The Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet

Avengers & The Infinity Gauntlet #1-4

by Brian Clevinger, Lee Black, Brian Churilla (Illustrator)

Thanos, scourge of the cosmos, has acquired the Infinity Gems, granting him control over the entire universe. With the power of the gems, he destroyed half the population of all worlds, including many of the Avengers and half the Fantastic Four. The only force standing in his way is what's left of the Avengers. But how can a ragtag group of heroes and villains--including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel and Doctor Doom--overpower the unstoppable? Plus: See where the saga began in the classic Infinity Gauntlet #1. COLLECTING: Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet 1-4, Infinity Gauntlet

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Science Fiction

135 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2011

About the author

Brian Clevinger is best known as the author of the most popular sprite webcomic, and one of the most popular webcomics overall, 8-Bit Theater. He is also the author of the self-published novel Nuklear Age. Clevinger has recently received attention for his Eisner-nominated print comic Atomic Robo.

Claiming that his "favorite comics are the ones where the jokes are on the reader," Clevinger is an expert in using anti-climax, interface alterations, and the occasional false ending to play with the reader's expectations. It is a testament to both his sense of humor and his writing skills that these "jokes on the reader" are usually beloved by his fanbase.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This trade collects Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet #1-4 and Infinity Gauntlet #1. This book is in the "digest" format (pages are smaller than a normal comic book but larger than a paperback novel).

Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet is part of Marvels line of comics aimed at younger readers and is a loose retelling of the classic story stripped down to the bare minimum plotwise and infused with zany humor, complete with a star-spanning road trip in a spacefaring mack-truck. Thanos has a powerful artifact, wipes out half the universe's population with it, and a team of four heroes (and one villain) is sent to fight him.

If that all sounds too much or absurd for you, then back away slowly as you won't enjoy this. This is a simple over-the-top adventure for kids to follow along with - cheering for the heroes, fearing Thanos, and laughing with Spidey. None of the depth nor intrigue of the original is here, but THAT'S FINE as this is aimed for a different audience.

For what it is this is very good. Clevinger's dialog is a lot of fun, Spiderman is at his wise-cracking best, and the characters in the spotlight play off each other well.

After the Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet issues is a reprint of the first issue of the original Infinity Gauntlet story. It's an interesting inclusion. I love Infinity Gauntlet but as mentioned above the tone is completely different from the feature story here. The idea of encouraging people to check out the "more serious" story that served as inspiration is good, but there's no context or explanation. You just finish a story and then start reading 1/6 of a VERY different version of the same story. I'm not going to complain about extra content but a few ad pages might have served their purpose better than the one issue reprint.

Overall an amusing adaptation that's worth a look if you're in the mood for a light super-hero romp (or are in the target age range).

[Peter Derk · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much crazy stupid fun it's unbelievable.

If it kills your boner to read comics where Dr. Doom is kind of a dork, then don't read this. If you're looking for serious, real stuff, don't read this.

If you want some of the most hilarious panels in comics, then absolutely read this.

I don't want to spoil ALL the fun. A couple selections.



Haha, peasant. Poor people and their doors.



Yeah, is the gauntlet like special, or is it just a convenient way to hold all the gems? Because, you know, if it fits Thanos, I don't think I could wear it. It'd be huge. Like me putting on a condom after Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stuck his entire arm in it first.



I can't decide what's best about this.

A. Ms. Marvel hitting the stone so hard she almost kicks herself in the back of the head

B. "Ridiculous creature"

C. Spider-Man's fight with Thanos consisting of him getting hit in the head with a space rock

If you're the kind of person who can enjoy a comic that's in no way serious, grab this one. You'll love it.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was BAD! Don't waste your time even thinking about this. As if the very cartoony artwork was not bad enough but the story was trash too.

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly? What were they thinking...
Sure, Spidey was a big hero, but the whole story sucked. It was entirely tongue in cheek, but in a bad way. It was more like the joke was on the reader. Perhaps it was intentional, perhaps I'm taking the feel of it completely out of context since I haven't read any of the other period comics. That being said, I'm reminded that when graphic novels are good, they're very very good. When they're bad, they're very very bad.

[Travis Duke · Rating 2 out of 5]

(1.5) stars, its silly and the art is sub par. This feels aimed at younger kids and there is nothing wrong with that its just not very complex and the writing is comically corny. The characters are over personified to the max and its so bad its actually funny. The story is a condensed version of the original infinity gauntlet (which they include comic#1 at the end) the ending much more simple and digestible. my biggest complaint was the whole Ace truck driver stuff which to me is terrible and i never want to see him again. I see why marvel would want to make this since the original is lengthy and sort of dated but this was just to much for me. Skip it.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost all of the positive reviews I’ve seen about this story defend it by saying, “It’s meant for a younger audience.”
I gotta say, I’m really tired of the, “it doesn’t matter that it’s bad, it’s for the kids” excuse. What a disservice to our kids! There are so many good stories out there, why should our kids have to settle for mediocre?
I just finished reading Bone. Let your kids read that. I’ve also been surprisingly impressed with The Babysitters’ Club graphic novels. Let your kids read those.
Some of the gags worked well but most of them didn’t. This is not the worst story I’ve ever read but it is largely forgettable and I have no desire for my kids to read it.

[Marta · Rating 1 out of 5]

El colmo de lo absurdo... Me estaba entreteniendo, estaba siendo pasable hasta que le han tirado un camión al villano. ¡¿EN SERIO?! Pero es que encima SE LE CAE el Guantelete, o sea, ¿qué? Así no me lo puedo tomar en serio.

[Fandom SK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recenziu pre Fandom.sk napísal Rastislav Weber

Vydavateľstvo Slovart začalo nedávno vážnejšie koketovať s komiksom – a nadviazalo spoluprácu s ťažkým kalibrom, českým vydavateľstvom CREW, ktoré ročne vydá aj stovku komiksových titulov. Výsledkom spolupráce je edícia Môj prvý komiks, v rámci ktorej nedávno vyšiel titul Avengers: Rukavica nekonečna.

Môj prvý komiks je oficiálne určený kategórii 7+, teda pre mladších školákov, ktorí sa akurát naučili čítať. V tomto kontexte je voľba zjednodušenej edície komiksov od Marvelu v poriadku. Prekvapí len detail tohto výberu – Rukavica nekonečna (v origináli Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet) má štyri diely, pričom u nás vyšiel… rovno druhý...

Celú recenziu nájdete na Fandom.sk https://www.fandom.sk/clanok/recenzia...

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was by no means "bad". But it wasn't for me. Or you. It's for kids. It's a "light" version of the Infinity Gauntlet say, with the most/better known superheroes, and also fewer than the original take, and also it's Clevinger. Truth be told, I was expecting it to be funny, of course, because of him, knowing him from Atomic Robo (which I fucking LOVE) I was expecting it to be better than that, humor-wise. But yeah, it isn't THAT bad.

The artwork is what you'd expect, cartoony and all'a'that.

Not something you NEED to read, I just read it because of my Thanos binge-reading lately.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This volume was obviously aimed at younger readers. It's set in a universe where Thanos isn't well known and neither is the Infinity Gauntlet. It's mostly written for comedy as the team travels space in an intergalactic big rig, stops at space truck stops, etc. The art is subpar but once again this was aimed at younger readers. Probably good read for kids, not as much so for adult readers.

[David Kowalski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh.
Tries to capture the humour of the Avengers movies. Fails miserably. The plot is drawn out to cover four issues. I read this while waiting for the old Jim Starlin trades. I bought this to share with my 15 year old son but I don’t want to put him off reading comics.
Sorry. This was just a waste of time.

[aundrea (technicolorwords) · Rating 3 out of 5]

i don’t know,, this was my second comic book to read when i got a month-subscription for marvel unlimited, and um,, wassup spidey?? he’s the usual—funny and excited dude when he found out he was going to space. very surprising ending... i mean, i was expecting more, i guess?

*crappy review, but i need to log this on my goodreads acc, okay!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a downright goofy kid-sized version of the Infinity Gauntlet story, delivered by the creator of the peppy and goofy Atomic Robo. The extra bit of silly stuff is the addition of a version of US1, a rather obscure trucker character Marvel coughed up during the 1970s CB craze.

[Tariq Malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Infinity Gauntlet, I wasn't sure what to expect with this entry. Overall, an enjoyable read, though a bit jokey on the story for me. I think U.S. Ace as a space trucker is the big hero here.

[Carl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ghastly art and inept writing. this is a primer of HOW NOT to write a comic. How does any marvel writer actually have Captain Marvel ( Part Kree and all) not know who Thanos is???

dreadful isn'ty bad enough *shudder*.

[Drew]

Not going to rate it because this is intended for a kids' audience. I think I bought this on sale, and from the cover it isn't clear it is a children's story. It's fine for what it is: a less horrific version of the OG Infinity Gauntlet story.

Oh well - one for the used book store exchange pile.

[Kitap Yakıcı · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes laugh-out-loud funny Saturday morning cartoon distillation of the classic Infinity Gauntlet plot-line.

[Megan Farve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars only because of Spidey.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a silly little miniseries, one that is amusing, but never goes as full on funny as I would have liked.

[Adam Weiler · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's so bad.. It's so, so bad...

[Holliferous · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of an alternate version of the Infinity Gauntlet from the '90s. but this was a little kiddish. Maybe I picked up one meant for younger readers by mistake.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never thought I’d say this but: the movie was better.

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was too silly by half. They turned Infinity Gauntlet into a Dr. Doom/US Archer story. The Doom parts and some of the others were good, but the space trucker angle really dragged

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well this was a giant waste of time.

[Haditha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wkwkwk ga jelas banget. Dr Doomnya ngocol

[Ella McC. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good can always comeover bad

[Paulina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely disappointing, with the exception of the earlier issue "Infinity Gauntlet #1" which gave the background to Thanos story and his love for death. The other 4 lacked good dialogue, only spider-man lines brought a half smile on my face now and then.

[Edward Cheer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had always heard about this famous Marvel story arc for ages, and since it's more than likely that we'll be seeing it watered down to punching in a few years- I figured I'd read it and see what's going on myself. And I didn't like it. Okay, particularly I didn't like the first 5 issues that were drawn and written like a children's cartoon. Did it make me laugh? Sure. Did it make me feel the intensity of the universe dying? No. In fact, the story has a lot of massive flaws. Mainly with the annoying truck driver and how he manages to save the entire universe by driving his space-truck into an omniscient being without said omniscient being knowing he was coming. It was cheesy and dumb, and I was leaning on not liking it. However, I further lean towards liking the latter issue drawn by George Perez (fooling me into thinking he also drew Swamp Thing, since the art looks so similar). The story shows Thanos in a far more sympathetic light. Sure, what he's doing is wrong, but you can understand why he's doing it (as opposed to him just being evil in the other five issues prior). I'd recommend that anyone who'd read this book, to only start reading when the art goes from looking childish to more mature.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the silliest Avengers book we have ever read.

It’s probably not for superhero purists. C-Man and I couldn’t stop laughing, whereas the guys at our local comic shop looked at us funny for loving it. I honestly can’t tell if someone not familiar with Marvel characters would get the full depth of the humor here, but it’s a well-told story with plenty of fun even if you don’t. The plot is basically “something bad happens, an Avengers team saves the world” which is no surprise. The interstellar 18-wheeler and the space pirates, though, are not normal. For those who ARE familiar with Marvel characters, you can tell that Clevinger has a special place in his heart for Dr. Doom. We would own this even if we didn’t have a kid.

Those familiar with Atomic Robo will recognize Clevinger’s name; those not familiar are missing out big time.

[G.R. Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just terrible. Most of the book was obvious filler that had nothing to do with the main plot. Really!? Space pirates and a space blimp? Trying to fill 30 pages per issue must have been a problem for them.
The art was also mediocre at best. The panel layout was good, but the inking and the detail in much of this was lacking.
It wasn't the worst thing ever, so that's why im giving it 2 stars.