To Infinity And... We'll Stop Here. Here's Good.
For the second time in a row, Brian Michael Bendis brings a struggling story arc to a strong conclusion as the Avengers prevent the Hood's rise to omnipotence.
This story arc has had its fair share of problems. It got off to a terrible start with some ridiculous plot convenience enabling the Hood and Red Hulk. Later explanations made the Hood's role more believable, but nothing ever salvaged Red Hulk's poor introduction. The strained dynamic between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers became the backbone of this arc, carrying it along as the rest of the story fluctuated in quality. This story arc became more about Tony, Steve and the Illuminati more than the Infinity Gems, and this issue succeeds in giving a satisfying conclusion to all the story threads.
Bendis casts the Hood as a villain who is dangerous primarily because of his ambition. Parker Robbins isn't powerful, a genius or particularly skilled. He is just a working class criminal with the ability to recognize opportunities and the uncommon drive to go after them. That was how he became the Hood, became the leader of an enormous gang of supervillains and almost becomes the wielder of the Infinity Gauntlet here. The Hood is just a thug, but he is a rare thug who knows how to play his cards right.
Red Hulk's continued involvement with the Avengers is something that still does not feel right, mostly because it does not seem to fit with his character arc of walking a mile in the Hulk's shoes as an outcast and a monster. To be fair, that all depends on how Bendis handles the character from this point on, and I am willing to give it a chance.
The understanding that develops between Tony and Steve here is far more satisfying and substantial that the hollow reconciliation we got from them at the end of Avengers Prime. Here, they extend real olive branches to one another with Tony letting Steve in on his secrets and Steve trusting Tony's way of doing things.
As usual, the art team fails to deliver. There are so many panels in this issue that look like they just quit halfway. I am tired of seeing the lazy or rushed effort that goes into this book. It is obvious they only try to bring their A-Game to certain pages and panels while doing the minimum for the rest. Seriously, try to tell me the page where Namor and Ms. Marvel grab two of the Infinity Gems is anything other than a sloppy, half-hearted effort. Marvel should be embarrassed to have one of their top titles looking like this.
The Avengers' own little Infinity Gauntlet saga stumbled to get to this issue but comes to a strong end here. It delivers on each of its central story threads and is dragged down mainly by the art, which is almost completely unable to portray such a cosmic struggle with its sloppy art and dull colors.
And on a final note, the Oral History of the Avengers at the end continues to be a surprisingly fun little read as it touches on the Korvac Saga.
