Since this is the very first review for "Must Be Wednesday (Comic Reviews)", I think its fitting for the topic to have suitable relevance. The Infinity Gauntlet is the very first comic I've ever read. I tell this story gleefully because it always incites the same response: "Really?!"...so then I get to rant about how it started my foray into comics with on open mind because I'd only just heard about "Wolverine" and there he was...Dying.The story goes something like this:
A cosmic Lex Luthor named "Thanos" is in love with Death (Death in this 1990 Marvel series is a robed, silent woman). In a short and nearly impossible to find prelude story, Thanos sets of on planet-hopping adventure across the universe to find the six Dragon Balls...err "Infinity Gems". Together the gems give their holder god powers. That's right, god powers. Not "god-like" powers, I'm talking "kick Galactus in the balls" power..."Force Dr. Manhattan to wear pants" power. Thanos attaches these gems to his glove and the first thing he does as the new writer of the cosmos, is kill half of the population...OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE! You ever do something stupid to impress a girl? Like, cut your ear off...issue a "Final Solution"...That sort of thing? This was kind of like that, except with everything that lives. Needless to say, it probably made him look needy, because Death REALLY starts giving Thanos the cold should afterwords So the half of the superheroes that wasn't disappeared set forth with a massive attack plan to try to depose the new king of all things. There are lots of twists and turns and subplots that I wouldn't dream of ruining for you guys. But let me just say, that in my "humble" opinion, Infinity Gauntlet should be taught in schools.
Now, the reason I'm doing a review of a 20 year-old mainstream superhero crossover story TODAY, is that I just picked up the Marvel Premiere Classic hc edition yesterday. I've had the floppies forever, but I've always wanted a compilation that I could lend people. The original paperback compilation "Thanos: Infinity Gauntlet" looked like they'd mimeographed the floppies and then re-colored those pages with Crayola markers. THIS version however, is a crisp, clean representation of the original work by Jim Starlin (who's a really cool guy that you should chat up at conventions), George Perez (Who's artwork seems to get better as I get older), and Ron Lim (A respectable artist who takes the reigns of the "Infinity" concept's art after this first series). I put a very convenient link to Amazon where you can buy this hardcover easily :)
If the fact that its a great story doesn't tantalize you, I just want to say...There's A LOT of action. EPIC action.
With Love
Brian Charles
