Review: Infinity, Inc.: The Generations Saga, Volume One by Roy Thomas, Jerry Ordway, Mike Machlan, et al.

Comic hardcover, 192 pages
Published 2011 (contents: 1983-84)
Acquired July 2011
Read June 2020

Infinity, Inc.: The Generations Saga, Volume One

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Written by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, Gardner Fox

Art by Jerry Ordway, Mike Machlan, Rick Magyar, Bill Collins, Joe Kubert, Al Dellinges
Colored by Gene D'Angelo, Anthony Tollin, Adrienne Roy
Lettered by David Cody Weiss, John Costanza

The success of All-Star Squadron spurred a second Earth-Two ongoing comic, Infinity, Inc., which debuted in 1984. It's funny, in the letter columns for both All-Star and Infinity, Inc., Roy Thomas is always talking about how he'd like to do an ongoing featuring the Justice Society itself... but he never actually does! And he was the editor! I don't know if this is because he kept coming up with better ideas, or if because his superiors at DC wouldn't let him. This series is a better idea, though, if you ask me: instead of focusing on the JSA, it focuses on their descendants. The team here is made up of Nuklon (son of the Atom's goddaughter), the Silver Scarab (Hawkman's son), the Huntress (Batman's daughter), Power Girl (Superman's cousin), Brainwave Jr. (son of JSA foe the Brain Wave), Jade and Obsidian (children of the Green Lantern), Northwind (mentee of Hawkman), and the Star-Spangled Kid (not actually someone's descendant). You have a group of people trying to live up to their pasts: a favorite theme of mine in superhero comics.

In All Star Comics and Showcase in the 1970s, the Brain Wave would use his illusion powers to make himself look like a younger man. Infinity, Inc. reveals that that younger man was patterned after his son... who here is using his illusion powers to make himself look like his father!
from Infinity, Inc. vol. 1 #1 (plot by Roy Thomas & Dann Thomas, script by Roy Thomas, art by Jerry Ordway & Mike Machlan)

The Generations Saga, Volume One collects the first four issues of the series, alongside the three issues of All-Star Squadron (#25-26 and Annual #1) that introduced the team. The book's biggest flaw is not really its fault per se: in typical DC fashion, their efforts to collect an old series stalled out almost right away, and there never was another collection of Infinity, Inc., so you don't get a complete story. I can see why, though: $40 retail for seven issues of a pretty obscure team?

I always think Obsidian's shadow face looks more goofy than frightening, but I still like it.
from All-Star Squadron #25 (script by Roy Thomas, art by Jerry Ordway & Mike Machlan)

And, to be honest, it doesn't read great on its own. The issues here are reprinted in publication order, but I followed Roy Thomas's advice in the introduction and read them in story order, which I liked, as it caused me to read the All-Star Squadron issues from the Infinitors' perspective, not the All-Stars' as I had the first time. Infinity, Inc. #1-2 introduces the team and ends with them being sent back in time to 1942, leading into their appearances in All-Star; then Infinity, Inc. #3-4 follow them back in the present day. #1-2 are kind of silly: the future members of Infinity, Inc. bust into a JSA meeting and demand to be admitted as members. Everyone fights instead of actually conversing for some reason, and then once a vote is held, they are sent packing, all depressed and wondering how they will be superheroes. It's not clear to me why they can't be superheroes without being in the JSA. If you want to save people, just get out there and do it! The necessity of action scenes also results in a weird sequence where they go to eat at a fast-food restaurant in full costume and get in a fight for no real reason.

This is done six separate times, which gets a bit repetitive.
from All-Star Squadron #26 (script by Roy Thomas, art by Jerry Ordway & Mike Machlan)

I'm glad the All-Star issues are here, but without the lead-in issues (they capped off a storyline that began in #18), they're not as effective, and a lot of the stuff about time travel and balancing limbo and mental energy is sheer malarkey, even by comic book standards.

Not the waking up by Power Girl and Huntress the Star-Spangled Kid had hoped for.
from Infinity, Inc. vol. 1 #3 (plot by Roy Thomas & Dann Thomas, script by Roy Thomas, art by Jerry Ordway and Mike Machlan, Rick Magyar, & Bill Collins)

The actual storyline of The Generations Saga hasn't even really begun by the time the collection ends. In #3, the Infinitors fight Solomon Grundy; meanwhile in a totally separate plot, Superman has gone evil. This being a Roy Thomas comic, people are always having long conversations where they explain how their backstories fit into established continuity. This goes so far as #4 reprinting a 1946 Hawkman story in its entirety to fill in Northwind's history, which was pretty unnecessary. But at the same time, the characters somehow never have time to communicate essential information, always getting cut off by fight scenes so that the plot doesn't move too quickly from information being communicated effectively. The Generations Saga does really pick up in issues #5-10, which makes it a shame DC cut it half for some reason.

The answer is mind wipes. Always mind wipes. If the All-Star Squadron wasn't always getting mind-wiped of time travel and/or timeline adventures, Roy Thomas's retroactive continuity would be in a constant state of collapse.
from Infinity, Inc. vol. 1 #3 (plot by Roy Thomas & Dann Thomas, script by Roy Thomas, art by Jerry Ordway and Mike Machlan, Rick Magyar, & Bill Collins)

What does really work is the artwork of Jerry Ordway. His work on All-Star Squadron was always strong, but Infinity, Inc. is a whole 'nother level. Great use of close-ups, great character work in the faces, interesting layouts that really work to tell the story. The characters comes to life, especially (I thought) Jade and Obsidian, the two ordinary teens who suddenly discovered that they might be descendants of the Green Lantern. Mike Machlan's inks and the work of the various colorists also really shines, vibrant and lively.

This post is the fourth in a series about the Justice Society and Earth-Two. The next installment covers Infinity, Inc.: The Generations Saga, Volume Two. Previous installments are listed below:

1. All Star Comics: Only Legends Live Forever (1976-79)
2. The Huntress: Origins (1977-82)
3. All-Star Squadron (1981-87)