The Infinite

Jeff of Earth-J September 16, 2011 at 9:06am

ISSUE #2: The way the creators names are jammed into the logo on the cover seems to suggest that the series is written and drawn by “Robert Kirkman” and “THE Rob Liefeld.” I seem to have grossly misinterpreted Kirkman and Liefeld’s working relationship* (as know-nothing fanboys are wont to do) in my post about last issue. [Don’t bother looking for the remark in the post above; I removed it.] Part of that was an attempt to be provocative (which didn’t work, obvously), but apparently, judging from Kirkman’s remarks on this issue’s letters page, he’s a huge and sincere fan of Liefeld’s work.

Speaking of which, I remain unconvinced that Liefeld has the artistic chops to pull off the subtle differences in one man’s face from two different time in his life. The future “Bowman” is bigger and has different hair than the modern day “Bo,” but other than that, Bowman doesn’t look necessarily older than Bo, just maybe fuller in the face. I had almost convinced myself that Bowman is a convincing older self, when an OMAC-looking character is thrown into the mix with yet another
But criticizing this series based on subtleties in the art work is not a fair criticism. That’s not what this series is about. This series is about action. On the letters page, the editor points out, “Robert’s main goal in working with Rob was writing stuff that Rob drew best,” and on that level it succeeds. Robert Kirkman also reveals that he has “been a fan of Rob Liefeld since nearly the beginning of [his] comics reading days” and the editor uses the word “insane” twice to describe some aspect of the book, both of which makes me feel a little old (or at least too old to be the target audience of this series).

“Keep on reading and enjoying the book,” promises editor Sina Grace, “and just you wait and see how insane the time travel aspect gets!” So far, it’s been anything but “insane”; the words “common” and “pedestrian” do spring to mind, however. I’ll stick with it a while longer.

Jeff of Earth-J September 16, 2011 at 9:14am

Ooh! Check out the "sneak peek" Cap posted 10 hours ago to see what I mean abvout the art!

Travis Herrick (Modular Mod) September 16, 2011 at 9:46am

I'll give you credit for sticking around. If by the second issue I found the comic "common" and "pedestrian" AND I didn't like the art I would bail. Hell, I liked the art on Blue Estate, the story was just so blah to me, so I dropped it. At this point I'd rather drop a series too early, than stick around too long.

Jeff of Earth-J September 16, 2011 at 1:36pm

No, no... I said the time travel aspect of the story was common and pedestrian. I also said, "This series is about action," and pointed out that Kirkman's self-stated goal is writing the stuff that Liefeld draws best. (I also see I should have checked my formatting after I posted, butI was in a hurry.) Anyway, sorry for the confusion, but it's now (way) too late to edit my earlier post for clarity.

Jeff of Earth-J October 11, 2011 at 6:08pm

ISSUE #3: I hate to say this, but only three issues in I’m already starting to lose track of the story. That’s not necessarily a fault of the series so much as it is the format of monthly installments. Although the series is heavy on action, not a lot has really happened so far. I suspect it’ll read better in a single sitting, but so far there’s not enough to make rereading it worthwhile. I don’t have a lot of time set aside for re-reading, but OTOH, even if a wait a couple of months, doing so shouldn’t take much time.

Jeff of Earth-J November 28, 2011 at 2:14pm

ISSUE #4: I’m still seeing a lot more Rob Liefeld than Robert Kirkman in this series, but I’m content to keep reading for a while yet. I’m starting to lose the plot thread (or not really care) because, despite the high level of action, nothing much has happened so far. (It just “doesn’t happen” very quickly.) This issue can be read from the POV of the newest recruit. Next issue promises to explain some of the rules how time travel works in this series, so I’m looking forward to that.

Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man November 28, 2011 at 9:03pm

I can't explain why I have an appreciation for Liefeld's art, but I do. I have to say, though, that I barely got through the first issue because of the writing. Robert Kirkman is capable of far more than this.

Liefeld's art has its place amongst the "EXTREEEME!!" comics art genre. I'm actually enjoying what he's doing on Hawk & Dove. But back to Infinite...I just didn't enjoy it. I didn't really get into Cable or X-Force at the time, either. As for Kirkman's other work--I definitely understand the appeal of The Walking Dead, I like Invincible, and my students love Super-Dinosaur. Infinite? Not for me.

Figserello November 28, 2011 at 10:35pm

So if Kirkman is writing to Liefield's strengths, does he give the characters lots of reasons to jam their heels between their butt-cheeks in mid-air? your persistence is to be admired, but from the evidence of this thread I have to ask if you've wondered whether there might be a tragically undersupported and struggling series out there that might be more deserving of your patronage?

Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man November 28, 2011 at 11:01pm

Well, I only read the first issue of Infinite. That one issue was enough to tell me that this is not the book for me. This is assuming you are responding to me, but I realize you are probably responding to the Jeff of Earth-J instead of the Jeff of Jupiter-J.

I think because of his attitude toward the comics medium and his enthusiasm toward the public, I'm more a fan of the man Liefeld than the artist Liefeld. It's enough to get me to support him, but only on pieces I'm actually enjoying reading.

Figserello said:

So if Kirkman is writing to Liefield's strengths, does he give the characters lots of reasons to jam their heels between their butt-cheeks in mid-air? your persistence is to be admired, but from the evidence of this thread I have to ask if you've wondered whether there might be a tragically undersupported and struggling series out there that might be more deserving of your patronage?

Jeff of Earth-J November 29, 2011 at 7:53am

You make a good point, Figs, but my faith in Robert Kirkman justifies giving The Infinite a few more issues. As a matter of fact, I was contemplating that very decision yesterday when reading the first collection of The Walking Dead caused me to change my mind, especially given the promises about future issues.

Regarding Liefeld's "strength," yes, there are a lot of heel-jammed butt-cheeks as well as impossibly high boobs with no visible means of support. Issue #4 in particular spotlights Liefeld's ability to draw weapons which look like no ordinance conceived on this or any other planet. Kirkman tries to patch it with dialogue, but it doesn't help much.

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The Infinite

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