Review: Infinity Watch Vol. 2

Quick Summary

Pros: The volume’s most significant story arc is fun and imaginative. Some of the character development is well-done and great to see.

Cons: Many of the stories in this volume are just average. One story feels like an unnecessary distraction and another contains a disappointing twist. The finale is rushed in a way that is not satisfying. The artwork is mostly negative.

Overall: The second and last volume in this series is a pale reflection of the quality present in its predecessor. This collection mostly details mediocre and unappealing stories with lackluster artwork to back them up. There are a few bright points here and there but, for the most part, the stories in this book trend negative. Fans dying to see more of the Infinity Watch may find some enjoyment at points in this read but fans just looking for a good comic may be disappointed.

Story

The first volume in the Infinity Watch series was a thrilling collection of tales relating back to an equally thrilling ongoing saga. Unfortunately, Infinity Watch Vol. 2, written mostly by Jim Starlin and John Arcudi, is nowhere near this entertaining.

Instead, this volume primarily contains stories that range from average to below average. Some of these simply do not offer enough engagement and feel more generic than before. Others are intrusive and distracting or rushed in a way that takes away from the reading experience. The exception to this is a single imaginative arc detailing the Watch’s conflict with Count Abyss and a few fun character moments from other chapters. However, the negatives in this volume outweigh the positives in a way that makes it hard to enjoy this book.

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Starting with the positives, the best story arc in Infinity Watch Vol. 2 has the Watch go up against Count Abyss, a villain who’s presence was teased at various points in the previous collection. The fight against Abyss progresses in an unexpected way, with his use of a love potion working as a great subversion of expectation. The fight also feels highly imaginative and deals with creative happenings that match the level of imagination in the previous collection. Finally, it ends with a conclusion that is satisfying but has a twinge of regret which, at this point, feels characteristic of Warlock’s victories.

The other positive in Infinity Watch Vol. 2 comes from little moments of character development taking place throughout the collection. Readers see Drax get some respect from his teammates, see Gamora struggle with her feelings, and see Adam continue his ongoing struggle with self-reflection. These moments are great when they happen and the only downside to them is that they do not happen often enough.

Unfortunately, this is where the positives in this collection come to a halt. The rest of the book mostly details stories that are too generic or unexciting to be truly noteworthy. The Watch’s fight against the Avengers is a standard clash between mislead forces, the war against Domitian is unremarkable, and the entire situation surrounding Firelord felt unnecessary. These stories take up a large piece of the narrative but barely contribute positives to it.

In addition, there are other story arcs that bring the collection down even further. The Watch’s encounter with Strange had out-of-character representations of the Watch and felt more like an advertisement for another comic than a worthwhile chapter on its own. Plus, the “surprise” appearance of Man-Beast is ruined by the early reveal of his presence on the chapter’s cover and by the number of times Man-Beast’s schtick has been repeated.

Finally, the dissolution of the Watch was rushed in way that produces disappointment. The mystery surrounding Maxam and the tension his presence caused has been an ever-present tease since this comic’s early days. However, the issue is dealt with so quickly that it did not live up to its own hype. It also left open too many unanswered questions to feel like a satisfying end to this series.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Infinity Watch Vol. 2 is less refined and more outlandish than it was in Infinity Watch Vol. 1 (Review). Characters’ bodily proportions are heavily exaggerated, many of the pages feel cluttered, and facial features fluctuate between overly expressive and blank. For myself, this created plenty of negatives. The unreal characters were often unpleasant to look at and their exaggerated features made serious moments feel silly. In addition, the cluttered pages, occasionally, made it hard to follow exactly what was happening and created some confusion in the flow of the story.

On the positive side of things, moments that focus entirely on a battle between two characters look great, especially when depicted over a few splash pages. In addition, the entire comic has an intense “90s vibe” to it, which may appeal to some readers.

Continuity

Infinity Watch Vol. 2 continues the story from Infinity Watch Vol. 1 (Review) and from the conclusion of the Infinity Crusade (Review) event. In addition, the events of Thor: Blood and Thunder take place between Infinity Watch Vol. 1 and Infinity Watch Vol. 2 but these events are briefly explained within this volume.

The Infinity Watch series ends with this volume. The story from the final issue is somewhat continued in Rune/Silver Surfer #1 and in the Black September crossover event; however, many of the ties between these comics are weak and the majority of the Ultraverse-related comics have been retconned/ignored since this event was published. Instead, the main narrative from this series mostly ends up being continued in the Warlock Vol. 4 series and in the Infinity Abyss series, both of which are collected in Guardians of the Galaxy: Road to Annihilation Vol. 1.

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

• This entire volume takes place after the climactic events of Infinity Gauntlet (Review) (Reading Order), Infinity War (Review) (Reading Order), and Infinity Crusade (Review).
• Warlock & the Infinity Watch #23-26 are part of the Thor: Blood and Thunder crossover. These issues show what was done to address Thor’s deteriorating mental health. Pieces of these issues are collected in this volume.
• Captain America’s super-soldier serum started experiencing problems in Captain America #373, collected in Captain America Epic Collection: Streets of Poison.
• Warlock and the Infinity Watch #30 references a change in Dr. Strange’s business. This happened in Secret Defenders #15, collected in Deadpool and the Secret Defenders.
• This issue also mentions Adam Warlock’s past encounter with Sif and Thor. This happened in Thor #163-166 collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 8 (Review). 
• A note in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #36 indicates that it takes place before Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #70.
• “Strange” first appeared back in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #61.
• Warlock and the Infinity Watch #36 references a loss from Silver Surfer Annual #7.
• Changes in the ocean, seen in the last few issues of this volume, show repercussions of the Atlantis Rising event.