Thanos: The Infinity Revelation

Thanos: The Infinity Saga

by Jim Starlin, Andy Smith (Illustrator), Frank D'Armata (Illustrator)

There is an imbalance in the universe. And, since his latest return from oblivion, Thanos himself feels... incomplete. Now the so-called Mad Titan would put both wrongs right. A pilgrimage to Death's dark domain, and the revelatory waters of the Infinity Well, leads Thanos on a new quest, with a once sworn enemy at his side. A crusade that will bring confrontation with the Silver Surfer and the galaxy's mightiest heroes, the Annihilators. An odyssey that will change everything.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Comic Book, Science Fiction, Fiction

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2014

About the author

James 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.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

To tell the truth: I am a big Jim Starlin fan; and I think his 'shaping' of Thanos (T) over the years has been masterful. This is a cosmic detective story: the universe has changed - but all of 'the usual suspects' are clueless as to how or why. Adam Warlock (AW) and T join forces to try to find the frayed thread of existence that is unraveling across the multiverse...but 'who' is looking might be the most confusing question of all. Now what I did not like: the way the Silver Surfer (SS) is portrayed really disappointed me. The way Beta Ray Bill (BRB) is portrayed disappointed me even more. SS and BRB would have done a lot more damage! Still love ya Jim!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jim Starlin is back with a new Marvel Original Graphic Novel (OGN) about his most enduring creation, Thanos.

The Mad Titan senses a disturbance in the force, or something, so decides to pay visits to just about everyone from the Guardians of the Galaxy to Mistress Death herself. After gazing into the Infinity Well, he’s drawn to some kind of cosmic dreidel which is mega important apparently. Adam Warlock also joins Thanos for this sleepy tale of something and, as this is a Thanos book, it’s gotta have Infinity in the title! Why not Revelation, they haven’t used that one yet!

Straight after the Avengers movie, I read Starlin’s The Infinity Gauntlet and really enjoyed it. It’s the story of Thanos trying to impress his girlfriend, Death, by destroying the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet - the ultimate strength test at the fair ever! Things get daffy, lots of superhero action, etc. and it ends.

I wasn’t expecting anything as good as that (especially as the other Marvel OGNs I’ve read have been very sub-par) but I was hoping for something more than this. Thanos and Adam putter around, Thanos’ adventures in other books are covered, Thanos fights the Annihilators - Gladiator, Ronan the Accuser, Beta Ray Bill, Quasar and the Silver Surfer - and defeats them embarrassingly easily. Something happens with the dreidel that takes Thanos and Adam somewhere and then it’s over.

The Infinity Revelation is such an underwhelming, truly boring story that I can’t believe anybody stopped to question whether or not the script deserved a rewrite. Even Thanos himself shrugs at the end “Much ado about very little” while Infinity sums it up with “For all its buildup, this cosmic spectacular has proven disappointingly mundane”. Took the words right out of my mouth!

Starlin’s art is the most polished that I’ve ever seen and it’s nice to see the classic Marvel 70s/80s style done with today’s inks/colours presentation. The book looks great, and it’s fun to see Thanos again - he’s a lot more talkative and thoughtful in Starlin’s hands than we’ve seen with other creators like Jason Aaron or Jonathan Hickman, and I liked that.

But wow, what a weak, forgettable Thanos book! The Infinity Revelation feels more like an overlong prologue to something bigger than its own self-contained story or the quasi-conclusion of the numerous Thanos books over the years. I was hoping this one would be of the same quality as The Infinity Gauntlet but it’s more akin to Starlin’s dismal Batman books, Death in the Family and The Cult. Maybe Thanos fans will enjoy this, but for more general comics readers, this one’s an easy miss.

[˗ˏˋ n a j v a ˊˎ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

TO LIVE IS TO CHANGE.
IT IS EXISTENCE'S ONE CONSTANT.
THE VERY UNIVERSE ITSELF ACCEPTS THIS TRUTH.

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off the rating, this book would get a 3.6 stars from me but since that is not possible with the current Goodreads system, I gave it a generous 4 stars. I just thought it would be best if lay out my reasons for the rating first.

I'm not disappointed, somehow my expectations where achieved. Jim Starlin returning to Thanos would mean more cosmic metaphysical stuff, which has been the theme of his work for both Marvel and DC space-based comics. I think the original graphic novel format is perfect for Starlin's kind of storytelling. Reading it could have been tedious if it was in a miniseries or hard to follow if it was a series of one-shots. I want my Starlin in one easy to take dose.

I'm liking the art; I think this is the best Starlin has been in years. The lines are more fluid and organic. Perhaps having a different inker was the necessary change in order for me to embrace Starlin's art.

Some of the better Thanos stories involve a quest, like this one and I agree with the Mad Titan; the doing of the quest is the best part, it is what comes after that's more sifficult and it is often where Thanos meets his defeat.

Oh, this book brings back another Starlin Marvel cosmic staple. The synopsis does not reveal the identity so I won't spoil it here. It is very easy to guess who it is though.

[Blindzider · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanos goes on this journey to try and solve this feeling of uneasiness which takes about 3/4 of the book. The pace is slow and details are sparse. After the mystery is solved, even the Celestial characters basically say "what was this about, and why did we have to go through this?" Yes, Jim, why did we have to go through this? The point seemed to be to reset Marvel's main cosmic characters, yet with a slight, unclear twist.

I'm not much into Marvel's cosmic landscape, but I think this was beyond necessary and quite boring.

[Judah Radd · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****second read*****

Original review stands. This is well charted territory for Jim, and it doesn’t do much to advance anything, although it provides nice nostalgia for old school fans.

*******first read*******

Jim Starlin’s greatest hits.

This is pretty much exactly what you would expect in a Jim Starlin book about Thanos.

All of the supporting characters you think are in it, are in it.

It even has the word infinity in the title, for fucks sake.

So is it good?

Kinda. If you’re nostalgic for Jim’s writing style (and I am), and you’d like to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some old stories, than sure!! Check this one out!

If you’re looking for something action packed and groundbreaking... you best move on.

This is an old comic book from the 80s in some shiny new binding. Make no mistake... if you have trouble with anything older than Annihilation, than this isn’t for you. If you want to see all of your favorite Starlin characters in an esoteric Starlin story about Starlin shit, then have at it!!

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it!

It was good. I've had a tiny little problem with the artwork. I'd rather have Starlin leave the artwork to someone else, but I was fine with it, no problems.

The story was great. It was classic Thanos doing Thanos' stuff. Time and space and space and time and all'a that.

If you're a fan of Thanos read it. If you're not, then you better be fun of sci-fi.

All in all, it's a great read, the only negative would be stuff that Starlin really tends to do a LOT, that he's overblowing stuff with lots and lots of info and also repetitive situations with telling us again and again what Thanos did in the past and how he did and why he did it.

I didn't think it was too much, but it was there, and in more modern stuff like this OGN I'd expect for Starling to stop doing that, I hope the next one doesn't have much of that stuff in it.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A word of warning on "Thanos: The Infinity Revelation": This is not a stand alone graphic novel. Starlin doesn't hold your hand and help you get caught up here and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but having missed one or two or three hundred Infinity titles over the years, I was confused. I enjoyed Adam Warlock and Drax switching back and forth between different versions of themselves and I KIND of get why that was happening but not really. I reserve the right to amend my rating if I ever get caught up on these books.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh... Thanos and Adam Warlock have to be 2 of the most convoluted characters in comics, especially Adam Warlock. Starlin has killed and brought Adam back so many times I can't ever keep things straight.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I've always been a fan of Jim Starlin and his cosmic characters (Thanos, Warlock, etc.) but I have to admit his stories are out there. No one does psychedelic comics like Starlin, but that's both a positive and a negative as the art is usually cool and trippy but the story is far out and hard to follow.

I like the Starlin art in this volume, and while I did at least understand the story from panel to panel, overall I wonder about its purpose. It's the first of a trilogy, so I'm hoping more will be explained in the next volume. It seems like the entire story was to reboot Adam Warlock once again, but how and exactly why remain a mystery.

Overall I enjoyed it, although with Starlin's cosmic stories I always feel like there's a deeper meaning that I'm missing. If you are a fan of Starlin's Thanos and Warlock work from the 70s, you'll be right at home with his graphic novel. If you found it too weird, this will be too weird for you too.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanos the Infinity Revelation is truly a work that is epic in scope. Reminiscent of the epic cosmic level stories of the Silver Surfer this is a story of Thanos and his place in the universe. The tale begins with a disturbance in reality. Cosmic entities such as Eternity and Infinity and Living Tribunal are involved. Thanos and a resurrected Adam Warlock chase a mystery of cosmic proportions. In time they find that a source of power is causing the disturbance. Opposed by the Annihilators (Gladiator, Beta-Ray Bill, Ronan the Accuser, Quasar, Silver Surfer and some random female Space-Knight) Thanos and Warlock battle their way to the source. Once the source activates there is a merging of two different universes into one. Both Adam Warlock and Thanos become something more than what they were in our reality.
The tale while epic is a tad confusing. Even the truly powerful cosmic entities do not seem to know what, and more importantly why, things happened. After reading this, I too am curious. Is there more to this story? What exactly did happen? These questions are only vaguely answered by the story. All of which leads me to assume that there are other volumes out there that wrap this up.
It is the lack of a true ending that limits this to 4/5 stars. It almost seemed like a needless exercise, yet I know there must be something more. What does occur though is very well done. I enjoy the interplay of forces that are beyond human scales of imagination. As in the old Infinity Gauntlet or Surfer tales it is nice to see the truly powerful beings. This one has many of them from the Tribunal to Lady Death. Of course Thanos is one of my favorite characters and this new more introspective Thanos is indeed intriguing. So it seems its time for me to see if there is more to this tale-if so I will gladly add them to my collection. This is a great read for anyone who is a fan of the cosmic characters usually found in a Silver Surfer tale-others may find this read to be a pointless exercise and I think that is reflected by the somewhat poor ratings. For myself, I enjoyed it and am more understanding because I assume, hopefully correctly, that there is more to this tale.

[Tamahome · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's Jim Starlin back doing both writing and pencils. And the modern coloring looks fantastic. I'm probably looking at this through a nostalgic haze. A Starlin story has a lot of chatting. It's probably not for all tastes. But Starlin is the guy that invented Thanos, Warlock, and the Infinity Gems that all the Marvel movies seem to be working towards. He makes some digs against some other portrayals of Thanos like in the Annihilation sagas. There's also some fantastic Steve Ditko-like vistas.

[Richard Guion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Starlin returns to write and draw this story featuring Thanos and Warlock. I read all the original stuff in the 70s - Captain Marvel / Strange Tales / Warlock - so it is great to see Starlin return. The artwork / coloring / visual storytelling are superb. The story has a lot of meat for those who have faithfully followed Starlin's Marvel work. Warlock and Thanos are quite a pair and their relationship is very funny, but there is a great twist at the end which will be picked up in later stories.

[mike andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanos teams with Adam Warlock to make a universe of his own design. Hes not his usual self in the story,that us till the end when he has the Lady Death by his side.

[Robbie Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

worth reading when you have nothing else to really read.

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanos: The Infinity Revelation
Marvel, One-shot, 2014

Thanos visits some old acquaintances, Drax the Destroyer and then Mistress Death.

Thanos has a visitor, long-time running buddy Adam Warlock, recently resurrected.

Cut to the Silver Surfer. He discovers a mysterious object. “The energies at play here are Celestial!”

Thanos arrives on the home world of the Badoon, seeking the Kilzarra, a holy relic of the Badoon. Thanos claim the relic as his own.

Thanos and Warlock have a therapy session (always fun) and a walk down memory’s lane. They confront Ikon, a space knight from Galador and also a member of the Annihilators, a team of cosmic heavy hitters. The rest of the Annihilators arrive – Gladiator, Beta Ray Bill, Ronan, and Quasar. They battle Thanos and Warlock but are no match for the duo when their last team member arrives - the Silver Surfer. He’s defeated by a cowardly attack by Warlock.

In Adam’s defense, “In your (Thanos) present state, I feared you might needlessly kill Galactus’ herald.”

With the Annihilators defeated, Thanos and Warlock arrive at a Trans-Dimensional Nexus where they encounter their doppelgangers. They are on the same yet different path, righting a cosmic imbalance. In alternate universes, Thanos becomes Universal and All That Is. In a different universe, Adam Warlock assumes the same role as the soul of Reality. WTF?

Eternity and Infinity cameo. Reality reinvents itself with one exception – the Warlock and Thanos duplicates have swapped realities.

Best quotes:
Warlock - “Rebirth. Exhausting…”

Thanos - “Some refer to me as the Mad Titan, but not to my face.”
“There is an imbalance within both myself and the universe.”
“I’m in no need of psychoanalysis.”
“When reaching a certain plane of enlightenment and power, it becomes rather difficult to tolerate the interference of lesser beings.”

Infinity - “Existence has proven to be a cruel joke.”

It’s Thanos. It’s Warlock. It’s Jim Stalin. As a fan of all three, I had to enjoy it. Love the art!!!

[Oduro AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

****
The Infinity Revelation reads as a commentary on a familiar flaw in the Marvel canon, Nobody (much beloved character), stays Dead. This comic serves the same purpose as Marvel: The End -- another Jim Starlin creation that sees Thanos attain the Heart of the Universe and attempt to End the cycle of Death & Rebirth -- but, this telling of a "cosmic spectacular" is conscious that for all its build up the events concluding the Graphic Novel are consequentially mundane. It is an epiphany of Marvel's inability to properly reboot their Universe.

Of course it is objectively inaccurate to claim that the Marvel landscape never changes, it is far more precise to point out, as Thanos did, that change, within the Marvel Cosmos, is nigh imperceivably. Nevertheless, it is no small thing that Thanos now openly, affectionately, dialogues with Mistress Death, nor is it insignificant that this new version of Adam Warlock is far more confrontational towards the Mad Titan. These small changes (should they remain) could blossom into epic new stories, stories that may not Transform but will certainly adapt the Marvel landscape for a new generation of Readers.

****

Read it, it's very well written and Adam Warlock and Thanos continue their dueling marriage as the avatars of Life and Death respectively.

Cheers.

[Alexander Rivas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 14 of 18 in the "Infinity Gauntlet" series and was the shortest so far. Although, this was one of the deepest storylines of all because of how Thanos and Warlock got a glimpse into each other's realities. They both were deeply affected by seeing each other's views and hopes for the universe. It makes me think what if you can do the same with let's say, Hitler, that would, in my opinion, be a scary experience but others would love it. If there was a way to go into someone else's views and experiences of reality I could not say that it would be a good thing. I can see people turning people into authorities, judging them, condemning them, taking their or opposite sides, and much more conflict than we already have.

Come to think of it this is already happening to a certain extent because people have dreams or goals that they tell others. Some will help, promote, fight against, critique, poke holes, and other things I can think of. Now writing this I am reminded why I love comics so much and it is because of the creative way deep insights get told in an artistic and entertaining way.

[Santiago L. Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desde que Jim Starlin creara al titán loco en la lejana década de los 70 no he dejado de seguirle. Aunque otros autores han hecho buenas historias con el personaje, nunca ha brillado más que en sus manos. Esta novela gráfica es una síntesis de los valores principales que han encumbrado sus largas series. Tenemos a Thanos y su némesis, Adam Warlock, las diatribas metafísicas, el amor por la personificación de la muerte, el panteón cósmico de la Marvel y un reseteo de los dos personajes principales disfrazado de crucial cambio cósmico. El dibujo de Starlin sigue siendo poderoso, potenciado por el entintador Andy Smith, y compone planos surrealistas que muestran con gran atractivo las interioridades de Thanos y Warlock, los subconscientes del yin y el yang de la Marvel cósmica, definiendo sus motivaciones a la perfección.
A los neófitos podría parecerles una historilla irrelevante, pero a este viejo seguidor le parece una manera muy ingeniosa de devolver a ambos personajes a la casilla de salida, entre la adorada turra filosófica y los palos de manual.

[Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al di là delle scazzottate con cui Jim Starlin si diverte a dire a tutti che Thanos è il più potente fisicamente, questo volume porta a chiedersi chi ci sia sopra al Tribunale Vivente, ossia la maggiore entità cosmica dell'universo Marvel.

Le scazzottate valgono solo se gli gli altri autori decidono che valgono, mentre la riflessione su una potenza superiore (DIO?) tende a spostare la riflessione filosofica dell'autore sempre più verso la religione ed il senso che potrebbe avere in un universo super eroistico.

Questo nuovo Adam Warlock, e forse anche questo nuovo Thanos, sono un tentativo di Starlin di imporre la sua visione dei personaggi da lui "creati" a chi continuerà ad usarli, per limitare interpretazioni a lui non consone dovute principalmente ai film Marvel.

La storia si lascia leggere, ha qualche breve momento divertente ma nel complesso non convince questo lettore di vecchia data ed estimatore di Starlin.
Direi che siamo sulle 2 stelle e mezza.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would merit 4 or even 5 stars if more actually happened. Many of my favorite movies are those which can be performed as a 2 person play on a stage with minimal set changes. Jim Starlin seems keen on this type of storytelling, as he's written and drawn this book to mostly be a walking dialogue between Thanos and Adam Warlock and a few personified cosmic concepts.

Thanos has, for me, always just loomed as this huge, powerful Baddie that I didn't understand. The more I get to see what his intentions and powers and philosophies actually are, the more he ascends to being a complex and fascinating antagonist rather than a mindless, brutish warmonger.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the more brutal, less subtle Thanos in Thanos Rising and Infinty, Starlin's cerebral Thanos seems out of place. Not bad, just inconsistent.

So Thanos is just flying around in space and he senses a disturbance in the Force. He investigates, accidently resurrecting Adam Warlock again, explores abstract landscapes, philosophizes while beating up superheroes, becomes a god again, decides it's not for him and returns to reality. Leading Eternity and Infinty to ask "What was the point of that?"

I can't help but notice that the hench-aliens from Infinty are in the background or non-existent. Because Thanos has always been a loner, but that didn't work for the movies.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that this one was missing something. Previously, I have enjoyed stories with the Thanos character, particularly those written by Jim Starlin but I only found this story to be okay. The art was good and there were some good ideas but I couldn't shake the feeling that nothing much happened. I like the quests of philosophy that these books often take, but even that seemed to be lacking here. It appears that this book may be the start of a series, but I am not sure that I'd go through the trouble of hunting other volumes down in my library. Perhaps in the future.

[Omni Theus · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 out of 5. Enjoyed the dynamic of Warlock and Thanos and the slow build up of what is coming. Sparing a few panels to reveal this builds upon the Annihilation series of Abnett and Lanning rather than Bendis' Guardians was a nice touch. Both this story and the Annual both touch on what has come before from Starlin without dragging on too. Starlin has a way of shoe horning his works within the better confines of the Marvel Universe whilst avoiding the murky guff that seems to ensnare other lesser writers.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Starlin art, near incomprehensible story. I like heady cosmic stuff, but in the end it's a bait and switch which is very frustrating.

I used to love multiverse stuff, but now that its everywhere? It kind of cheapens things...

And this actual line, synches it

'For all its build up, this cosmic spectacular has proven disappointingly mundane. Can you explain to us exactly what we just went through? And why we had to endure the humiliation of the experience?'

[Scott Waldie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bunch of cosmic gobbledygook, but the visuals are pretty psychedelic and interesting, the concept high, and the interactions between Adam Warlock and Thanos in here are amusing, especially the mad Titan's dialogue which amounts to a lot of pretentious twaddle. I had fun reading it despite the fact it's a bunch of utter nonsense, even by multiversal Marvel standards.

[ISMOTU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Starlin returns to the characters who made him famous in a new series of original graphic novels. The Infinity Revelation is just as trippy and cosmic and weird and wonderful as any of Starlin's previous stellar Marvel work and draws upon both his classic cosmic sagas and the modern Marvel Universe. Awesome stuff.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely read the ‘introduction’ to this - it lays the foundation. This is a very philosophical, existential piece that is less about Thanos and more about the universe and some sort of perceived imbalance. Old foes and friends show up in an odd sort of way (but are paying tribute to Marvel history).

[Ableabelian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this - I've read other Thanos stories in the past, I've enjoyed them, and this I was excited for.

It ended up being underwhelming. There's a huge HUGE cosmic change happening, SOMETHING is changing, and in the end all of the characters are sitting around going "Well we don't know what happened but we were kind of underwhelmed."

That took the words right out of my mouth.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I challenge anyone to actually explain what happens here. Jim Starling obviously has a great history with Marvel's cosmic characters but this one an entire novel of Thanos talking. Speech heavy books can be good if the speechifying is actually interesting. Here, not so much. Starlin's art was very good except his weird take on Groot. This book served no purpose for anyone other than Starlin.