Review by Ian Keogh

Unlike the Companion volumes Marvel have previously issued to accompany events, this isn’t old material, but additional stories offering a deeper focus on characters who play a part in the main event. The Black Widow, for instance, who was a surprise participant in a cosmic epic, came into possession of the infinity stone allowing her to teleport anywhere, and her tale is written by Infinity Countdown’s motivator Gerry Duggan.

It’s okay, but no more. The whimsy may or may not work for you, and Nick Virella’s art has an appeal, but it’s also very posed in places. At a time when the Black Widow was among the missing it was nice to see her again, but as part of a collection it’s bland. Duggan also writes the Daredevil outing, largely because even more surprising than the Black Widow is an infinity stone falling into the possession of general lowlife Turk Barrett. Anyone reading the main story and wondering how, discovers the answer here, but it’s rather random, and why does it take Chris Sprouse, Phil Noto and Lee Ferguson to illustrate a thirty page story?

Jim McCann and Diego Olortegui’s Captain Marvel story is better, being a glimpse at some of the infinite alternatives for Carol Danvers. It’s an emotionally draining tour around what might have been and what may still be, but such are the possibilities if you’ve copped hold of the Reality Stone.

Only the Champions story by Jim Zub and Emilio Laiso runs beyond the single chapter, and it’s also the only one not specifically dealing with the consequences of having an infinity stone. Nova receives a warning that his old enemy Warbringer is again loose and eviscerating entire planets, but is reluctant to call in his friends when the threat is so deadly. However, given their power set, leaving them behind isn’t an option either. Events take an unpredictable turn impacting directly on the team, which is unusual for a crossover tie-in. Everything bops along interestingly, and fans of Zub’s work on the series should be happy. The fallout is seen in The Champions: Weird War One.

Infinity Countdown Companion: Darkhawk runs far longer, which is why the further tie-in is allocated its own graphic novel. Champions fans ought to enjoy their two chapters, and they’ll have the bonus of a decent Captain Marvel story, although the nuances are probably only going to be picked up by those who’ve followed Carol Danvers’ career for a long time. Duggan, though, was concentrating on the main event, and coasting here.