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Thanos (2003) #1-12
Thanos: Redemption
After decades of malevolent misdeeds and vile villainy, could the Mad Titan be attempting to redeem himself? Scorned by his paramour Death and changed by his recent battles with the universe's cosmic powers, Thanos may have just decided to turn over a new leaf. But in order to make good on his vow, Thanos must face the world devourer Galactus, the all-consuming universal Hunger, the unimaginably powerful Beyonder, and the unknown threat of the Fallen One! Most of the universe doubts Thanos' sincerity, but a handful of uneasy allies support Adam Warlock, Pip the Troll, Gladiator and Star-Lord. Witness Thanos' cosmic struggle for repentance...but ask yourself, what dire fate awaits the universe if he fails?
Thanos 1-12
Thanos 1-12
304 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2004
16 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Jim Starlin
1,336 books444 followersJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. Death and suicide are recurring themes in Starlin's work: Personifications of Death appeared in his Captain Marvel series and in a fill-in story for Ghost Rider; Warlock commits suicide by killing his future self; and suicide is a theme in a story he plotted and drew for The Rampaging Hulk magazine.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 9, 2018
The first arc in this 12 issue series was really friggen good! Thanos is trying to atone for his past sins by helping some people and their planet that he once fucked over. Shenanigans ensue and things kinda get all crazy and somehow we find ourselves in a brawl with Galactus.
I love me some Galactus.
It's a great arc and Jim Starlin, as always, kills it with his cosmic hocus-pocus.
In the 2nd arc, the one by Keith Giffen, Thanos goes on a pilgrimage to some crazy prison on the edge of...everything...and contemplates his relationship with Lady Death. There's also a lot of broken English that you have to read and it's kinda frustrating to get through.
Overall though it was a fun book, really, the only reason I read this in the first place is that I am kicking off a Marvel Cosmic deep dive and the Annihilation storyline is a box I wanted to be checked sooner than later...and this book kinda precedes that whole ruckus...so you know...It's a journey.
I love me some Galactus.
It's a great arc and Jim Starlin, as always, kills it with his cosmic hocus-pocus.
In the 2nd arc, the one by Keith Giffen, Thanos goes on a pilgrimage to some crazy prison on the edge of...everything...and contemplates his relationship with Lady Death. There's also a lot of broken English that you have to read and it's kinda frustrating to get through.
Overall though it was a fun book, really, the only reason I read this in the first place is that I am kicking off a Marvel Cosmic deep dive and the Annihilation storyline is a box I wanted to be checked sooner than later...and this book kinda precedes that whole ruckus...so you know...It's a journey.
October 31, 2020
For the full review with pictures please visit: https://amanjareads.com/2020/10/26/th...
Thanos: Redemption attempts to be exactly what the title says. A story about Thanos redeeming himself after he kills half the known universe. That's a pretty rough path to walk. And he doesn't do it well.
He picks one planet and one species to attempt to save. He gets hyper-focused on this task to the point he'd be willing to destroy every other planet and every other species to save this one. His morals are... questionable.
But Thanos' morals aren't the main problem with this book. The main problem is that it is boring and confusing. Unless you are really familiar with the high galactic Marvel universe most of this book will leave you lost. There are many characters and locations I have never seen before presented with little to no introduction.
Thanos works with a team of... somebodies... I still honestly have no clue who they even were or how I would possibly know them.
On top of not knowing who any of the characters are they all speak with different dialects and in very over the top language. I think it's supposed to be fancy space god talk but it mostly just makes it difficult to read.
And then there's whatever the hell this is:
She says, "Seen it all enough yet? Makes Skreet queasily inside knowing she was cocoonered hereabouts." Now, I know whoever the heck she is her name is Skreet because she always talks in the third person. But she also talks in whatever the absolute fricken nonsense that word salad is. She's impossible to understand and she's a main plot point for like a third of the issues in this run.
I ended up just skimming her dialogue because I wasn't understanding it and didn't care enough to try. Big sign of a bad book.
So Thanos does not really redeem himself in any traditional sense of the word in this run. Mostly because the run ends. Abruptly. Without warning and without conclusion. Maybe it was cancelled because it was poorly written, maybe that's just the poorly written ending.
Regardless, there is no conclusion, the story ends mid plot. Not in a way that sets it up for a sequel, but in a way that seems like there are pages missing.
The one thing I can definitely give to Thanos: Redemption is the art. The high galaxy parts of Marvel, especially from this era, have a shiny contrast that I really enjoy.
There are many great panels and pages to look at but I can't really recommend you read any of the words.
Thanos: Redemption attempts to be exactly what the title says. A story about Thanos redeeming himself after he kills half the known universe. That's a pretty rough path to walk. And he doesn't do it well.
He picks one planet and one species to attempt to save. He gets hyper-focused on this task to the point he'd be willing to destroy every other planet and every other species to save this one. His morals are... questionable.
But Thanos' morals aren't the main problem with this book. The main problem is that it is boring and confusing. Unless you are really familiar with the high galactic Marvel universe most of this book will leave you lost. There are many characters and locations I have never seen before presented with little to no introduction.
Thanos works with a team of... somebodies... I still honestly have no clue who they even were or how I would possibly know them.
On top of not knowing who any of the characters are they all speak with different dialects and in very over the top language. I think it's supposed to be fancy space god talk but it mostly just makes it difficult to read.
And then there's whatever the hell this is:
She says, "Seen it all enough yet? Makes Skreet queasily inside knowing she was cocoonered hereabouts." Now, I know whoever the heck she is her name is Skreet because she always talks in the third person. But she also talks in whatever the absolute fricken nonsense that word salad is. She's impossible to understand and she's a main plot point for like a third of the issues in this run.
I ended up just skimming her dialogue because I wasn't understanding it and didn't care enough to try. Big sign of a bad book.
So Thanos does not really redeem himself in any traditional sense of the word in this run. Mostly because the run ends. Abruptly. Without warning and without conclusion. Maybe it was cancelled because it was poorly written, maybe that's just the poorly written ending.
Regardless, there is no conclusion, the story ends mid plot. Not in a way that sets it up for a sequel, but in a way that seems like there are pages missing.
The one thing I can definitely give to Thanos: Redemption is the art. The high galaxy parts of Marvel, especially from this era, have a shiny contrast that I really enjoy.
There are many great panels and pages to look at but I can't really recommend you read any of the words.
April 14, 2018
A fun read about Thanos after the Marvel Universe: The End.
He gets into some soul searching, and some knowledge hunting while trying to have a redemption about things he did in the past ((more specifically look at Infinity Crusade/War) and of course Infinity Gauntlet/the whole cosmic cube thing etc etc.)
He goes to a planet he fucked up before and trying to redeem himself and also travels to his home planet, and things happen.
Overall, it's a nice fun read, mostly the first part. The Starlin part. The rest is meh.. mediocre at best but still enjoyable I guess, but nothing that's TOO interesting happening or something to catch your eye. The Starlin part is fun and interesting and all, then from issue #6 I had a problem going downhill from there up until the last issue which I liked more than the rest (of the whole Samaritan arc).
He gets into some soul searching, and some knowledge hunting while trying to have a redemption about things he did in the past ((more specifically look at Infinity Crusade/War) and of course Infinity Gauntlet/the whole cosmic cube thing etc etc.)
He goes to a planet he fucked up before and trying to redeem himself and also travels to his home planet, and things happen.
Overall, it's a nice fun read, mostly the first part. The Starlin part. The rest is meh.. mediocre at best but still enjoyable I guess, but nothing that's TOO interesting happening or something to catch your eye. The Starlin part is fun and interesting and all, then from issue #6 I had a problem going downhill from there up until the last issue which I liked more than the rest (of the whole Samaritan arc).
July 19, 2017
Classic Starlin cosmic art and storytelling. If you're into that, you're gonna go head over heels for these 12 issues that tell two tales of Thanos attempting to be a hero and redeem himself for all the misdeeds he's done in the past. The opening 6 issue story gathers a bunch of the most colourful cosmic characters you can think of and sends them on a fun adventure through the cosmos. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea. The second story however, was much closer to the work of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, which I am obsessed with. That second story also sets up a lot of what takes place in the follow up Annihilation storyline, and that was the whole reason I ended up reading this and backtracking. Some of the dialogue and portions of the story seemed repetitive and unnecessary, or just hard to follow. (Some of the aliens that speak a messed up version of English are so annoying to read..)
December 4, 2022
This series consists of two story arcs. The first, "Epiphany" by Jim Starlin, is a direct follow-up to Marvel Universe: The End. Thanos, having recently briefly become God and destroyed and recreated the universe, is going through a bit of an existential crisis. He achieved omnipotence and found it wanting. So, with the help of Adam Warlock, he is seeking redemption for his past sins.
The second, "Samaritan" by Keith Giffen, is a lot weaker. Thanos travels to the edge of the universe, for reasons not entirely clear, and with the help of Star-Lord and Gladiator, he deals with a cosmic threat that endangers all life in the universe.
Starlin's story is great. Giffen's seems like a matter of taste but I didn't enjoy it much. Give me Adam Warlock and Pip the Troll over Peter Quill and Gladiator any day.
The second, "Samaritan" by Keith Giffen, is a lot weaker. Thanos travels to the edge of the universe, for reasons not entirely clear, and with the help of Star-Lord and Gladiator, he deals with a cosmic threat that endangers all life in the universe.
Starlin's story is great. Giffen's seems like a matter of taste but I didn't enjoy it much. Give me Adam Warlock and Pip the Troll over Peter Quill and Gladiator any day.
May 20, 2022
The Starlin section was really solid. The 2nd half was straight up terrible. The dialogue was incomprehensible and if you're not really familiar with cosmic Marvel you'll have no idea who is who. To be frank I didn't even care.
February 4, 2017
The embodiment of Death herself, proclaiming her love for Thanos after all these years... "I have always loved you, Thanos of Titan. Learn how to love me. I am well worth the effort..." Wow, who knew such a nihilistic story arc could be so beautiful???
However, I couldn't give it five stars because there was way too much of Gladiator and Starlord. Two very mediocre characters to my personal tastes, and not nearly enough of the usual Infinity characters, i.e. Gamora, Warlock and Moondragon. I'm still not clear why Gladiator and Peter Quill were prisoners or whatever they were supposed to be in the Kyln, and moreover, I have utterly no clue why they were speaking with what appeared to be southern accents where they dropped the 'g' at the end of words with 'ing' at the end. The collection jumped around too much. It started off about Galactus trying to end his hunger pangs once and for all with the use of the Infinity Gems, and being possessed by a cosmic parasite named The Hunger in the process. After Thanos saves Galactus from the brink of oblivion, the Devourer of Worlds disappears for over half of the book only to pop up at the end in what almost feels like an epilogue. Characters came and went with such abandon that no one felt like a crucial pawn in the usual cosmic chess game.
Still, the scene where Death confesses her, um... 'Undying' love for Thanos redeems Thanos: Redemption well enough for four stars.
However, I couldn't give it five stars because there was way too much of Gladiator and Starlord. Two very mediocre characters to my personal tastes, and not nearly enough of the usual Infinity characters, i.e. Gamora, Warlock and Moondragon. I'm still not clear why Gladiator and Peter Quill were prisoners or whatever they were supposed to be in the Kyln, and moreover, I have utterly no clue why they were speaking with what appeared to be southern accents where they dropped the 'g' at the end of words with 'ing' at the end. The collection jumped around too much. It started off about Galactus trying to end his hunger pangs once and for all with the use of the Infinity Gems, and being possessed by a cosmic parasite named The Hunger in the process. After Thanos saves Galactus from the brink of oblivion, the Devourer of Worlds disappears for over half of the book only to pop up at the end in what almost feels like an epilogue. Characters came and went with such abandon that no one felt like a crucial pawn in the usual cosmic chess game.
Still, the scene where Death confesses her, um... 'Undying' love for Thanos redeems Thanos: Redemption well enough for four stars.
February 12, 2018
Four stars for Starlin's story (1-6) and two stars for Giffen' s (7-12), thus arriving at 3 stars overall for this book. Starlin is a master at cosmics and space operas, and the only person who really know's how to write Thanos, Adam Warlock and the rest of the gang. His story was great and I loved all the tie-in's from earlier plot lines; it just wasn't a 5 star read when compared to those earlier works. I also wish he would have put a few more issues to show more of the aftermath of what went down.
Giffen's story was...fine. The text was super annoying to read...not the lettering but the actual text. I get what he was trying to accomplish, but it just didn't work for me. The art was just okay and I didn't care for how Lady Death was used.
This edition does happen to include great overviews/summaries on Thanos, Death, Beyonder, Galactus and a few others at the end of the book...it was great to read about their entire story line that way!
Giffen's story was...fine. The text was super annoying to read...not the lettering but the actual text. I get what he was trying to accomplish, but it just didn't work for me. The art was just okay and I didn't care for how Lady Death was used.
This edition does happen to include great overviews/summaries on Thanos, Death, Beyonder, Galactus and a few others at the end of the book...it was great to read about their entire story line that way!
February 1, 2015
Redemption (Starlin). Starlin's tale of Thanos' redemption is stunningly good. First, his take on Thanos being a hero is hilarious. However, he also creates a story with a marvelous cosmic scope, incorporating both Galactus and something ... beyond. The result is enthralling, backed up by gorgeous artwork, also by Starlin [8/10].
Samaritan (Giffen). It's a joy to find Giffen writing and drawing a cosmic comic again, and he does a good joy here with Thanos. We get a nice combination of funny and truly cosmic. Giffen does a particularly good job of expanding and developing cosmic lore, including the Beyonder and Galactus. Unfortunately this run has some flaws such as the annoying Skreet and the fact that it just stops in the end. Still, it's a great ride and would have been a great link in a continuing Thanos series [7/10].
Samaritan (Giffen). It's a joy to find Giffen writing and drawing a cosmic comic again, and he does a good joy here with Thanos. We get a nice combination of funny and truly cosmic. Giffen does a particularly good job of expanding and developing cosmic lore, including the Beyonder and Galactus. Unfortunately this run has some flaws such as the annoying Skreet and the fact that it just stops in the end. Still, it's a great ride and would have been a great link in a continuing Thanos series [7/10].
December 14, 2013
The opening storyline here is the stronger of the two, embracing the cosmic nature of Thanos and the Marvel universe as a whole, whilst the second tries to be a bit quieter whilst still embracing the omega level threats that only Thanos can deal with. The volume as a whole is mostly engaging, though again the second story spends too much time with characters who aren't Thanos, and when Thanos is around, everyone feels superflouous. The art is serviceable throughout, if a little predictable
April 21, 2018
I am really enjoying these more intimate character pieces centered around Thanos a lot more than the obligatory gala events featuring every Marvel character they could think of, plus some Infinity McGuffin.
This 12 issue run is actually two distinct six issue arcs - the first written by Jim Starlin himself and the second by Keith Giffen. That first Starlin arc is what can be termed vintage Thanos - he is dark, brooding, with nested secret agendae and instead of Adam Warlock (who is now a friend?!) or the Silver Surfer, his foil in this tale is the mighty Galactus, whose own past and motivations are ably explored.
The second arc follows on from the initial one and - to my delight - introduced me to characters I'd come to know and love from the Abnett/ Lanning run on Marvel Cosmic, including Star Lord and Gladiator. Thanos descends into the Kyln to explore some mysterious goings on in this one, and while I didn't like it as much as the first story because of a somewhat contrived plot, it was a lot of fun.
Throughout this run the art is exceptional. I think Jim Starlin did most of his own art on the first six while the excellent Ron Lim did the issues with Giffen. The climactic battles with Galactus at the end of the 'first story' and the one with the "Maker" and the The Fallen One in the second are just jaw-dropping.
This 12 issue run is actually two distinct six issue arcs - the first written by Jim Starlin himself and the second by Keith Giffen. That first Starlin arc is what can be termed vintage Thanos - he is dark, brooding, with nested secret agendae and instead of Adam Warlock (who is now a friend?!) or the Silver Surfer, his foil in this tale is the mighty Galactus, whose own past and motivations are ably explored.
The second arc follows on from the initial one and - to my delight - introduced me to characters I'd come to know and love from the Abnett/ Lanning run on Marvel Cosmic, including Star Lord and Gladiator. Thanos descends into the Kyln to explore some mysterious goings on in this one, and while I didn't like it as much as the first story because of a somewhat contrived plot, it was a lot of fun.
Throughout this run the art is exceptional. I think Jim Starlin did most of his own art on the first six while the excellent Ron Lim did the issues with Giffen. The climactic battles with Galactus at the end of the 'first story' and the one with the "Maker" and the The Fallen One in the second are just jaw-dropping.
November 26, 2021
Two storylines here, with highly variable quality in between them. The opening six issues by Jim Starlin feel like good, classic Starlin stuff. It also does a decent job of summarizing the major players, so if you're new to Marvel Cosmic stuff I'd say it's a medium good place to jump on (but fair warning, there is a lot to catch up on). It's a fun, if ultimately pretty inconsequential, romp.
The second storyline, a six issue arc titled "Samaritan" written by Keith Giffen, I'll be honest straight up sucks. The dialogue is often PAINFUL to read (lots of weird dialect choices but not in the fun Claremont-y way), character motivations are impossible to follow where they exist at all (even though the book feels like it's constantly explaining stuff, I still don't understand why the fuck Thanos went to the kyln in the first place), and the characters have zero defining relationships or qualities outside of their ridiculous dialects.
There are maybe two or three character moments in the entire story, including an OK interaction between Thanos and Lady Death. Every other text bubble is just characters shouting indecipherable plot garbage at each other, and it never adds up to much. The setting is cool, and this is the storyline that introduces Starlord if you care about that, but that's about as nice as I can be to this mess.
The second storyline, a six issue arc titled "Samaritan" written by Keith Giffen, I'll be honest straight up sucks. The dialogue is often PAINFUL to read (lots of weird dialect choices but not in the fun Claremont-y way), character motivations are impossible to follow where they exist at all (even though the book feels like it's constantly explaining stuff, I still don't understand why the fuck Thanos went to the kyln in the first place), and the characters have zero defining relationships or qualities outside of their ridiculous dialects.
There are maybe two or three character moments in the entire story, including an OK interaction between Thanos and Lady Death. Every other text bubble is just characters shouting indecipherable plot garbage at each other, and it never adds up to much. The setting is cool, and this is the storyline that introduces Starlord if you care about that, but that's about as nice as I can be to this mess.
May 10, 2019
This is number 13 of 18 books in the "Infinity Gauntlet" series. I loved that in this issue the topic of "Redemption" was touched on because it is an important topic to be talked about. Even though Thanos in hindsight should never be forgiven or ever considered remotely trustworthy, it is important to give everyone a chance of redemption. The story talks about certain truths were others will not see your change as genuine or will use your change to get revenge. This is why redemption is such a difficult journey but an important one for anyone who is truly sorry for what he did in the past.
Nowadays people are being shamed for things they did or said in the past without a path of redemption. It was also weird seeing this other side of Thanos who has always had evil intentions even when helping "good" people fight a bigger evil than him. The times he has helped was to save himself and gaining some sort of advantage by helping the good guys, sort of like the good guys "making a deal with the devil." The second half of the graphic novel was more confusing than enjoyable because the storyline did not really connect with the first half.
Nowadays people are being shamed for things they did or said in the past without a path of redemption. It was also weird seeing this other side of Thanos who has always had evil intentions even when helping "good" people fight a bigger evil than him. The times he has helped was to save himself and gaining some sort of advantage by helping the good guys, sort of like the good guys "making a deal with the devil." The second half of the graphic novel was more confusing than enjoyable because the storyline did not really connect with the first half.
June 22, 2017
Such a good ending to Starlings long Thanos epic. His "redemption" arc is fascinating, born out of The End. And there were some great Pip and Warlock moments. His fight with Galactic was certainly epic. And the Kyle story was great too, in fact, I didn't even realize Keith Griffen took over in the second half.
Also, the Artwork throughout the entire book is fantastic. Starlings work is perfect, and Ron Lim echoes it really nicely.
Starlin's cosmic Saga, from Captain Marvel to Thanos Redemption is almost perfect (Abyss was really the only big miss). I know he returned to these characters over the last few years, and I'll certainly read those stories too, but this multi-decade narrative of Thanos and Warlock was a great experience.
Also, the Artwork throughout the entire book is fantastic. Starlings work is perfect, and Ron Lim echoes it really nicely.
Starlin's cosmic Saga, from Captain Marvel to Thanos Redemption is almost perfect (Abyss was really the only big miss). I know he returned to these characters over the last few years, and I'll certainly read those stories too, but this multi-decade narrative of Thanos and Warlock was a great experience.
August 21, 2018
I really cannot imagine why this only has a 3.5 star average. This was epic. I would describe this book as a series of exciting confrontations. The personality dynamic between Thanos and Galactus is exciting. Two powerful entities, so similar and yet so different. I love how Galactus begrudgingly respects Thanos, despite being so much stronger.
My only complaint is the way “Hunger” was drawn. It seemed lazy, and his cartoonishness didn’t match the gravity of his character.
Still, that’s a small gripe in an otherwise entertaining and fun read. Keep an eye out for “Fallen One,” “The Beyonder,” and “Starlord!”
My only complaint is the way “Hunger” was drawn. It seemed lazy, and his cartoonishness didn’t match the gravity of his character.
Still, that’s a small gripe in an otherwise entertaining and fun read. Keep an eye out for “Fallen One,” “The Beyonder,” and “Starlord!”
May 18, 2021
I think I enjoyed Starlin’s plot here more than Giffen’s, although Starlin sometimes makes some jarringly amateurish layout choices that date the book, even though it’s not all that old. Weird antagonist, though, and I like Galactus better as a higher, slightly unknowable force. Here he’s mainly just a dude. The second story is also just kind of impenetrable, even as someone who’s been reading Marvel comics for years. Also, shoddily paced and doesn’t really have a clear conception of what it’s about.
January 2, 2022
Three stars is an averaged result here because this is a really uneven collection. As is often the way with Marvel, there’s 6 issues by one writer and 6 by another with minimal enough connection between arc A and arc B. The first arc contains excellent writing with some really spectacular art but then on the second arc the quality of the art degrades significantly (bar one female character who the artist seems to have spent too much time on) and the story telling becomes incoherent, not just muddled, there were sentences in the second arc I genuinely couldn’t read.
This was my first interaction with Thanos outside of the MCU and I really enjoyed him as a character. There’s great balance required in writing a character who’s fun to be around and can have you for rooting for him but that you know would be the world’s biggest bastard if he was opposite you. Really well crafted.
This was my first interaction with Thanos outside of the MCU and I really enjoyed him as a character. There’s great balance required in writing a character who’s fun to be around and can have you for rooting for him but that you know would be the world’s biggest bastard if he was opposite you. Really well crafted.
July 26, 2022
I liked the first part of this run quite a bit. The dialogue is completely over-the-top in the way that only comic book supervillains can speak, but I was well entertained by the back and forth between Thanos and Galactus. The back half I found far less interesting. Too many references to characters and events I didn’t know, too many bizarre dialects to follow the plot. Like a number of other readers, I’ll be spring-boarding off of this collection into the Annihilation story next.
July 4, 2017
Great!!!
This was a great series, brilliant work with Starlin, Giffen and Lim...after Starlin's story it feels a bit uneven, one of the covers shows Thanos visiting Marvell's grave...but it's not in the story...overall some good stuff...but definitely suffered without Starlin.
This was a great series, brilliant work with Starlin, Giffen and Lim...after Starlin's story it feels a bit uneven, one of the covers shows Thanos visiting Marvell's grave...but it's not in the story...overall some good stuff...but definitely suffered without Starlin.
May 6, 2018
The first stories were good if typical and somewhat below average for a Starlin Tahnos story.. The second stories, which tie into Annihilation were more confusing. There seemed be an awful lot of context that I needed.
May 13, 2017
Flips between boring set up to cosmic fights. Not enough to go on.
October 12, 2018
[3,5]
I really appreciated to see a story around Thanos. He’s such a complex character, I love that.
I really appreciated to see a story around Thanos. He’s such a complex character, I love that.
April 24, 2019
First arc is good, but the second really drops off in quality.
June 28, 2022
Good story and art for the first half but the rest is just okay.
September 9, 2015
With Marvel Universe: The End, which directly precedes this series, I found new appreciation for Jim Starlin's take on Thanos and the cosmos at large. The first six issues of this collection don't disappoint in that regard. Starlin scales down from the company crossovers that were The Infinity Saga and The End, and instead creates something closer to Warlock & The Infinity Watch.
Not only does Thanos get yet another new meaning of life, Starlin even manages to make you feel sort of sorry for Galactus. The Devourer of Worlds has a similarly humbling experience as Thanos did in Infinity Gauntlet, and it makes the man (?) all the more interesting for it. Adam Warlock, Moondragon, and Pip the Troll all appear as well, rounding out the old school feeling of this arc. Special mention goes to the Hunger, whom for a naturally short while is a very convincing and scary villain.
The second part of this collection is in the hands of Keith Giffen, who would later go on to write Annihilation. Giffen tries a different approach and invents most of his story from scratch. I lacked the affinity with some of the central characters to really enjoy this, and was disappointed in the all too swift and frustratingly open-ended resolution.
Yet the invention of the Kyln, the Omega Corps and its three main representatives, and the team-up ofStar-Lord Peter Quill and Gladiator yields some funny conversations. Kudos as well for the way every inhabitant of the Kyln talks, giving you an authentic sense of space, as you see the place for the first time through Thanos' eyes.
All in all I will never get bored of Thanos exploring yet another part of the galaxy, in search of another life lesson. Starlin's approach still is my favorite, but I'm interested to see what Giffen will do with the cosmic side of Marvel next.
Not only does Thanos get yet another new meaning of life, Starlin even manages to make you feel sort of sorry for Galactus. The Devourer of Worlds has a similarly humbling experience as Thanos did in Infinity Gauntlet, and it makes the man (?) all the more interesting for it. Adam Warlock, Moondragon, and Pip the Troll all appear as well, rounding out the old school feeling of this arc. Special mention goes to the Hunger, whom for a naturally short while is a very convincing and scary villain.
The second part of this collection is in the hands of Keith Giffen, who would later go on to write Annihilation. Giffen tries a different approach and invents most of his story from scratch. I lacked the affinity with some of the central characters to really enjoy this, and was disappointed in the all too swift and frustratingly open-ended resolution.
Yet the invention of the Kyln, the Omega Corps and its three main representatives, and the team-up of
All in all I will never get bored of Thanos exploring yet another part of the galaxy, in search of another life lesson. Starlin's approach still is my favorite, but I'm interested to see what Giffen will do with the cosmic side of Marvel next.
August 6, 2014
This book has two halves that have really nothing to do with each other stylistically or story-wise, despite being published in the same series.
The first half is Starlin's Thanos/Galactus story.
At 2004, Starlin was way beyond his prime and ended up recycling his old hits, only worse each time.
So again, we got infinity stones, Adam Warlock, Pip the Troll, and of course Thanos, but this time, it's way less enjoyable than it should be.
You can hapilly skip this. Either read original Starlin from 70s, or Infinity Gauntlet, if you want good Starlin Thanos story.
The other half is written by Giffen and is basically a prelude to Annihilation, despite not being marketed as such, and is much better written and much more enjoyable. Thanos is awesome again. The only downside - which can be said about the whole Annihilation event - is maybe too much callbacks to earlier stories and other characters. That didn't matter for me though.
So this book are basically two halves, one great and other one not so, so it's exactly in the middle.
The first half is Starlin's Thanos/Galactus story.
At 2004, Starlin was way beyond his prime and ended up recycling his old hits, only worse each time.
So again, we got infinity stones, Adam Warlock, Pip the Troll, and of course Thanos, but this time, it's way less enjoyable than it should be.
You can hapilly skip this. Either read original Starlin from 70s, or Infinity Gauntlet, if you want good Starlin Thanos story.
The other half is written by Giffen and is basically a prelude to Annihilation, despite not being marketed as such, and is much better written and much more enjoyable. Thanos is awesome again. The only downside - which can be said about the whole Annihilation event - is maybe too much callbacks to earlier stories and other characters. That didn't matter for me though.
So this book are basically two halves, one great and other one not so, so it's exactly in the middle.
June 10, 2015
The "most evil" Marvel character of them all (why do I like him ??) has doubts... Doubts about al the harm he did and he seeks redemption for it. So it's a very unusual and original storyline for Thanos.
There are two stories: the first about Thanos confronting Galactus (another galactic character I like a lot, but don't understand why, they both destroy entire planets) and a funny role of the more unknown Hunger. Thanos and Galactus combined, can't go wrong !
I would have given the book 4 stars, if not for the second storyline. Here Thanos meets the Beyonder (also in an unusual part, just like Gladiator and Starlord). But the story didn't really caught my attention - it's been about a week since I read it, and I don't really remember it very well (alhough in some reviews I read this is a prelude to Annihalation, one of my favorite Marvel-stories), so I will need to take the book back from the shelves and quickly reread it with Annihilation in my mind.
There are two stories: the first about Thanos confronting Galactus (another galactic character I like a lot, but don't understand why, they both destroy entire planets) and a funny role of the more unknown Hunger. Thanos and Galactus combined, can't go wrong !
I would have given the book 4 stars, if not for the second storyline. Here Thanos meets the Beyonder (also in an unusual part, just like Gladiator and Starlord). But the story didn't really caught my attention - it's been about a week since I read it, and I don't really remember it very well (alhough in some reviews I read this is a prelude to Annihalation, one of my favorite Marvel-stories), so I will need to take the book back from the shelves and quickly reread it with Annihilation in my mind.
February 6, 2017
This TPB contains two story arcs: Redemption by Jim Starlin and Samaritan by Keith Giffen and Ron Lim. Two stories of very different quality, unfortunately.
Redemption: Jim Starlin is in good form, as always. The new cosmic villain/threat does not convince, but with Galactus and Thanos as the main characters, who cares? I enjoyed this very much. 4 stars out of 5.
Samaritan: Dreadful. Lots of uninteresting characters, not enough Thanos. So boring I couldn't even finish it and just flipped through the final chapters to look at the great artwork by Ron Lim. The artwork is the only reason I grant this story arc 2 stars instead of 1.
Redemption: Jim Starlin is in good form, as always. The new cosmic villain/threat does not convince, but with Galactus and Thanos as the main characters, who cares? I enjoyed this very much. 4 stars out of 5.
Samaritan: Dreadful. Lots of uninteresting characters, not enough Thanos. So boring I couldn't even finish it and just flipped through the final chapters to look at the great artwork by Ron Lim. The artwork is the only reason I grant this story arc 2 stars instead of 1.
May 28, 2015
After a short, failed attempt at being god and then dying, Thanos returns, deciding maybe he's been a bit of a jerk and sets out trying to find ways to make amends.
So, Thanos becomes a good guy, but in his own special way.
Aided by Adam Warlock, Thanos tries to help the beleaguered Rigelion race, only to end up having to tangle with Galactus.
After barely surviving saving the universe and teaching Galactus a lesson, the series changes creative teams and Thanos finds himself mixed in some hijinks at a galactic prison located at the very fringe of the universe.
Lots of good sic-fi action and adventure as the mad titan tries to figure out his place in the universe.
I believe this series ended up being a, sort of, prequel to Annihilation.
I preferred Starlin's run, but nice to see that Giffen can still do some good, straight super hero and sic-fi writing when he sets his mind to it.
So, Thanos becomes a good guy, but in his own special way.
Aided by Adam Warlock, Thanos tries to help the beleaguered Rigelion race, only to end up having to tangle with Galactus.
After barely surviving saving the universe and teaching Galactus a lesson, the series changes creative teams and Thanos finds himself mixed in some hijinks at a galactic prison located at the very fringe of the universe.
Lots of good sic-fi action and adventure as the mad titan tries to figure out his place in the universe.
I believe this series ended up being a, sort of, prequel to Annihilation.
I preferred Starlin's run, but nice to see that Giffen can still do some good, straight super hero and sic-fi writing when he sets his mind to it.
December 23, 2013
Warlock was one of my favorite comic book series when I was growing up, partly because I loved Jim Starlin's artwork . So when I browsing the graphic novel section I was glad to see the characters and Starlin were still around. I couldn't resist purchasing a copy. 30 years away from reading Marvel comics showed as I had forgotten most of the storyline, but it was still worth the flashback. Story was as complex as I remember, which is probably why I was too young to appreciate it back then. lots of religious and mythological subtexts throughout as usual. Worth it if you are into the Marvel universe. Makes want to go back and read the original 70s series (edited to correct hero name - shows how long it's been)
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