written by Brian Clevinger and Lee Black
illustrated by Brian Churilla

If all superhero comics were as much fun as Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet, we'd all be reading a lot more superhero comics.
 
This all-ages graphic novel (part of the kid-friendly Marvel Adventures line, although it does not share that line's trade dress) tells the tale of a ragtag group of extra Avengers as they cross the galaxy, trying to figure out why half of the living creatures in the universe have suddenly disappeared. It's not your core team of Avengers, who have themselves mostly disappeared. Instead, it's a team led by Ms. Marvel, joined by Wolverine, Spider-Man, the Hulk, interstellar truck driver U.S. Ace, and…an altruistic Doctor Doom?
 
Yeah, it's an odd mix, but it works.
 
The villain of the whole piece is Thanos, the mad godlike being, who has gathered six mystical Infinity Gems from the far-flung corners of the universe. Put together to form the Infinity Gauntlet (a big yellow glove, really), the gems give whoever wields them the power to control space, time, reality, the mind, and other pretty important stuff.
 
This is all based (ever so slightly) on the 1991 miniseries The Infinity Gauntlet by writer Jim Starlin and artist George Pérez. In that series (the first issue of which is reprinted at the back of this book), Thanos sought to court Death itself, winning her favor by "killing" half of the universe.
 
Where that original series was dark and serious, Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet is fun and light. Writers Brian Clevinger and Lee Black give us a story filled with humor and excitement as the heroes travel to the center of the galaxy aboard a flying 18-wheel space truck (yes, seriously), fighting space pirates and alien beasties along the way, and stopping here and there to make sandwiches. Once the sandwiches have been made and eaten, they find Thanos, and the usual mayhem ensues.
 
Clevinger (best known for the series Atomic Robo) and Black fill the book with jokes and one-liners, including some of the best Spider-Man quips I've ever read. And the story is just plain fun, full of odd characters, odd moments, unexpected cameos, weird villains, weird situations, and genuine surprises.
 
Artist Brian Churilla has a cartoony style that suits the story well. He packs the panels with detail and extra gags (why does the Hulk turn up wearing a dress at one point?), and captures the energy and excitement of the story. Churilla inks his own pencils in the first and fourth chapters, and is ably assisted on other chapters by Terry Pallot and Sandu Florea. Michelle Madsen does a great job on colors.
 
The only real weak part of this book is the Starlin/Pérez reprint. It's still a good story, maybe even great, but its tone is light years away from that of the new story, and its place in the Marvel continuity of 20 years ago might leave some scratching their heads (why is the Hulk smart, for example?). Plus, it's reproduced terribly: the colors are washed out and pale, and the detailed artwork by Pérez suffers at the slightly smaller printing size of this graphic novel.
 
But don't let that stop you. This is everything that was fun about 1970s Marvel team-up comics updated for a 21st century audience. More, please.

-- John R. Platt

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