The new guardians of the Infinity Stones go up against some brand new villains in Infinity Watch #1 preview

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The new Infinity Watch has officially assembled to safeguard the power of the Infinity Stones in the Marvel Universe, and their new ongoing series is finally about to launch. The title brings together mostly new characters who have recently inherited the power of the Infinity Stones. But there's one returning face who now has a whole new role to occupy: Phil Coulson, keeper of the brand new Death Stone and guardian of the barrier between life and death.

Here's a preview of interior pages from Infinity Watch #1 by writer Derek Landy, artist Ruairí Coleman, inker Scott Hanna, colorists Brian Reber and Erick Arciniega, and letterer Cory Petit:

Image 1 of 6

"Who is the most powerful? Sorry, Thor. Sorry, Hulk. These are the seven most powerful people in the universe, each wielding one of the embodiments of all power in existence - THE INFINITY STONES. Half of the Stone Bearers are villains, and the other half certainly aren't hall-of-fame heroes, so what does this mean for the Marvel Universe? If Star has anything to say about it, we can start calling it the Star Universe. Can Colleen Wing or Phil Coulson possibly tilt the balance toward good?"

The full team consists of Multitude (Soul Stone), Prince of Power (Power Stone), Overtime (Time Stone), Quantum (Space Stone), Star (Reality Stone), Colleen Wing (Mind), and of course the aforementioned Phil Coulson - and the tension between the members is real.

"Writing a team book where the team gets along at all times is a LOT harder than a team where everyone is bickering and at each other’s throats- so I’m on pretty firm ground starting off," Landy previously told Newsarama about launching the new title. "That said, the balance is a delicate thing. I don’t want to shortchange any one character, yet I've got to serve the TEAM over any particular individual. Luckily, the way characters argue tells you a lot about them, so the trick is to do multiple things at once with every scene you write."

Infinity Watch #1 goes on sale December 11.

The original Infinity Watch was a key part of the classic Infinity Gauntlet crossover, which tops the list of the best Marvel Comics stories of all time.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)