"The Infinity War"
"Chthonic Maneuvers" Infinity War 1 (June 1992)
"Ethereal Revisionism" Infinity War 2 (July 1992)
"Nefarious Rhapsodies" Infinity War 3 (August 1992)
"Dark Sides" New Warriors 27 (September 1992)
"Mortiferous Artifice" Infinity War 4 (September 1992)
"Psychomachia!" Infinity War 5 (October 1992)
"Animus Engagement" Infinity War 6 (November 1992)
(1992/09/01)

Reader Rating: Above Average; Thunderbolts Interest: Medium

Summary: The big story: The Magus, Adam Warlock's evil future alter-ego, plays a maniacally complex chess game with Thanos, Earth's mightiest heroes, and numerous cosmic entities to get his purple paws on the Infinity Gauntlet and -- yep -- domination over the universe. One of the Magus' tactics involves creating twisted doppelgangers of Earth's heroes.

The important story: While bringing pizzas to heroes waiting to go into action, Speedball encounters his own doppelganger ("Blackball"). Rage, not part of the War-party, encounters his own double ("Enraged").

Appearances include:
Eternity, Infinity, The Living Tribunal, Galactus, The Watcher
Alpha Flight: Sasquash, Shaman, Puck and others
The Avengers: The Black Knight, The Black Widow, Captain America, Crystal, Dr. Druid, Hawkeye, Hercules, Henry Pym, Iron Man, The Living Lightning, The Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), Quasar, Thor, US Agent, The Vision, The Wasp, Wonder Man
The Fantastic Four: The Human Torch, The Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, The Thing
The Infinity Watch: Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, the Mole Man (!?), Moondragon, Pip
The New Warriors: Firestar, Namorita, Nova (Richard Ryder), Silhouette
X-Men/X-Factor: Archangel, The Beast, Colussus, Cyclops, Forge, Gambit, Marvel Woman (Jean Grey), Iceman, Madrox, Professor X, Rogue, Storm, Wolfsbane, Wolverine and others
Plus: The Black Cat, Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Agatha Harkness, The Hulk, Moon Knight, Nova (Frankie Raye), Psylocke, Sleepwalker, The Silver Surfer, Spider-Man
For the bad guys: Dr. Doom, Kang ... and Death herself. No explanation here what all of the other villains are up to.

Continuity: Speedball is sent for pizza just outside the panels of page 13 of Watch #3. His solo adventure takes place between there are the last panel of page 29.

Robbie's dad learns his secret identity.

Comments: Jim Starlin stirs up another pan-dimensional potboiler. Ron Limm provides impressive art. But Infinity Watch makes no good sense as a story: How many times will Starlin insist that bad guys who become "omniscient" can still be surprised by a school-yard stratagem? And I hate -- I always hate -- how, in order to make Thanos the hero, all of the other characters have to become chumps.

"Dark Sides" brings the whole thing down to Earth with terrific effect. Speedball and Rage have two very different approaches to defeating their evil twins. Darick Robertson's art gives the story bounce and spirit, and Robbie's long-pending showdown with his Dad is satisfying and bittersweet.

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This page was revised on March 7, 2009

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