Exclusive DC preview: Convergence: Infinity Inc. spotlights teen heroes of the ’80s

DC’s Convergence event has reunited many creators with classic properties they worked on in the past. This week, Infinity Inc. co-creator Jerry Ordway returns to the teen superhero team, but this time as writer instead of artist. As the writer of The Power Of Shazam! in the ’90s, Ordway showed a remarkable talent for capturing the tone of a bygone comics era as he told stories heavily inspired by the Golden Age adventures of Captain Marvel. And for Convergence: Infinity Inc., he turns to ’80s superhero comics for inspiration.

The heightened narration gives the preview of this week’s Convergence: Infinity Inc. #1 a retro feel, which is accentuated by the spot-on ’80s costuming of artist Ben Caldwell. But the art is also where the modernization happens. The fashion may be retro, but Caldwell’s visual style is very much in line with the slick animation-inspired artwork that has become increasingly popular in superhero comics over the last year. That cartoonish quality leads to some very expressive characters, and Veronica Gandini’s bright color palette brings a lot of energy to the art. The combination of Ordway’s script and Caldwell and Gandini’s art makes this book a smooth combination of classic and modern elements, keeping the spirit of the original Infinity Inc. series but presenting it in a way that doesn’t feel too dated.