Review: Avengers Vol. 6- Infinite Avengers

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is incredibly interesting all the way through. The time-travel element is well-executed and leads to a rewarding reading experience. Events taking place here help enhance the greater narrative of this entire series. The artwork is very creative and works well with the story.

Cons: The story here is rather complex and might not appeal to those looking for a simple comic adventure.

Overall: This ambitious Avengers adventure contains a number of elements that are sure to elicit excitement. It has drama, tension, action, and enough mystery to generate plenty of interest. The entire trip is also wonderfully creative from both a storytelling and visual standpoint. There are also plenty of ways in which this storyline contributes to the overall narrative of the series. All of these factors together make for a collection that will definitely appeal to fans of this series.

Story

Avengers Vol. 6: Infinite Avengers, by Jonathan Hickman, is an elaborate and intricately designed trip through time with the Avengers. Their strange journey is filled with fun bits of mystery that keep things interesting the entire way through, while also leading to a couple of satisfying reveals. This journey is then structured with a great deal of creativity and foresight, which makes the read complicated but also makes rereads even more rewarding. The entirety of this collection also significantly contributes to the series as a whole and ensures the next few volumes will be more dramatic than ever. Overall, this combination of positives makes for an entertaining book through and through.

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The plot in Infinite Avengers is immediately interesting and only manages to get more interesting as it progresses. Right from the start, readers are hooked in as Captain America begins his crusade against Iron Man. From there, the focus switches to the Avengers’ chaotic trip through time, which is packed with small hints regarding what is to come. These hints range from larger ones, like the secret Hawkeye whispers and the bomb implanted by Ultron’s minions, to smaller ones, like the role Black Widow’s doppelganger will play. Each of these mysteries give readers more of a reason to continue reading and are also very satisfying when they are finally revealed.

This leads right into one of the other most attractive qualities of this collection; the intricate way in which the entire narrative is laid out. Each decision made during each step on the timeline has vast effects on both later and earlier points on the timeline. In some places, a seemingly small statement is actually a reference to something that has yet to be revealed or something that has already happened. After finishing this collection, I went back and reread it multiple times, discovering more upon each reread. In this way, Infinite Avengers proves to be a very rewarding read whose complexity ensures a delightful journey of discovery.

Though Infinite Avengers is great on its own, it also works incredibly well to further the narrative Hickman has been establishing since the Avengers and New Avengers series began. Within this volume, readers discover that the actions of the Illuminati are destined for failure, learn where the rogue planet from the previous volume came from, and see how the Avengers react to the actions of the Illuminati. All of this makes this larger storyline better and more interesting, which fans of this series are sure to appreciate. It also amplifies things in a way that ensures the drama and tension are at higher levels than ever before.

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Art

The artwork in Infinite Avengers is highly creative in a way that wonderfully complements the complex story being told here. Leinil Francis Yu sends readers on a trip through time where each environment is entirely different from the one before it. This means that readers get to experience the same shock and awe the Avengers experience upon entry to each new world. It also helps that Yu’s artwork is well laid out and highly detailed, furthering the visual appeal of this collection. All of this makes for a better reading experience from start to finish.

Continuity

Avengers Vol. 6: Infinite Avengers continues the story from Avengers Vol. 5: Adapt or Die (Review).

The story here continues in Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 1.

This volume also makes a reference to other comic books, detailed below:

• Captain America’s sudden discovery of a secret is due to the fallout of the Original Sin event.
• Numerous references are made to Captain America’s involvement with the Illuminati and the actions the Illuminati has recently been taking. All of this is explained in New Avengers Vol. 1: Everything Dies (Review).