasize the large-scale battles and each heroes’ characteristics. The sheer scale of the story requires a certain visual impact to punctuate the more powerful moments, and the creative team behind the Infinity Countdown event has done a great job providing that aesthetic.
The latest issue of Infinity Countdown is full of epic battles and despite being a lengthy book, the story is a thrilling and fast-paced example of modern comic escapism. It’s just a really fun and entertaining read!
Rating: 9/10
Final Thoughts: Infinity Countdown #2 is an action-packed adventure from the first page. This huge cast of heroes waging epic battles through dire situations proves that fun escapism can still be done very well in world-shattering comic events.
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