Infinity # 6 Spoilers - Thanos' Final Fate

Infinity # 6 was nice but still not-that quite satisfying. But for something that was built to be this big, it shined brightly.

What's really interesting here was the ending to the Thanos plot thread. This was the big fight and it doesn't get any bigger with Captain America leading a handful of the most powerful members of his team against Thanos and what's left of his Order including Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive.

In the final pages of the Thanos chapter, we see Thor go head to head against Thanos...

Oh and Thane is also here watching his pappy's fight against the Avengers. That's when the whole face-turn-heel moment comes about...

So what exactly happened to Thanos after that flashing light?

Turned into amber no less by Thane. Same goes for Proxima Midnight.

It's living death for the organisms that gets Thane pissed off. The Avengers win, the Earth is saved and the galactic alliance return to their lives to rebuild. Meanwhile, the Illuminati adds in a new prize to their secret stash.

Thank you Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung and Dustin Weaver for this wonderful tale. It's on the upper echelons of good Marvel stories that have come out in the past two years or so. 

Inhumanity # 1 Preview

Suddenly I had this urge to share this preview for Marvel Comics' INHUMANITY # 1 written by Matt Fraction with beautiful art by Olivier Coipel.

I wonder why the Avengers would send in Bruce Banner first to talk to the inhuman Karnak whose power is to see his target's weakness. Beats me. Still much appreciated that they posted the unlettered version. This'd really spoil the ending of Infinity if this had letters on it. 

Source: Den of Geeks

INFINITY # 5 Review

Semi-spoilery review for INFINITY # 5 by Jonathan Hickman, Dustin Weaver and Jerome Opena.

THIS!

This is probably the weakest issue of Infinity. There I said it. Even though it's the weakest you still get to enjoy it as it's got it's moments. Sadly this was just a literal drag with nothing really happening (by that I mean now planets or ships getting blown up).

It's a standard 'talkies' issue reminiscent of a bad issue of Bendis written Avengers. Only it's not so bad because we get more Captain America coolness, a bit of spotlight on Thanos, Black Bolt and the Illuminati all in one sitting.

Still a must-read if you're following the intergalactic saga of the main Avengers team. Oh and it also sucks that after so much build-up on The Builders (Badump-tss) they get so easily knocked down a peg. You can't help but feel sorry that the Avengers had the ultimate deus ex machina, Captain Universe amongst their roster.

INFINITY # 4 SPOILERS

SPOILER ALERT!

Here's a couple of things that were pretty interesting from INFINITY # 4 by Jonathan Hickman, Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver.

So over in the ruins of Attilan, Thanos and Blackbolt resume their fight. Of course Thanos figures out that the first scream that Black Bolt released was also used to detonate the terrigen mist bomb across Earth.

Yes it actually sucked that Thanos beats Black Bolt in one-on-one combat.

In another part of the world, in that hidden Inhuman settlement, we meet Thane, in his 'human' form.

Sadly, that's all shortlived as the Terrigen Mist wave coming from the explosion in Attilan heads their way and transforms everybody, Thane included.



Thane emerges in a new form, one that looks a lot like his dear old dad.

Meanwhile in Space, particularly in the Kree homeworld of Hala, Captain America sends in his emissary after surrendering to the conquering Builder. Unfortunately for the Builder, Cap sends the one who controls the thunder and the one who's coming out with a movie on October 30... THOR...

Thor shows that he surrenders by hurling his hammer Mjolnir into space and then gets slapped in the face by that obnoxious, little prawn Builder.

So while the Builder is doing his litany AND preparing to kill Thor, Mjolnir has already made a full circle and is hurtling back to it's owner.

And then Thor proceeds to bring the hammer down, so to speak...

He then delivers the killing blow to the arrogant little Builder...



And spouts something, the Bay-verse Optimus Prime would say. Oh and then he poses with the hammer bearing Accusers of Hala including Ronan the Accuser...

Thing suddenly went from INTERESTING to VERY INTERESTING...

What are you waiting for, get your copies now. 

Are the Avengers Going Global?

A new teaser from Marvel Comics for their upcoming panels in NYCC shows the word GLOBAL with a green hue.

And more importantly it boasts of a stellar creative team. 

So yeah, we got Jonathan Hickman, Nick Spencer (who's doing Secret Avengers) and Stefano Caselli who was also working with Avengers prior to INFINITY.

So what could this be? I've been reading the comments from various groups and it feels like they're on to something.

- It could either be a new expansion for the Avengers i.e. taking in new members from other superteams from around the world like Alpha Flight or Big Hero 6. 

- It could be a Hulk-centric storyline which is kinda dumb in my opinion.

- It could tie up to whatever will happen in the next Avengers storyarc featuring a renegade planet on a collision course with Earth (which would be interesting and solicited as well). 

Either way, NYCC is just around the corner so let's just play the waiting game. 

New Avengers # 9 Spoilers

In this issue written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Mike Deodato Jr. we find out a couple of things.

1. Namor without Atlantis is really nothing. It diminishes his strength in some way.



2. Black Panther (T'Challa) is a non-king not to be trifled with.



3. The X-Men's School should really build a fortress if they want to keep their students safe.



4. Namor can be a smug bastard and can also be a conniving bastard...



5. When a powerful psychic gets a drop on Doctor Strange, the latter can be pretty useless.



6. The X-Men should really train harder against psychic attacks.

Marvel Avengers Alliance Spec Ops 13 Guide

Coming clean, I'm an addict for Playdom's Marvel Avengers Alliance and I swear I can effing play this Facebook game for a whole day. That being said, the game just launched it's big "Infinity" tie-in with Special Operations (Spec Ops) # 13 which features Thanos and his Black Order together with Inhuman king Black Bolt and a new hero Thane.

So if you want to get either one of the two, I suggest you start playing the game (which is very INFINITY-spoiler heavy mind you) and hope for the best. I would like to cite The Marvel Avengers Alliance [Philippines] group  particularly James Noele Vasquez who created the document.

1. A.I.M.-less

Defeat 5 A.I.M. Soldiers
Remove A.I.M. from this equation. A.I.M. Soldiers can be found in Mission 1: Tribute or Gauntlet.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

2. Mean Green

Defeat a Mini-Boss in Mission 1
Defeat either Abomination or Green Goblin in Mission 1: Tribute or Gauntlet.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 1000

3. Strength in Numbers

Use 2 Distress Calls
You can only receive Distress Calls by visiting allies. Add allies to help you win more battles.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 200 XP for the Agent

4. Keep the Peace

Complete a Deploy
More help is needed on the ground to get the civilians clear of the area. Complete a Deploy in Mission 1: Tribute or Gauntlet.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 1

5. Darkest Before Dawn

Defeat Proxima Midnight
The first confrontation with the Black Order is against their greatest warrior. Proxima Midnight is the Boss of Mission 1: Tribute or Gauntlet.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 1000

6. Always Watching

Research the Vigil of Attilan in the Lab
Research the Vigil of Attilan to complete this task.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: Vigil of Attilan

7. The Mad Titan

Complete a Battle with Thanos
Fight Thanos either on your own map or on your friends' maps for free. Thanos respawns every 72 hours.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 1

8. Demonic Diversion

Defeat 6 Demons
Demons can be found in Mission 2: A Strange Twist
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

9. Mission Accomplished

Get 2 Stars of Mastery in Mission 1
Complete missions to add points to your cumulative score. Achieve a high enough score to earn a new Mastery Star!
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

10. Bolt From The Blue

Use Black Bolt's Royal Flight 3 Times
Royal Flight is Black Bolt's second ability. Black Bolt is a Team-Up in Spec Op 13 Mission 2 and 3.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 1000

11. Hammer out Danger

Create the Attilan Cudgel in the Lab
The Attilan Cudgel can be researched after acquiring the Blueprint: Attilan Cudgel
Requires 20 to auto-finish
Reward: 1000

12. Versus

Fight 5 PVP Battles
Compete in PVP to test your skills against other players. Hint: Practice matches count as battles.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

13. Curbing Corvus

Defeat Corvus Glaive
The second confrontation with the Black Order is with the cruel and cunning Corvus Glaive. He is the Boss of Mission 2: A Strange Twist.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 2000

14. Sibilant Strike

Use Black Bolt's Whisper 2 Times
Whisper is Black Bolt's third ability. Black Bolt is a Team-Up in Spec Op 13 Mission 2 and 3.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

15. Instability

Collect 20 Unstable Iso-8
Unstable Isotope-8 can be found in normal combat, as well as rewards from deploys and boss fights. You can also get some from your friends!
Requires 20 to auto-finish
Reward: 2000

16. Hammer out a Warning

Upgrade the Attilan Cudgel to the Attilan Mace in the Lab
The Attilan Mace can be researched after acquiring the Attilan Cudgel.
Requires 20 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

17. Eternal Struggle

Fight Thanos 3 Times
Fight Thanos either on your own map or on your friends' maps for free. Thanos respawns every 72 hours.
Requires 30 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

18. Binary System

Get 2 Stars of Mastery in Mission 2
Complete missions to add points to your cumulative score. Achieve a high enough score to earn a new Mastery Star!
Requires 20 to auto-finish
Reward: 200 XP for the Agent

19. Righting the Wrongs

Use Dr. Strange's Teresing Boost 2 Times
Teresing Boost is Dr. Strange's second ability. Dr. Strange is a Team-Up for the Epic Boss of Mission 2: A Strange Twist.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 1

20. Victory

Win 3 PVP Battles
Compete in PVP to test your skills against other players. PVP requires completing Chapter 1 Mission 4 of Story Mode.
Requires 30 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

21. Voxquake

Use Black Bolt's Power Word in Combat
Power Word is Black Bolt's fourth ability. Black Bolt is a Team-Up in Spec Op 13 Mission 2 and 3.
Requires 30 to auto-finish
Reward: 100 XP for the Agent

22. What's in the Box

Collect 5 Inhuman Lockboxes
Collect lockboxes to unlock Thane as a playable hero. They can be earned from fighting Thanos or lockbox sidequests.
Requires 20 to auto-finish
Reward: 3000

23. Running the Gauntlet

Defeat Thanos
Thanos is the Boss in Mission 3: In Search of Thane.
Requires 10 to auto-finish
Reward: 1

24. Mission Accomplished

Complete 3 Stars of Mastery in all Spec Op 12 Missions
Complete missions to add points to your cumulative score. Achieve a high enough score to earn a new Mastery Star!
Requires 25 to auto-finish
Reward: 5000

25. Dark Dread

Defeat Dormammu
Dormammu is an Epic Boss in Mission 2: A Strange Twist. HINT: Participate in Deploys as soon as they appear.
Requires 25 to auto-finish
Reward: 1 , Black Bolt.

Then there's also Thane. To get the supposed and rumored 'Son of Thanos' you have to gain themed lockboxes. Here's Thane's bio (special thanks to Bleedingcool):

Additional story for Thane:

"I used to be just a man. Just another healer, nobody of consequence, plying my trade among my people. And then Thanos arrived. How did I get these horrible powers? Why? Did they come from him? All I know is that just as he came to Earth, I… changed. Suddenly I had the power of life and death in my hands. But I could not control it, and the people around me paid the price. Everyone that I had once healed, everyone I knew… dead. I ran before I could kill again, only to find an even greater murderer in my path. Thanos and his lieutenants were coming… for me. This Thanos creature… what does he want from me? If I give myself up to him, will he stop killing people? Or will he just use my powers to kill even more? I need someone to help me understand what I am… what I’ve become. Is that you, Agent? Do you think you can control death itself? I doubt it. But the truth is, I have no other choice. I cannot go back to the way I was, and I cannot go to Thanos. That leaves me with you. But I warn you. Try to use my powers for evil, and I’ll show you what they can do… in abundance."

INFINITY # 3 Review - Minor Spoilers

Reviewing Infinity # 3 by Jonathan Hickman, Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver.

This week's INFINITY # 3 shows us that Captain America is still the baddest mofo in the Universe and that having no powers do not mean he can't beat battles with powerful enemies like The Builders. It's also a prelude of bigger things coming down with the Inhumans.

Hickman plays the galactic opera very well with a badly beaten Galactic Council turning tail and leaving behind only a handful of troops. Luckily for readers it happens to be Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers led by Captain America. 

I like the dichotomy of this issue. One side we see a victory on the space front led by Captain America and on the other side of the playing field we see a kingdom crumble partly due to that supreme a-hole Thanos. 

So far, I'm impressed with how Hickman is handling Infinity. Issue 3 is a great addition to the list of good products that Marvel Comics has released in the past few months. There's this elegance and grandness in terms of scope and he yet he micromanages everything to make it cohesive. 

Opena and Weaver's art was fantastic. Opena is a monster when it comes to doing xenomorphic creatures and weird spacecrafts. Plus he pulled off something fantastic in my book. He managed to make Captain America look so cool barking orders at his team.

Weaver's work was excellent here, on equal footing with Opena's work actually. That guy can convey emotions with his art such as the madness in Maximus the Mad's eyes, the worry in Queen Medusa's face and Black Bolt's adamant stance vs Thanos.

Go pick up INFINITY # 3, you'll be happy you did. 

MARVEL NOW 2 Officially Announced with Avengers, Inhumans and Invaders

Marvel Comics has just released their opening salvo for the second wave of Marvel Now titles coming our way starting December. These include familiar faces with new creative teams. 

So yes, James Robinson has jumped aboard the Marvel ship and I'm really hoping he kicks ass with this new title featuring unlikely allies Captain America, the Original Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier and Namor.

Then there's also AVENGERS # 24 which kicks off a brand new story arc entitled ROGUE PLANET which sees Cap and Iron Man creating a new Avengers team to stop a runaway train-esque planet from colliding with Earth. Even awesome is the fact that they have Esad Ribic as artist.

Finally, the most obvious title that will be coming out for the second wave of Marvel Now titles, INHUMANS by Matt Fraction and Joe Madureira. Guess we have to track down INFINITY closely to understand the story.

Oh and let's not forget about the in-betweener book INHUMANITY which just had it's first cover revealed a few days ago.

New Teaser Image for Marvel's INFINITY

Something big is going to happen in December or at least that's what Marvel wants us to believe. 

BleedingCool wants to think that this is in direct relation to the bombs that were dropped in INFINITY # 2 while ComicBookNews wants to believe that this has got something to do with the apparent transition of Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales to the 616 Universe after the end of CATACLYSM. 

Personally though I want to go with this being a direct offshoot of Black Bolt's information. It just jibes right that way. 

INFINITY # 2 Variants by Skottie Young and Steve McNiven

Check out these two variant covers for Marvel's INFINITY # 2 by Jonathan Hickman, Dustin Weaver and Jerome Opena.

STEVE MCNIVEN INFINITY # 2 VARIANT

I hate this updated look for Sam Wilson aka The Falcon. He definitely looks like the X-Men villain Sauron...

SKOTTIE YOUNG INFINITY # 2 VARIANT

Cuteness. Just cuteness everywhere.

INFINITY # 2 comes out September 2013.

INFINITY # 2 Preview

Check out the preview for Marvel Comics' INFINITY # 2 by Jonathan Hickman, Dustin Weaver and Jerome Opena.

• The Inhumans pay the tribute.

• Victory in deep space.

• The secrets of Thanos.

Looks like the rest of the Illuminati are screwed while the Avengers are off planet... And that's also the reason why Doctor Strange has been absent lately.

Full version of the cover (which looks like it was done by Adam Kubert)