Infinity: Heist #1 Review

I don't envy Frank Tieri. After you've written a comic called Space Punisher, what is there left to do or say about the Marvel Universe? Luckily, Tieri perseveres anyway, with his newest Marvel project being the second of Marvel's Infinity-tie-in mini-series. Infinity: The Heist is hardly essential reading for Infinity the way Avengers or New Avengers have been. This story could just as easily take place alongside any Marvel event that involves the Avengers being distracted by a powerful force. But if you enjoy seeing Tieri write bad guys at their baddest -- something he particularly excels at, as we've seen from his Villains Month issues -- then this mini-series will be up your alley.

Fans of Nick Spencer's Superior Foes of Spider-Man will definitely want in on this book. Like Superior Foes, Heist blends villainy and black humor in a way that evokes Gail Simone's Secret Six. The key difference here being that Tieri is working with a passel of Iron Man villains. The premise is simple enough, and obvious from the cover. A gang led by Spymaster and including the likes of Blizzard, Whiplash, and Whirlwind, aim to raid Tony Stark's armory while the Avengers are in space.

While light on plot, this first issue is heavy on fun. It has all the ingredients of a good heist story, and Tieri delves just deeply enough into the shared history among these characters that the group feels cohesive and not just a randomly assembled bunch of villains out for a payday. The easy bond between Whirlwind and Blizzard also helps readers gain a foothold with the characters, despite their heinous acts of murder early on.

Al Barrionuevo's art also keeps the issue humming along. He excels at providing expressive, energetic renditions of villains and dynamically framed panels. There's a kinetic energy to the book that can't be denied, making this easily the most visually striking of the various Infinity offshoots.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com