Jim Starlin wrote Infinity Gauntlet which was basis for MCU’s Infinity War and Endgame. Mike Mignola is best know for Hellboy. Got this rather for Mignola’s art than Starlin’s writing. Infinity Gauntlet was good but I haven’t liked DC’s cosmic side that much. I am more Marvel guy. My favorite DC comics are not part of main continuity if there is one. Cartoonist Kayfabe interviewed Mignola. They mentioned this was one of turning points of him finding his style. I got interested enough to finally read the comic. Got it from sale some time ago.
This is Darkseid story. You can call me Marvel fan boy but to me Darkseid is boring version of Thanos. I know Darkseid was created first. In this book it is more like Thanos than some other books I have read. Starlin’s writing has something to do with it. This isn’t his best work even though it has some great moments. Greatest being when Superman and Orion meets again after they were separated. That spread was best art in the book and lead into it worked well. Superman and Orion were over all best part of the book. I didn’t thing Superman could be most interesting character in anything. To be honest it was contrast to Orion which made him interesting.
Story’s main problem is it is so convoluted and childish. There is Anti Life entity which tries to come to our universe. Its minions need to destroy two out of four solar systems to destroy the Milky Way. Destroying those solar systems would make gravity to destroy the Milky Way. I know superheroes are not meant to be realistic but that went too far. Later one character said five character draw nearly unlimited power from five different sources. Few panels later it was told two draw power from same source and others draw it from whatever. In cosmic DC tradition ending is huge deus ex machina. Good guys win because something comes out of the blue. I don’t mean the character but what character does.
I didn’t read this for the story I read this for Mignola’s art. Mignola said in interview his drawing were more like what his art became later but inker made it look more traditional art. Still there are some hints of things to come. Mostly when Superman fights big robot and when Batman fight monster with hole in its chest. Hellboy is known for use of color and black. This use more traditional coloring. Using color as story telling device makes Mignola’s art work. This is Mignola before he only draws what he is good at and before colors and inking lifts his art to new heights. There is only one thing I didn’t like about art. It happens three times. I don’t know if it was Starlin or Mignola but there are three times when art repeats telling something earlier panels already told us. It happen with after Orion and Superman meets again, after Starfire and others don’t find their bad guy and at the end of third issue and beginning of fourth. You can say four times because third issue ends with repetition and fourth starts with repetition. This was waste I have not seen from older Mignola. His art has evolved to have only what is necessary.
Don’t know how popular the story was or is. It is Starlin doing Thanos story with DC characters and art by Mignola who is becoming what he will be without aid of color and inking his work needs. For me Mignola’s art is only reason to get back to this later and in those cases it is to study few pages which work really well. I think I will keep reading Mignola’s work before Hellboy. I have few of those waiting to be read.