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War of Kings #3
The Thanos Imperative
Collects Thanos Imperative #1-6, Ignition, & Devastation one-shots. Dark forces of a rival universe where there is no death are pouring through to claim ours! Nova, the Silver Surfer, and more of the greatest cosmic champions line up to stop them, but it could be more than even they can handle. Luckily, they have a plan. It's a crazy plan. It's called...Thanos!
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
October 15, 2020
I thought I'd already read this one, but It popped up on a friend's page and I suddenly realized that I had somehow missed this part of the Cancerverse storyline.
And suddenly I'm getting my money's worth out of Marvel Unlimited again...
The Thanos Imperative: Ignition issue is pretty much what you think it would be, in that it shows what ignited Thanos' role in this story.
Thanos Sourcebook is one of those useful (but wordy) recap issues that hold the condensed version of the highlights of Thanos' life. Some of it I knew, some of it I didn't. After it's done with the purple guy, you get to read a short bio on a great number of the characters in the story. Considering Marvel's cosmic characters aren't as well known, I think it would be something most readers would find useful.
I certainly did and would recommend anyone who isn't an expert on these guys giving it a look-see.
The story-story happens during the 6 issues of The Thanos Imperative. And I swear I have read this before. In some collection. Somewhere!
Knowhere?
Sorry. Cheesy puns are always difficult for me to resist.
Anyway, this is one of those comics that might only be fun to a certain part of the population. It's a big, wacky, space opera that pulls in everyone. Well, everyone who's a big deal in the Marvel Cosmic universe. And that might make it less interesting for someone who isn't really into that stuff.
To be fair, a lot of my friends think this one is meh, but I've always really loved it. You've had all this crazy stuff that's happened out in space prior to this, and it has somehow has torn a hole in the fabric of the universe.
Oh, no! This gross universe is invading us!
Ahhhhh!
So, the skinny is that Captain Mar-vell didn't die of cancer in their universe. Instead, he called on some sort of wackadoo cosmic entities (<--who were evil, duh) and ended up killing DEATH. And now nothing in that universe can die. It just grows and grows and grows...like a cancer.
THE CANCERVERSE!
How are you going to fix that shit and save the universe? Well, if you're Star-Lord, you're going to grab your best buddy, Nova, and throw a Thanos at it!
I love this story so much! So. Much.
But I completely understand if you don't.
Psssst...
For those of you who use Marvel Unlimited to put these volumes together, remember to search using THE Thanos Imperative and not just Thanos Imperative. The Sourcebook issue is just Thanos Sourcebook. You are probably smarter than I am, but...<--I wish someone would have pointed out a few simple little things like that to me when I first started using the app.
And suddenly I'm getting my money's worth out of Marvel Unlimited again...
The Thanos Imperative: Ignition issue is pretty much what you think it would be, in that it shows what ignited Thanos' role in this story.
Thanos Sourcebook is one of those useful (but wordy) recap issues that hold the condensed version of the highlights of Thanos' life. Some of it I knew, some of it I didn't. After it's done with the purple guy, you get to read a short bio on a great number of the characters in the story. Considering Marvel's cosmic characters aren't as well known, I think it would be something most readers would find useful.
I certainly did and would recommend anyone who isn't an expert on these guys giving it a look-see.
The story-story happens during the 6 issues of The Thanos Imperative. And I swear I have read this before. In some collection. Somewhere!
Knowhere?
Sorry. Cheesy puns are always difficult for me to resist.
Anyway, this is one of those comics that might only be fun to a certain part of the population. It's a big, wacky, space opera that pulls in everyone. Well, everyone who's a big deal in the Marvel Cosmic universe. And that might make it less interesting for someone who isn't really into that stuff.
To be fair, a lot of my friends think this one is meh, but I've always really loved it. You've had all this crazy stuff that's happened out in space prior to this, and it has somehow has torn a hole in the fabric of the universe.
Oh, no! This gross universe is invading us!
Ahhhhh!
So, the skinny is that Captain Mar-vell didn't die of cancer in their universe. Instead, he called on some sort of wackadoo cosmic entities (<--who were evil, duh) and ended up killing DEATH. And now nothing in that universe can die. It just grows and grows and grows...like a cancer.
THE CANCERVERSE!
How are you going to fix that shit and save the universe? Well, if you're Star-Lord, you're going to grab your best buddy, Nova, and throw a Thanos at it!
I love this story so much! So. Much.
But I completely understand if you don't.
Psssst...
For those of you who use Marvel Unlimited to put these volumes together, remember to search using THE Thanos Imperative and not just Thanos Imperative. The Sourcebook issue is just Thanos Sourcebook. You are probably smarter than I am, but...<--I wish someone would have pointed out a few simple little things like that to me when I first started using the app.
April 28, 2018
Pretty fun story, even though I'm not fluent in Marvel's Cosmic Teams. I sort of knew most of the major characters, though.
Star-Lord, Silver Surfer, Nova, Medusa, etc...
But I barely recognized the majority of the individuals in the story.
I only mention that because I don't think you need a lot of background to understand/like the story.
Now, if you generally hate the space operaish stuff, then The Thanos Imperative probably isn't going to be your cuppa. I kind of straddle the line when it comes to the cosmic plotlines. If I happen to stumble across it...fine. But I don't actively seek these kinds of things out.
So there's this evil alternate universe (the Cancerverse) that's invading our universe. In the Cancerverse, the Avatar of Death has been killed, and Life reigns unchecked. Evidently, they need room to grow, and we've got lots of real estate they want. And when Galactus decides to fight on your side, you know there's some major apocalypse shit coming down the pike.
Big Battle ensues!
Lots of evil alternate versions of our heroes come popping out of the hole in space-time, which was made by...some other previous Big Battle. Some are more powerful than others, but the main problem our guys face is that they can't kill them off very easily...or not at all.
You know, because of the whole Cheating Death thing they did in their universe?
Then there's Thanos. The Guardians of the Galaxy have fished him out of some sort of cocoon that was keeping him alive...but asleep. Well, he's awake now, and none too happy. See, he wanted to die.
Why?
Because he's in love with Death!
I'm sure some of you knew about that already, but it was news to me. And part of me ( the part that reads romance novels) was like, Awwww. Thanos has a girlfriend!
Come on, that's cute and you know it.
Moving on.
So Star-Lord has a plan. Since Thanos is our universe's Avatar of Death if the Guardians set him loose in the Cancerverse...
It's an awesome plan!
Except.
Well, there are always kinks that need to be worked out, right?
I had a lot of fun with one!
Oh, and if I ever get a dog, I'm naming him Cosmo.
Star-Lord, Silver Surfer, Nova, Medusa, etc...
But I barely recognized the majority of the individuals in the story.
I only mention that because I don't think you need a lot of background to understand/like the story.
Now, if you generally hate the space operaish stuff, then The Thanos Imperative probably isn't going to be your cuppa. I kind of straddle the line when it comes to the cosmic plotlines. If I happen to stumble across it...fine. But I don't actively seek these kinds of things out.
So there's this evil alternate universe (the Cancerverse) that's invading our universe. In the Cancerverse, the Avatar of Death has been killed, and Life reigns unchecked. Evidently, they need room to grow, and we've got lots of real estate they want. And when Galactus decides to fight on your side, you know there's some major apocalypse shit coming down the pike.
Big Battle ensues!
Lots of evil alternate versions of our heroes come popping out of the hole in space-time, which was made by...some other previous Big Battle. Some are more powerful than others, but the main problem our guys face is that they can't kill them off very easily...or not at all.
You know, because of the whole Cheating Death thing they did in their universe?
Then there's Thanos. The Guardians of the Galaxy have fished him out of some sort of cocoon that was keeping him alive...but asleep. Well, he's awake now, and none too happy. See, he wanted to die.
Why?
Because he's in love with Death!
I'm sure some of you knew about that already, but it was news to me. And part of me ( the part that reads romance novels) was like, Awwww. Thanos has a girlfriend!
Come on, that's cute and you know it.
Moving on.
So Star-Lord has a plan. Since Thanos is our universe's Avatar of Death if the Guardians set him loose in the Cancerverse...
It's an awesome plan!
Except.
Well, there are always kinks that need to be worked out, right?
I had a lot of fun with one!
Oh, and if I ever get a dog, I'm naming him Cosmo.
July 2, 2014
A rift called the Fault caused by all the recent space shenanigans is a doorway to another universe in which Death was killed. You’d think a universe with no death would be a good thing, but this was brought about by letting a bunch of Cthulhu like ancient creatures take charge.
Now this Cancerverse wants to spread out and take over new territory so a cast of cosmic heavy weights including the likes of Galactus and Silver Surfer fight to push back the forces pouring through the Fault including dark versions of well-known Marvel characters. I only wish that they all had goatees to really let us know that these are the evil twins to the superheroes.
Peter Quill leads the Guardians on a desperate mission to bring death’s herald from their universe to the Cancerverse and end the threat. Unfortunately, the herald of death is Thanos who isn’t exactly known as being stable, rational or trustworthy so this plan has more than a few risks attached to it. You know you’re in trouble when you have to depend on an insane supervillain who is in so love with the incarnation of Death that he once wiped out half the life in the universe to get her attention.
This is another big cosmic blow-out story from Abentt and Lanning who have a talent for coming up with epic stories balanced by giving us relatable characters to root for during them. I especially loved the twist of unbridled life being a threat and having to use Thanos as the weapon against it. The ending is especially good and one of the more touching things I’ve seen in a big Marvel crossover.
Now this Cancerverse wants to spread out and take over new territory so a cast of cosmic heavy weights including the likes of Galactus and Silver Surfer fight to push back the forces pouring through the Fault including dark versions of well-known Marvel characters. I only wish that they all had goatees to really let us know that these are the evil twins to the superheroes.
Peter Quill leads the Guardians on a desperate mission to bring death’s herald from their universe to the Cancerverse and end the threat. Unfortunately, the herald of death is Thanos who isn’t exactly known as being stable, rational or trustworthy so this plan has more than a few risks attached to it. You know you’re in trouble when you have to depend on an insane supervillain who is in so love with the incarnation of Death that he once wiped out half the life in the universe to get her attention.
This is another big cosmic blow-out story from Abentt and Lanning who have a talent for coming up with epic stories balanced by giving us relatable characters to root for during them. I especially loved the twist of unbridled life being a threat and having to use Thanos as the weapon against it. The ending is especially good and one of the more touching things I’ve seen in a big Marvel crossover.
January 7, 2018
A good fun story, but there is one thing which annoys me. How did Mar-vell dispose of the Magus so effortlessly!??
June 13, 2021
Beyond the fault there is a universe where death has died, it's avatar of death sacrificed to ensure death's destruction. The people who live beyond the fault are running out of room in their universe and wish to claim another universe by sacrificing it's avatar of death. The universe's avatar is Thanos.
So despite Drax killing Thanos, he's returned and is crucial to their universe's survival. Thanos isn't happy to be alive.
So the great space traveling planets, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and others set off to face the Cancerverse's undying invasion.
The Thanos imperative is somewhat interesting even though I've never paid much attention to the intergalactic members of the Marvel Universe except Galactus and The Silver Surfer. The story was pretty good and I imagine fans of the cosmic characters would enjoy it even more.
So despite Drax killing Thanos, he's returned and is crucial to their universe's survival. Thanos isn't happy to be alive.
So the great space traveling planets, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and others set off to face the Cancerverse's undying invasion.
The Thanos imperative is somewhat interesting even though I've never paid much attention to the intergalactic members of the Marvel Universe except Galactus and The Silver Surfer. The story was pretty good and I imagine fans of the cosmic characters would enjoy it even more.
April 17, 2017
I really, really enjoyed this one! It's a rollicking romp in the space opera vein with an unhealthy dose of Lovecraftian horror thrown into the mix... and that ending? Whoa... Tears before bedtime, folks... tears before bedtime.
I didn't even mind Thanos being in it and I normally hate that annoying, death-obsessed, wrinkly-chinned Darkseid rip-off!
I didn't even mind Thanos being in it and I normally hate that annoying, death-obsessed, wrinkly-chinned Darkseid rip-off!
November 13, 2017
This one comes with several disclaimers.
Firstly, that I'm a massive Dan Abnett fan and take a day off to read his new books when they're published. Secondly, that he's a colleague of mine, and something of a pal. And thirdly, that I'm not a huge fan of comics (love Slaine, though, and Sandman), or superheroes in general. The backlog of required lore (see Batmap RIP, for example) can make these things a little daunting and unsatisfying.
That said, I was curious about The Thanos Imperative, as it garnered such hugely positive responses when it was released.
The artwork is very, very cool, though a few of the costumes seemed on the wrong side of hilarious to me. I guess that's inherent in the genre, though, and nothing to do with the writing or the series itself. Suffice to say, the action was exciting and clear, I was never thrown by who was saying what, and the most of the characters looked awesome.
With no disrespect to Andy Lanning, I could see Dan Abnett's raw humour threaded throughout this book, and it was all the better for it. The dialogue, especially, crackled with Dan's distinctive humour. It made me immediately warm to several characters, though in fairness, it's hard not to love a talking Russian dog and a heavily-armed raccoon, anyway.
As for the characters themselves, they were variously cool, funny, dastardly and noble - everything a layman like me would expect. I really enjoyed all of them, with the exception of Namorita, who seemed a bit of a damsel in distress when she was hooked up to the, uh, rather phallic prison, and when she listens to her boyfriend when he tells her not to come with him into danger. I mean, she has super-powers, too. I think. I wasn't actually sure. That's not a bad thing, I was just a bit lost for a moment.
A couple of times, I got confused between characters with similar costumes and/or powers, like Quasar and Star-Lord, but the really distinctive characters like Rocket Raccoon and Thanos really, really stood out. Aside from my confusion (which, again, is pretty much down to my inexperience) I thought the characters were excellently written with very distinct personalities. Some weren't explored as much as I'd hoped, but that's because a) It wasn't their story, and b) They're explored elsewhere, in other series. Again, not a fault with the Thanos series at all.
I definitely got the feeling this was a plot point in the middle of a much wider arc. A lot of comic-metaphysics were thrown around, and although I got it, I could tell I was missing a lot of the wider relevance. Galactus showed up with a bunch of other "abstracts", and it was a much less mega event for me than it would be for someone deeply familiar with the Marvel universe. Similarly, with Evil versions of characters, a lot of those flew under my radar, as I didn't know much about their Good counterparts. See also: the Nova corps - I gleaned a fraction of what they were about, but it seemed wildly esoteric to me, who's used to superheroes being on Earth. Saying that, one of the reasons I read this was so I could finally see what the Cosmic side of the setting was all about.
Turns out it's actually pretty killer.
Now, all of that said, I enjoyed it a lot. The scale of the storyline was crazy-ambitious, that much is obvious from the starting pistol, but it never feels like it gets out of hand or too confusing. The comic-metaphysics on show were actually fascinating and much more complicated and nuanced than I'd been expecting. It made me want to read more, which is surely the best result possible.
I have a feeling that my lack of familiarity made an amazing book into just a good one. It's obvious from what other people have said that I missed out on a lot of the subtext and emotional climaxes purely because it was all so new and unfamiliar to me, but I walked away suitably awed by the sweeping grandeur of Marvel's Cosmic side, and really rooting for several characters I'd love to see more of.
I shouldn't have ended that sentence in a preposition, but what's done is done.
Firstly, that I'm a massive Dan Abnett fan and take a day off to read his new books when they're published. Secondly, that he's a colleague of mine, and something of a pal. And thirdly, that I'm not a huge fan of comics (love Slaine, though, and Sandman), or superheroes in general. The backlog of required lore (see Batmap RIP, for example) can make these things a little daunting and unsatisfying.
That said, I was curious about The Thanos Imperative, as it garnered such hugely positive responses when it was released.
The artwork is very, very cool, though a few of the costumes seemed on the wrong side of hilarious to me. I guess that's inherent in the genre, though, and nothing to do with the writing or the series itself. Suffice to say, the action was exciting and clear, I was never thrown by who was saying what, and the most of the characters looked awesome.
With no disrespect to Andy Lanning, I could see Dan Abnett's raw humour threaded throughout this book, and it was all the better for it. The dialogue, especially, crackled with Dan's distinctive humour. It made me immediately warm to several characters, though in fairness, it's hard not to love a talking Russian dog and a heavily-armed raccoon, anyway.
As for the characters themselves, they were variously cool, funny, dastardly and noble - everything a layman like me would expect. I really enjoyed all of them, with the exception of Namorita, who seemed a bit of a damsel in distress when she was hooked up to the, uh, rather phallic prison, and when she listens to her boyfriend when he tells her not to come with him into danger. I mean, she has super-powers, too. I think. I wasn't actually sure. That's not a bad thing, I was just a bit lost for a moment.
A couple of times, I got confused between characters with similar costumes and/or powers, like Quasar and Star-Lord, but the really distinctive characters like Rocket Raccoon and Thanos really, really stood out. Aside from my confusion (which, again, is pretty much down to my inexperience) I thought the characters were excellently written with very distinct personalities. Some weren't explored as much as I'd hoped, but that's because a) It wasn't their story, and b) They're explored elsewhere, in other series. Again, not a fault with the Thanos series at all.
I definitely got the feeling this was a plot point in the middle of a much wider arc. A lot of comic-metaphysics were thrown around, and although I got it, I could tell I was missing a lot of the wider relevance. Galactus showed up with a bunch of other "abstracts", and it was a much less mega event for me than it would be for someone deeply familiar with the Marvel universe. Similarly, with Evil versions of characters, a lot of those flew under my radar, as I didn't know much about their Good counterparts. See also: the Nova corps - I gleaned a fraction of what they were about, but it seemed wildly esoteric to me, who's used to superheroes being on Earth. Saying that, one of the reasons I read this was so I could finally see what the Cosmic side of the setting was all about.
Turns out it's actually pretty killer.
Now, all of that said, I enjoyed it a lot. The scale of the storyline was crazy-ambitious, that much is obvious from the starting pistol, but it never feels like it gets out of hand or too confusing. The comic-metaphysics on show were actually fascinating and much more complicated and nuanced than I'd been expecting. It made me want to read more, which is surely the best result possible.
I have a feeling that my lack of familiarity made an amazing book into just a good one. It's obvious from what other people have said that I missed out on a lot of the subtext and emotional climaxes purely because it was all so new and unfamiliar to me, but I walked away suitably awed by the sweeping grandeur of Marvel's Cosmic side, and really rooting for several characters I'd love to see more of.
I shouldn't have ended that sentence in a preposition, but what's done is done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2012
The Thanos Imperative miniseries, featuring Marvel’s cosmic superheroes comes to full circle the story of the ultimate nihilist. It began with Annihilation which took him off the board by having his arch nemesis Drax fulfill his destiny by killing him. That story made cosmic characters such as Nova, the Guardians of Galaxy and Adam Warlock relevant again as it spawned more stories like its sequel, Annihilation: Conquest, War of Kings, and now this. This story brought back Thanos who gets to face his most worthy foe, an avatar of life, as he is death’s avatar, Mar-Vell from an alternate universe that has conquered death.
Aside from another excellent story from the writing team Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who really made used of these neglected characters, is that this is basically a Marvel / Lovecraft mash-up. My awareness for anything for anything Lovecraft is at an all time high since I’m reading an enormous tome of his complete works; so it didn’t escape my attention when the evil behind this cross universal war were risen elder gods.
The H.P. Lovecraft love letter notwithstanding, this is an excellently conceived story full of character moments and heroic sacrifice. Abnett and Lanning are at the top of their game in this one. This is highly recommended to superhero fans. Four stars.
Aside from another excellent story from the writing team Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who really made used of these neglected characters, is that this is basically a Marvel / Lovecraft mash-up. My awareness for anything for anything Lovecraft is at an all time high since I’m reading an enormous tome of his complete works; so it didn’t escape my attention when the evil behind this cross universal war were risen elder gods.
The H.P. Lovecraft love letter notwithstanding, this is an excellently conceived story full of character moments and heroic sacrifice. Abnett and Lanning are at the top of their game in this one. This is highly recommended to superhero fans. Four stars.
September 23, 2020
The Marvel cosmic saga continues
3.75 stars. I really can’t place a finger on it but in the beginning of this book I wasn’t really into it as much. Felt a tad repetitive. More big space battles. I mean I’ve just read War of Kings and this started off seeming too much like the same. However as the story went on I found myself slowly being drawn back into it. I was digging the story behind the big battles. The “alternate” Avengers, or Revengers, that were teased in the Realm of Kings one-shot are now in full force in this book. There are now waves of enemies coming from the Cancerverse coming through the Fault. All of the different empires have come together to fight it back. Even Galactus was on the front line. A group teams up with a very unlikely partner and goes into the Cancerverse to enact the plan they have. All to come to an end that some characters sadly don’t make it to. Pretty good book. Now on the the Annihilators.
3.75 stars. I really can’t place a finger on it but in the beginning of this book I wasn’t really into it as much. Felt a tad repetitive. More big space battles. I mean I’ve just read War of Kings and this started off seeming too much like the same. However as the story went on I found myself slowly being drawn back into it. I was digging the story behind the big battles. The “alternate” Avengers, or Revengers, that were teased in the Realm of Kings one-shot are now in full force in this book. There are now waves of enemies coming from the Cancerverse coming through the Fault. All of the different empires have come together to fight it back. Even Galactus was on the front line. A group teams up with a very unlikely partner and goes into the Cancerverse to enact the plan they have. All to come to an end that some characters sadly don’t make it to. Pretty good book. Now on the the Annihilators.
May 27, 2022
I got to be honest, the ending kind of lowered it for me because the rest was FIRE!
The start is great. Thanos is back and the guardians have no clue what to do with him. The cancerverse strikes at the worst time, wanting to destroy the 616 universe. Thanos somehow has the power in their universe to kill people...permanently. No regeneration or returning. This means Thanos is vital but everyone hates him. On top of that, the entire cosmic world is trying their best to stop the invasion.
This is fantastic. Chaotic but flowed so well. Everyone on the edge, the world is coming to a end, everyone is dying, it's so perfect, so fun. There's ton of badass moments and my boy Nova really gets to shine big time. I also think Thanos really gets to be interesting here, and scary as fuck. Didn't love the final few pages for Nova/Richard fight. And didn't love the last issue was just building up another series.
But overall a great goodbye to the cosmic universe. I hear annhilators is cool but not mandatory for the end of Abnett's big cosmic run, and to be honest, probably can't top this. A 4 out of 5.
The start is great. Thanos is back and the guardians have no clue what to do with him. The cancerverse strikes at the worst time, wanting to destroy the 616 universe. Thanos somehow has the power in their universe to kill people...permanently. No regeneration or returning. This means Thanos is vital but everyone hates him. On top of that, the entire cosmic world is trying their best to stop the invasion.
This is fantastic. Chaotic but flowed so well. Everyone on the edge, the world is coming to a end, everyone is dying, it's so perfect, so fun. There's ton of badass moments and my boy Nova really gets to shine big time. I also think Thanos really gets to be interesting here, and scary as fuck. Didn't love the final few pages for Nova/Richard fight. And didn't love the last issue was just building up another series.
But overall a great goodbye to the cosmic universe. I hear annhilators is cool but not mandatory for the end of Abnett's big cosmic run, and to be honest, probably can't top this. A 4 out of 5.
March 6, 2015
Wow, what a difference being caught up on Cosmic Marvel stuff makes. When I first read this back in 2011, I didn't understand a lick of what was going on. I remember liking the action but not having the slightest idea who a single character was, nor what their motivations or personalities were supposed to be. Having now read all of Guardians of the Galaxy leading up to this event, and being generally familiar with the Annihilation Wars, War of Kings and Realm of Kings (mostly because they are thoroughly explained in Guardians of the Galaxy), I found this to be an incredibly satisfying read.
So, the takeaway: this is DEFINITELY not for Cosmic Marvel newcomers. There is a lot going on, with characters from every major Cosmic Marvel realm getting involved: the Guardians, the Nova Corps, Quasar, Adam Magus, the Kree Empire (including the Inhumans), the Shi'ar, King Blastaar, all the way up to people like Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer and Galactus. I would say if you aren't very familiar with at least half of the groups or people I just listed, you are going to get absolutely nothing out of this.
If you ARE familiar with those groups, though, this book is a complete and utter blast. It feels like the culmination of years of planning by the writers, and the payoff is incredible. Every small detail that has been building across the universe ends up mattering here, and there are big consequences that utterly shocked me now that I actually understand their scope. I would go so far as to say that this is one of my favorite crossovers I've ever read. Massive, borderline absurd cosmic ideas played for all the fun and hugeness they represent, with some of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe going head to head.
This also feels like a fitting end to Abnett & Lanning's long-running control of Cosmic Marvel. I know they continued with the limited series Annihilators and Annihilators: Earthfall, but I feel like if you read everything from Annihilation to Thanos Imperative, you'd get a a really solid storyline with a clear ending. It's incredibly impressive they were able to pull off such an epic storyline without ever losing the heart and humor they're so good at adding to these things.
So, the takeaway: this is DEFINITELY not for Cosmic Marvel newcomers. There is a lot going on, with characters from every major Cosmic Marvel realm getting involved: the Guardians, the Nova Corps, Quasar, Adam Magus, the Kree Empire (including the Inhumans), the Shi'ar, King Blastaar, all the way up to people like Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer and Galactus. I would say if you aren't very familiar with at least half of the groups or people I just listed, you are going to get absolutely nothing out of this.
If you ARE familiar with those groups, though, this book is a complete and utter blast. It feels like the culmination of years of planning by the writers, and the payoff is incredible. Every small detail that has been building across the universe ends up mattering here, and there are big consequences that utterly shocked me now that I actually understand their scope. I would go so far as to say that this is one of my favorite crossovers I've ever read. Massive, borderline absurd cosmic ideas played for all the fun and hugeness they represent, with some of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe going head to head.
This also feels like a fitting end to Abnett & Lanning's long-running control of Cosmic Marvel. I know they continued with the limited series Annihilators and Annihilators: Earthfall, but I feel like if you read everything from Annihilation to Thanos Imperative, you'd get a a really solid storyline with a clear ending. It's incredibly impressive they were able to pull off such an epic storyline without ever losing the heart and humor they're so good at adding to these things.
August 19, 2015
Good read! So The Thanos Imperative, I have not read any books with Thanos before, and with him being prepped for a big baddie in the marvel movies i read this to learn more about him! So this story is basically a mini-event in the Marvel Universe involving all the cosmic marvel heroes such as Guardians Of The Galaxy, Nova, Silver Surfer etc... The story is Thanos has been brought back to life and now hes the key to stopping a crisis in a parallel earth. (Pulling A DC, aren't we?) The bad guys are Lord Mar-vel(Evil Captain Marvel) and his Revengers (Evil Avengers), i felt this was like Marvel's parody of The Crime Syndicate(evil version of justice league in dc). Never the less the story was very good, you never felt lost, only thing you might be confused about is if you aren't familiar with Marvel's cosmic heroes and villains! Overall a good story!
January 8, 2015
Holy crap that was good. Then again, I've always been an absolute sucker for the really big and really powerful and bugshit crazy ideas. This story sequence was amazing.
October 18, 2018
Having two dozen characters I know nothing about being thrown at me in a single issue makes me believe this comic doesn't tolerate new readers. It gets more accessible along the way and the spectacularly explosive battles make for some very pretty large-scale battles. So many different types of energies are unleashed here that I suspect their number is greater than the number of characters.
A rival universe has created a breach into our own called the Fault and is threatening to expand like a cancer. Its inhabitants, led by Lord Mar-Vell, do not die and have expanded into all corners on their universe until no space was left. The Guardians resort to sending their captive Thanos into that universe to keep its expansion under control. Thanos seems to the only one whose power is able to kill the inhabitants of the cancerverse.
The cosmic abstracts of our universe who wield tremendous power join the frontline to push the invading universe back. The Galactus Engine emerges from the cancerverse to tilt the balance on the cancerverse's side. It is the small players on each side that will determine the outcome of this war.
A rival universe has created a breach into our own called the Fault and is threatening to expand like a cancer. Its inhabitants, led by Lord Mar-Vell, do not die and have expanded into all corners on their universe until no space was left. The Guardians resort to sending their captive Thanos into that universe to keep its expansion under control. Thanos seems to the only one whose power is able to kill the inhabitants of the cancerverse.
The cosmic abstracts of our universe who wield tremendous power join the frontline to push the invading universe back. The Galactus Engine emerges from the cancerverse to tilt the balance on the cancerverse's side. It is the small players on each side that will determine the outcome of this war.
November 11, 2021
By far the Thanos mini-series I dislike the most in my recent reads. I didn't like the art that much, some were good, but overall I find the style to by very unequal or different from one illustration to another. The way the story is told, what has been done with some characters, it just didn’t work well for me!
August 28, 2018
This was an exciting and action packed story. I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the cosmic characters but they all ended up being pretty cool. I want to read more stuff like this.
May 14, 2021
The Thanos Imperative is a cluster of Marvel's galactic big hitters. We have Thanos, Captain Mar-Vell, The Guardians of the Galaxy, The Silver Surfer, and many more. What we don't have is a coherent plot.
Essentially, there is another universe in which Death is dead. This universe is called the Cancerverse and houses a lot of negative versions of Avengers. Thanos is still in his position of being absolutely obsessed with Lady Death and is present to do something.
This is one of those runs of comics where there are so many characters, groups, settings, and tie ins that I quickly lost track of what the hell actually happened. I was honestly confused throughout all six issues.
to continue to the full review please visit here https://amanjareads.com/2021/05/13/th...
Essentially, there is another universe in which Death is dead. This universe is called the Cancerverse and houses a lot of negative versions of Avengers. Thanos is still in his position of being absolutely obsessed with Lady Death and is present to do something.
This is one of those runs of comics where there are so many characters, groups, settings, and tie ins that I quickly lost track of what the hell actually happened. I was honestly confused throughout all six issues.
to continue to the full review please visit here https://amanjareads.com/2021/05/13/th...
August 29, 2018
Was ok. Art was nice but I wasn’t a fan of a good chunk of the dialogue. Also, story was a bit convoluted.
August 8, 2012
I picked this up because it read that it was good prep reading for the new Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy. It seems like the Guardians of the Galaxy are like the Avengers, but more concerned with universe protection than Earth protection. That's somewhat interesting, though I'm not usually interested in straight si-fi. It does possibly give more potential for storylines, but instead of new menances on Earth it's just new menace on planet Sichiueh or whatever.
My biggest problem with this is not that I don't know the races involved or what planets people are from, it's the characters. We have three Captain America types: Star Lord, Nova, and Quasar (how original), which immediately come off as unlikable. I get that one of them wanted to form a group to protect the galaxy, and I get that the group didn't really want to do that (Avengers movie plot), and that all of that is somewhat in the past. None of the personalities pop though. The random green chicks fade into the background, I won't even mention how dumb I think the talking dog and racoon are, and I can't remember half of the character names although they are written on like every other page. Maybe if I read each of the introductory comics I would like these people more, but they seem awfully flat, and galatic protection doesn't really interest me. What does interest me is Thanos.
They are going to bring Thanos back to life to go rampage through another universe you say? Cool. But what's this, Thanos is all emotional and upset over his girlfriend's rejection? The girlfriend that doesn't even really speak or acknowledge him? Super (sarcasm). This collection kept my attention at the beginning while I tried to figure out what was happening, and when the evil counterparts of Avengers were introduced, but once the fighting started this lost a bit of steam. The plot carried on way too long, and the ending was a bit lackluster. Maybe if I liked the three main star named people I would like it more, but I really don't think so. Maybe if there were less main characters and more personality, maybe if Thanos was a little more awesome? I'm not sure, but as it stands, I didn't really like it.
My biggest problem with this is not that I don't know the races involved or what planets people are from, it's the characters. We have three Captain America types: Star Lord, Nova, and Quasar (how original), which immediately come off as unlikable. I get that one of them wanted to form a group to protect the galaxy, and I get that the group didn't really want to do that (Avengers movie plot), and that all of that is somewhat in the past. None of the personalities pop though. The random green chicks fade into the background, I won't even mention how dumb I think the talking dog and racoon are, and I can't remember half of the character names although they are written on like every other page. Maybe if I read each of the introductory comics I would like these people more, but they seem awfully flat, and galatic protection doesn't really interest me. What does interest me is Thanos.
They are going to bring Thanos back to life to go rampage through another universe you say? Cool. But what's this, Thanos is all emotional and upset over his girlfriend's rejection? The girlfriend that doesn't even really speak or acknowledge him? Super (sarcasm). This collection kept my attention at the beginning while I tried to figure out what was happening, and when the evil counterparts of Avengers were introduced, but once the fighting started this lost a bit of steam. The plot carried on way too long, and the ending was a bit lackluster. Maybe if I liked the three main star named people I would like it more, but I really don't think so. Maybe if there were less main characters and more personality, maybe if Thanos was a little more awesome? I'm not sure, but as it stands, I didn't really like it.
September 11, 2020
I recently interviewed the writer Dan Abnett and it was fucking awesome! Check out part 1 here https://youtu.be/vWI5mkTn8Ws and part 2 here https://youtu.be/A_VQ0ieJvhg
***second read***
I’m embarrassed by my first review. I had no idea what I was talking about. Now that I’ve read ALL the leadup material, all the Guardians, Nova, Annihilation, Conquest, War of Kings and Realm of Kings stuff, I was ready for this.
It’s a masterpiece. It brings the entire cosmic saga that began with Annihilation to it’s conclusion in a battle that makes all of the other massive battles seem small by comparison. Somehow, they managed to make a story even bigger and more spectacular, with even higher stakes, than the stories leading up. What a feat!
I’m talking cosmic abstracts and the most powerful entities in existence locked in battle, side by side, with people like the Silver Surfer, Nova, the Inhumans... it’s insane. Thanos is fucking insane. The cancerverse is insane.
You MUST do the prerequisite reading. This is the final chapter of a MASSIVE story, and the leadup matters. So many panels and pages here are solid gold. This is a masterpiece.
*****first read*****
Wierd story. Definitely outside the box. Major points for originality. Additional points of inventing the word “cancerverse.” Great coloring, decent pencils.
Thanos was a bit of a let down. He seemed less Thanosy then usual.
On the other hand, I always LOVE seeing The Surfer, and even though his role was minor, he was a highlight.
One more complaint;
I know I’m not the first person to bitch about this, and I won’t be the last... but FARK IT!! DEATH HAS NO MEANING IN MARVEL COMICS!!!
I find myself not giving a shit when people die. At all. They’ll be back. Even Gwen Stacey came back. They all do.
Besides those shortcomings, this really was a fun story. And, like I say in many reviews; Cosmo the Space Dog is muh boyyyyy!!!
***second read***
I’m embarrassed by my first review. I had no idea what I was talking about. Now that I’ve read ALL the leadup material, all the Guardians, Nova, Annihilation, Conquest, War of Kings and Realm of Kings stuff, I was ready for this.
It’s a masterpiece. It brings the entire cosmic saga that began with Annihilation to it’s conclusion in a battle that makes all of the other massive battles seem small by comparison. Somehow, they managed to make a story even bigger and more spectacular, with even higher stakes, than the stories leading up. What a feat!
I’m talking cosmic abstracts and the most powerful entities in existence locked in battle, side by side, with people like the Silver Surfer, Nova, the Inhumans... it’s insane. Thanos is fucking insane. The cancerverse is insane.
You MUST do the prerequisite reading. This is the final chapter of a MASSIVE story, and the leadup matters. So many panels and pages here are solid gold. This is a masterpiece.
*****first read*****
Wierd story. Definitely outside the box. Major points for originality. Additional points of inventing the word “cancerverse.” Great coloring, decent pencils.
Thanos was a bit of a let down. He seemed less Thanosy then usual.
On the other hand, I always LOVE seeing The Surfer, and even though his role was minor, he was a highlight.
One more complaint;
I know I’m not the first person to bitch about this, and I won’t be the last... but FARK IT!! DEATH HAS NO MEANING IN MARVEL COMICS!!!
I find myself not giving a shit when people die. At all. They’ll be back. Even Gwen Stacey came back. They all do.
Besides those shortcomings, this really was a fun story. And, like I say in many reviews; Cosmo the Space Dog is muh boyyyyy!!!
March 24, 2013
Frankly, this is absurd...but terrific at the same time.
No navel gazing superheroic angst, just colossal great space battles, a ridiculous horde of tentacle horrors, a bunch of superheroes with no terribly defined powers apart from, well, power and it all adds up to top notch, wide-screen pulp action.
I haven't read any of the Thanos predecessor stories, but I don't think it made any difference - there's enough character carried along here to get by with - thus proving (if it needed proving) that we don't need an endless series of prequels that explain how heroes tick; good storytellers tell us all we need to know in the context of the story in front of us.
I didn't even realise this was Dan Abnett at the helm - but, as with pretty much everything of his I read, I had a cracking good time.
I'm wading through Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin Must Die right now - Morrison needs to learn how good pulp works and stop trying to be Alan Moore. Reading this would teach him so much.
No navel gazing superheroic angst, just colossal great space battles, a ridiculous horde of tentacle horrors, a bunch of superheroes with no terribly defined powers apart from, well, power and it all adds up to top notch, wide-screen pulp action.
I haven't read any of the Thanos predecessor stories, but I don't think it made any difference - there's enough character carried along here to get by with - thus proving (if it needed proving) that we don't need an endless series of prequels that explain how heroes tick; good storytellers tell us all we need to know in the context of the story in front of us.
I didn't even realise this was Dan Abnett at the helm - but, as with pretty much everything of his I read, I had a cracking good time.
I'm wading through Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin Must Die right now - Morrison needs to learn how good pulp works and stop trying to be Alan Moore. Reading this would teach him so much.
Read
August 1, 2015So. I opened this one up because it's with Guardians of the Galaxy, original Sin, so I hear. I opened it up and didn't know where I was or what had happened previously. Gotta stop doing that. I don't know what came first, but I at least got the gist of the story and it engrossed me. Didn't know who half of the characters were, but hey, I read it. Most of it made some sense. That was that. Obv it's different art than the Bendis ones that I started reading. Rocket didn't quite look raccoon like, but whatever. I'm going to try and find more about the previous volumes. Read what I can.
March 6, 2015
Fast paced with big, cosmic ideas, but fails to really focus on any of them. Jumps around too much and doesn't bother to develop even one character, but still tells a decently fun story.
March 15, 2015
Grandiose, epic cosmic adventure, with cool script and excellent artwork. I can see why Dan Abnett's run on the cosmic storylines was such a fan favourite, going to have to read them all now.
November 15, 2013
Cagadero espacial épico, descripción gráfica.
Also, cosmo es el mero chingón.
Y Mantis es amor.
Also, cosmo es el mero chingón.
Y Mantis es amor.
February 22, 2018
2.5 stars
Considering the magnitude of this story, and the number of characters involved, it's pretty well done. But even with my knowledge of the Marvel Universe, there's way too much in here that's never explained, and Dan Abnett is not one of the more interesting writers. There are a handful of characters who appear throughout the book without even being named (Beta Ray Bill, some guy with a huge widow's peak that's probably Shi'ar or something) or are not given any background or character development (Namorita, Nova, Quasar, and Cosmo top this list). Some of them are very key to the story, so it's disappointing that this book apparently requires reading several other (not-so-popular) series for years leading up to this in order to know who they really are, or to care about them.
I had the advantage of having previously read a bunch of books focusing on Guardians of the Galaxy, Silver Surfer, Thanos, Negative Zone King Blastaar, and to a lesser extent, Adam Warlock, whose evil alter ego, Adam Magus, is the catalyst for the major conflict in the story, though he only appears on a few pages early on. But I really have no knowledge of this powerful telepathic, talking dog named Cosmo, Major Victory (lol, whataname!) or Moondragon and her lover Phyla, Black Jack, or the aforementioned Namorita, Nova, and Quasar.
The art is rather beautiful and the action is pretty convincing, but I'm not a fan of this era's character designs for Gamora, Medusa, or even Drax. Those first two are supposed to be extremely badass, but throughout this book, they can't hold their own in any battle, and serve only to show off their ridiculous boob windows (even worse in Gamora's case, which is just a jock strap and suspenders, which are not even slightly practical for the universe's most deadly warrior!). The villains, on the other hand, have some really great, menacing designs. In most cases, it's just bulked-up powerful space-heroes but with evil red eyes, but seeing Hulk with ram horns and Cancerverse Galactus as a kind of battering ram ship with a scary, piratey face was pretty satisfying. The sheer scale of Cancerverse Galactus was stunning - he actually makes *our* Galactus look tiny, so that kind of blew my mind a bit.
Conceptually, this "event" has a lot going for it that's more novel and less intricate than many other Marvel Events. All you really need to know is that some previous epic event left a wound in space-time (or whatever our whole reality/universe is), and on the other side is a parallel universe where Death has been killed, so it's brimming with life, which results in too little space, and some over-powered, immortal super-beings becoming greedy overlords intent on piercing other dimensions and doing the same thing there. This is such a big threat that not only Thanos, but Galactus, and even the cosmic "abstracts" - Infinity, Eternity, and a bunch of others that are never named (frustratingly, once again!) - join the skirmish, all floating in visible space trying to hold back the Cancerverse, even though the idea of Life having conquered Death could legitimately sound appealing at first.
I did enjoy the titular anti-hero, Thanos, being an unreliable lynchpin, and seeing all the other top-tier entities fight tangibly was fun, but they were all severely "nerfed" for the sake of the story. I'm really not down with the conclusion of events that Marvel decided on - There are several other important characters who are killed violently and never given much of a chance, all so that a new comic book title could start going on the stands, called The Annihilators. This made me sad and completely uninterested in reading what comes next, because the things that make the Guardians of the Galaxy fun and interesting is their strange diversity, quirkiness, and underdog status where they're constantly bickering and cracking jokes but they'd all die to save the others. In their place, the Marvel Gods decided it'd be better and more salable to just team up five cosmic powerhouse men (and, at the last minute, I guess a robot with breast forms, presumably so they can have a potential sex object around?). There are multiple humorous references made to the Avengers, and how this is supposed to be like them, but different.
I would not recommend this book to anyone wanting to get to know any of the characters involved in this, but for what it is, it could have been MUCH worse, which is why I'm bumping it up to 3 stars.
Considering the magnitude of this story, and the number of characters involved, it's pretty well done. But even with my knowledge of the Marvel Universe, there's way too much in here that's never explained, and Dan Abnett is not one of the more interesting writers. There are a handful of characters who appear throughout the book without even being named (Beta Ray Bill, some guy with a huge widow's peak that's probably Shi'ar or something) or are not given any background or character development (Namorita, Nova, Quasar, and Cosmo top this list). Some of them are very key to the story, so it's disappointing that this book apparently requires reading several other (not-so-popular) series for years leading up to this in order to know who they really are, or to care about them.
I had the advantage of having previously read a bunch of books focusing on Guardians of the Galaxy, Silver Surfer, Thanos, Negative Zone King Blastaar, and to a lesser extent, Adam Warlock, whose evil alter ego, Adam Magus, is the catalyst for the major conflict in the story, though he only appears on a few pages early on. But I really have no knowledge of this powerful telepathic, talking dog named Cosmo, Major Victory (lol, whataname!) or Moondragon and her lover Phyla, Black Jack, or the aforementioned Namorita, Nova, and Quasar.
The art is rather beautiful and the action is pretty convincing, but I'm not a fan of this era's character designs for Gamora, Medusa, or even Drax. Those first two are supposed to be extremely badass, but throughout this book, they can't hold their own in any battle, and serve only to show off their ridiculous boob windows (even worse in Gamora's case, which is just a jock strap and suspenders, which are not even slightly practical for the universe's most deadly warrior!). The villains, on the other hand, have some really great, menacing designs. In most cases, it's just bulked-up powerful space-heroes but with evil red eyes, but seeing Hulk with ram horns and Cancerverse Galactus as a kind of battering ram ship with a scary, piratey face was pretty satisfying. The sheer scale of Cancerverse Galactus was stunning - he actually makes *our* Galactus look tiny, so that kind of blew my mind a bit.
Conceptually, this "event" has a lot going for it that's more novel and less intricate than many other Marvel Events. All you really need to know is that some previous epic event left a wound in space-time (or whatever our whole reality/universe is), and on the other side is a parallel universe where Death has been killed, so it's brimming with life, which results in too little space, and some over-powered, immortal super-beings becoming greedy overlords intent on piercing other dimensions and doing the same thing there. This is such a big threat that not only Thanos, but Galactus, and even the cosmic "abstracts" - Infinity, Eternity, and a bunch of others that are never named (frustratingly, once again!) - join the skirmish, all floating in visible space trying to hold back the Cancerverse, even though the idea of Life having conquered Death could legitimately sound appealing at first.
I did enjoy the titular anti-hero, Thanos, being an unreliable lynchpin, and seeing all the other top-tier entities fight tangibly was fun, but they were all severely "nerfed" for the sake of the story. I'm really not down with the conclusion of events that Marvel decided on - There are several other important characters who are killed violently and never given much of a chance, all so that a new comic book title could start going on the stands, called The Annihilators. This made me sad and completely uninterested in reading what comes next, because the things that make the Guardians of the Galaxy fun and interesting is their strange diversity, quirkiness, and underdog status where they're constantly bickering and cracking jokes but they'd all die to save the others. In their place, the Marvel Gods decided it'd be better and more salable to just team up five cosmic powerhouse men (and, at the last minute, I guess a robot with breast forms, presumably so they can have a potential sex object around?). There are multiple humorous references made to the Avengers, and how this is supposed to be like them, but different.
I would not recommend this book to anyone wanting to get to know any of the characters involved in this, but for what it is, it could have been MUCH worse, which is why I'm bumping it up to 3 stars.
May 18, 2025
Infinity Gauntlet has always kept one of my feet planted in Marvel’s cosmic sandbox. Over time, that pull led me to revisit some classic material such as Avengers: Kree/Skrull War Gallery Edition, The Death of Captain Marvel Gallery Edition, and Adam Warlock Gallery Edition, as well as even DC's own cosmic collected editions, like Superman: Exile and Other Stories Omnibus and Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus. But things really ramped up when I dove into Annihilation and rediscovered just how good Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are when let loose on a galactic scale. That journey took me through War of Kings and now brings me here, to The Thanos Imperative—the explosive finale of Marvel’s early 2000s cosmic renaissance.
This deluxe hardcover collects The Thanos Imperative 1–6, The Thanos Imperative: Ignition, The Thanos Imperative: Devastation, and the Thanos Sourcebook, and brings Abnett and Lanning’s cosmic saga to a dark, operatic conclusion. A rift in space-time known as the Fault has opened a door to the Cancerverse—a grotesque alternate reality where Death has been eradicated and Life runs unchecked. Led by Lord Mar-Vell, a corrupted version of Captain Marvel, the Cancerverse invades the Marvel Universe. With the balance of existence hanging by a thread, the Guardians of the Galaxy hatch a desperate plan: unleash the one being who can tip the scales back—Thanos, the Avatar of Death.
The book is packed with cosmic heavyweights—Nova, Silver Surfer, Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan, and more—and though not every character gets equal spotlight, the emotional core remains strong. Thanos shines in one of his most compelling modern portrayals: a tragic, monstrous figure still hopelessly in love with Death. The tone leans into sci-fi horror and existential dread, with Abnett and Lanning juggling Lovecraftian terror, superhero bombast, and character drama with their usual precision. The art by Brad Walker and Miguel Sepulveda can be dense and occasionally inconsistent, but it matches the story’s chaotic grandeur.
If you're dipping your toes into Marvel’s recent cosmic renaissance, The Thanos Imperative is a must. It’s a richly conceived space epic and a worthy endgame to the saga that began with Annihilation. Equal parts nihilistic, operatic, and poignant, it delivers a finale that’s both thunderous and thoughtful. Highly recommended.
This deluxe hardcover collects The Thanos Imperative 1–6, The Thanos Imperative: Ignition, The Thanos Imperative: Devastation, and the Thanos Sourcebook, and brings Abnett and Lanning’s cosmic saga to a dark, operatic conclusion. A rift in space-time known as the Fault has opened a door to the Cancerverse—a grotesque alternate reality where Death has been eradicated and Life runs unchecked. Led by Lord Mar-Vell, a corrupted version of Captain Marvel, the Cancerverse invades the Marvel Universe. With the balance of existence hanging by a thread, the Guardians of the Galaxy hatch a desperate plan: unleash the one being who can tip the scales back—Thanos, the Avatar of Death.
The book is packed with cosmic heavyweights—Nova, Silver Surfer, Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan, and more—and though not every character gets equal spotlight, the emotional core remains strong. Thanos shines in one of his most compelling modern portrayals: a tragic, monstrous figure still hopelessly in love with Death. The tone leans into sci-fi horror and existential dread, with Abnett and Lanning juggling Lovecraftian terror, superhero bombast, and character drama with their usual precision. The art by Brad Walker and Miguel Sepulveda can be dense and occasionally inconsistent, but it matches the story’s chaotic grandeur.
If you're dipping your toes into Marvel’s recent cosmic renaissance, The Thanos Imperative is a must. It’s a richly conceived space epic and a worthy endgame to the saga that began with Annihilation. Equal parts nihilistic, operatic, and poignant, it delivers a finale that’s both thunderous and thoughtful. Highly recommended.
May 12, 2022
Aunque esta historia tiene todo para ser genial, lamentablemente no logra el impacto que busca y se diluye para terminar con una trama interesante, pero poco desarrollada donde los personajes parecen hacer las cosas un poco porque sí, otro poco porque el guion lo requiere.
Siempre voy a decir lo mismo: Me encanta el potencial que el mundo cósmico tiene para ofrecerle al universo Marvel, pero por un motivo u otro, nunca termina de desarrollarse apropiadamente. Quizás en esta ocasión mi percepción se vea afectada por el hecho de solo leer el arco argumental principal y no las series individuales que amplían la historia en sí. Ya noté que, por ejemplo, en Avengers vs X-Men los arcos narrativos complementarios lograban darle más sentido a una historia que, de leerla por separado, carecía completamente de sentido e interés.
La premisa de este cómic es simple, pero compleja a la vez: Un universo donde la muerte fue eliminada, intenta invadir el universo principal de Marvel. Al mejor estilo DC, este universo alternativo posee a los mismos personajes que conocemos, pero transformados para que se conviertan en los perfectos antagonistas de nuestros héroes. Las dos razas más relevantes (y conocidas) del universo, los Kree y el Imperio Shi'ar se encuentran alrededor del lugar donde están ocurriendo estos acontecimientos. Incluso los seres cósmicos del universo principal harán acto de presencia para combatir a sus contrapartes.
A todo esto, Thanos revivió y junto con los guardianes de la galaxia (y la oportuna ayuda de Nova) intenta luchar contra las fuerzas invasoras. La trama hace agua por todos lados. La falta de desarrollo hace que los acontecimientos se sucedan uno tras otro sin que podamos profundizar en ninguno de ellos.
No quiero seguir siendo repetitivo por lo que voy a decir algo bueno: El arte gráfico que El Imperativo Thanos presenta es muy bueno. Aunque por momentos intenta ser más impresionante de lo necesario, lo cierto es que logra captar la esencia de este tipo de sagas y representarlo a la perfección.
En resumen: Una buena idea, mal desarrollada.
Siempre voy a decir lo mismo: Me encanta el potencial que el mundo cósmico tiene para ofrecerle al universo Marvel, pero por un motivo u otro, nunca termina de desarrollarse apropiadamente. Quizás en esta ocasión mi percepción se vea afectada por el hecho de solo leer el arco argumental principal y no las series individuales que amplían la historia en sí. Ya noté que, por ejemplo, en Avengers vs X-Men los arcos narrativos complementarios lograban darle más sentido a una historia que, de leerla por separado, carecía completamente de sentido e interés.
La premisa de este cómic es simple, pero compleja a la vez: Un universo donde la muerte fue eliminada, intenta invadir el universo principal de Marvel. Al mejor estilo DC, este universo alternativo posee a los mismos personajes que conocemos, pero transformados para que se conviertan en los perfectos antagonistas de nuestros héroes. Las dos razas más relevantes (y conocidas) del universo, los Kree y el Imperio Shi'ar se encuentran alrededor del lugar donde están ocurriendo estos acontecimientos. Incluso los seres cósmicos del universo principal harán acto de presencia para combatir a sus contrapartes.
A todo esto, Thanos revivió y junto con los guardianes de la galaxia (y la oportuna ayuda de Nova) intenta luchar contra las fuerzas invasoras. La trama hace agua por todos lados. La falta de desarrollo hace que los acontecimientos se sucedan uno tras otro sin que podamos profundizar en ninguno de ellos.
No quiero seguir siendo repetitivo por lo que voy a decir algo bueno: El arte gráfico que El Imperativo Thanos presenta es muy bueno. Aunque por momentos intenta ser más impresionante de lo necesario, lo cierto es que logra captar la esencia de este tipo de sagas y representarlo a la perfección.
En resumen: Una buena idea, mal desarrollada.
December 3, 2022
A frustrating read.
First the name. This is really the end to Realm of Kings, but I guess Marvel felt the branding hadn’t boosted sales enough on Nova and GotG, let alone the minis, so here’s the somewhat blandly named Thanos Imperative.
The story is as solid as all DnA’s work in this cosmic era (although a few characters, like Groot and Bug, have nothing to do and just disappear, which is a shame) but it really feels like editorial had lost interest, as there’s lots of little mistakes and carelessness throughout.
The biggest issue is the art though. Credited to Miguel Sepulveda, it continues the attempt to get horror-leaning artists in to convey the Lovecraftian elements of the Fault and Cancerverse. But Sepulveda’s work is a long way from the likes of DiVito, Pelletier, Raney, Alvez, Asrar and others who have worked on these events and Nova. It’s muddy (owing in part to the colouring), ungainly and error filled in a way that again suggests editorial disinterest. For instance, Drax shows up here in his old design and costume rather than his lean redux. There’s a couple of lines of dialogue to explain this, but they feel very much like they’ve been thrown in to explain the error. It’s not, as the story suggests, Drax just throwing on his old costume - he’s missing all the red markings on his body.
It’s also pretty blatant that more than one artist pencilled this, even though only Sepulveda is credited. The vast change to how Rocket is drawn is the biggest indicator of this. Continuity of aesthetic is achieved mainly thanks to the over-powering inks and colouring.
It’s such a shame that the Nova and Guardians runs ended here with a half-hearted sigh rather than a bang.
First the name. This is really the end to Realm of Kings, but I guess Marvel felt the branding hadn’t boosted sales enough on Nova and GotG, let alone the minis, so here’s the somewhat blandly named Thanos Imperative.
The story is as solid as all DnA’s work in this cosmic era (although a few characters, like Groot and Bug, have nothing to do and just disappear, which is a shame) but it really feels like editorial had lost interest, as there’s lots of little mistakes and carelessness throughout.
The biggest issue is the art though. Credited to Miguel Sepulveda, it continues the attempt to get horror-leaning artists in to convey the Lovecraftian elements of the Fault and Cancerverse. But Sepulveda’s work is a long way from the likes of DiVito, Pelletier, Raney, Alvez, Asrar and others who have worked on these events and Nova. It’s muddy (owing in part to the colouring), ungainly and error filled in a way that again suggests editorial disinterest. For instance, Drax shows up here in his old design and costume rather than his lean redux. There’s a couple of lines of dialogue to explain this, but they feel very much like they’ve been thrown in to explain the error. It’s not, as the story suggests, Drax just throwing on his old costume - he’s missing all the red markings on his body.
It’s also pretty blatant that more than one artist pencilled this, even though only Sepulveda is credited. The vast change to how Rocket is drawn is the biggest indicator of this. Continuity of aesthetic is achieved mainly thanks to the over-powering inks and colouring.
It’s such a shame that the Nova and Guardians runs ended here with a half-hearted sigh rather than a bang.
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