Thanos: A God Up There Listening

Thanos

by Rob Williams, Jim Starlin, Dale Keown (Cover Art)

At the close of Infinity Thane discovered he was the son of Thanos and that his touch was death. Now, accompanied by the constantly whispered advice of Ebony Maw, he wants to discover his father's history, and his own future. Plus, Thanos must face Mephisto, his future self, the Avengers and more! Learn how a devastating defeat in Thanos' past set events into moti on that will redefine the Marvel Universe in the near future!

COLLECTING: Thanos: A God Up There Listening 1-4, Thanos Annual 1

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Comics Manga

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2014

Reviews

[Francesc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cómic que desmenuza la vida y milagros de Thanos, desde su infancia a sus pillerías por toda la galaxia.
Este cómic en concreto tiene 4 partes:
"Thanos: Origen", "Condenación y Redención", "El Dios que nos escucha" y "El consuelo de los buenos".
Es interesante conocer la vida de Thanos y por qué es así, aunque el guión es bastante enrevesado. Se podría resumir todo en que Thanos es un demente que necesita, con urgencia, ingreso hospitalario ya que se pasa todo el cómic hablando con seres imaginarios.

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Comic book that breaks down the life and miracles of Thanos, from his childhood to his pranks all over the galaxy.
This particular comic has 4 parts:
"Thanos Rising", "Damnation and Redemption", "A God up there listening" and "The Comfort of the Good".
It is interesting to learn about Thanos' life and why he is the way he is, although the storyline is quite convoluted. You could sum it all up by saying that Thanos is a madman who urgently needs to be admitted to hospital because he spends the whole comic talking to imaginary beings.

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

After trapping his father in living death,

Thane the son of Thanos travels with Ebony Maw to learn about his father's legacy.


This story was really unnecessary. Ebony Maw had a being prepared to record Thanos' life. Using this being Thane witnessed the time his father tried to keep the living planet Ego for his lady love Death.

It was all really uninteresting which is a shame considering Thanos is amazingly terrifying and his son Thane is likely more powerful than his dear old Dad. It was a yawn fest I nearly fell asleep a few times while reading.

A God Up There Listening should have been considerably more interesting than it was. I'm still waiting for Thane the son of Thanos to demonstrate what kind of character he will be.

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

"AND DEATH ITSELF SHALL DIE UPON THE ROCKS OF EGO ... VICTORY WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR EGO."

if you get it, you get it. if you don't, you don't.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story about Thane, son of Thanos and what his place is. He thinks and feels that he's a good man but... some have another idea.

So he begins a quest to learn about his father and his father's past and the whole ideology of his.

Fun, great artwork and also reading in digital was super nice because of the transitions from one panel to another. (it was released in digital first)

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I Pray, I pray that I am a good man ... still. And so a good man ask ... Who do you pray to when your father is a living shrine to death? ........ I am Thane, son of Thanos."
I don't think any other sentence of the story can best describe what this story is about. In this (what i thought was) excellent story we meet Thane who has just found out that he is the son of Thanos. In a desperate attempt to understand his legacy he seeks a unique insight into a battle from the past. A battle between his father "The Mad Titan" vs Ego "The Living Planet".
A collection of "Thanos: A God Up There Listening" issues 1-4 and Thanos Annual #1. \for me the artwork is less than stella, but the colors do much to enhance the images and story line. The character are as they have always been, except for Thane who is new to me. I really liked Thane as he faces questions about his existence that are rooted in the real world. Questions about our place, our roles and ultimately our fate in the universe.
Well written the dialog alone is worth the price of the book. Included at the end of the story is Thanos Annual #1 "Damnation and Redemption" where we find Thanos (with help from his future self) in a battle for a Cosmic Cube. The story features my favorite Marvel hero bar none Captain Mar-vel, whose graphic novel "The Death of Captain Mar-vel" for me is still the best graphic novel of all time.
I'm glad I picked up "A God Up There Listening" and am quite you will be as well.

[Judah Radd · Rating 2 out of 5]

***second read***

Yep... still awful. Why did I read this again?

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

Two stories. The first (and longest) one, by Rob Williams, was a stinker. The second one kicks ass.

We’ll start with the main arc.

Ugh. My least favorite kind of story; a barely coherent one that tries to mimic high art. Spare me.

Let’s get this out of the way. Here’s the down and dirty. AWFUL art. Iban Coello pencilled #1 and #3. Paco Diaz was responsible for #2 and #4. Paco was so-so... Coello’s work sucked. Truly. It looked like lazy, amateur work. It was so sloppy that it distracted me big time.

Now, the writing was a whole different nightmare. The whole time, the book teased us with the whole “what’s real, what’s imaginary” thing. Nobody enjoys that. If I wanted that, I’d watch the last 30 seconds of any Christopher Nolan movie. Sorry. Not fun. I’m not saying a need a straightforward story... but too many pages in this book were devoted to Thane (a really really shitty, whiny and boring character) wondering if he’s dreaming or not. And Ebony Maw... jesus... I though Ebony was cool in Infinity, but here he was like a boring version of Senator Palpatine in the Star Wars prequels. It wasn’t even confirmed if he was real or not. This whole story could still be “and it was all a dream.” Talk about a waste of my time.

The second story was Thanos Annual #1. It was created by the Ron Lim/Jim Starlin dream team, and is the only redeeming quality of this book. And lemme say... it’s fucking awesome. For fans of Starlin/Lim’s entire Warlock/Thanos Saga starting with Cosmic Cube and going all the way through Marvel Universe The End... this annual really is a treat. The art rules. The nostalgia factor is high, and it teases The Infinite Revelation in an awesome way. It made me want to re-read all of the old Infinity books. THIS IS WHAT THANOS IS ALL ABOUT! It also contains some pretty slick little references to Annihilation.

The Thanos Annual #1 serves as an interesting contrast to A God Up There Listening. They both include weird, metaphysical invisible mindfuck shit... but the Annual actually does it right. The main character may not 100% understand what’s happening, but we do. Compare that to AGUTL, and you can see how it should be done.

Anyway... don’t buy this collection. Read the Thanos Annual online, or buy the backissue... but this hardcover with the 4 issue AGUTL is a big waste of your money and time.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story focuses on Thane, the son of Thanos. As he learns about his father's past, we are treated to a story of Thanos vs. Ego, The Living Planet, which makes up the bulk of the story. The rest is Thane trying to deny his father's evil legacy even though we all know he's eventually going to turn bad before probably turning good in some type of heroic self sacrifice. At least, that's how I see it going.

Decent art and a decent story. Nothing great, but good.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and quick read about the legacy of the most feared being in comic books, the mad titan Thanos. Thanos: A God Up There Listening is another in Marvel's sometimes unwieldy 'Infinite Comics' format but thankfully is paced much better than previous efforts, making it a much more enjoyable read. The story itself is decent as a whole, and serves to reinforce the terrors of Thanos for Marvel readers who didn't get a chance to see Thanos at his best during the Infinity Gauntlet/War/Crusade/etc. I would have rated the story three to three and a half stars if not for one incredible moment. Without completely spoiling everything, there is a moment in the story where Ego the Living Planet attempts to overcome the will of Thanos by offering the Titan what he wants most but cannot have. That entire singular scene is incredible; especially powerful to a long-term Thanos fan like myself. If you are likewise a fan of the greatest villain in comic history, then it is absolutely worth reading this story just for that moment.

[CaliReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a strong start for me... Issue #1 follows the events of the infinity event with Thane the son of Thanos, as he searches for answers and try's to understand his newfound abilities. I'll continue reading this series only because of how short it will be (4 issues). But unless it really picks up I will not be purchasing the graphic novel.

[Britarya · Rating 3 out of 5]

ehhh... it was ok

[Blank · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story may have held some intrigue for me had I read it before the Avengers: Infinity War live action movie (which has given Thanos more character and depth than merely a 'mad titan killing things simply because his imaginary girlfriend has a mood swing').

And so, it's a shame I have to give it three stars. It held promise for me that Thane and Thanos were in the same story, and I hoped for an exploration of this dynamic, but what happened was Thanos in a comatose state and Ego the living planet (whom the Guardians of the Galaxy movie has imbued with character as well) turned out to be a rock-swinging snoozefest.

Like I said, judged beside the movies, this comic book became tedious, but then - it's not really its fault, right?

[Oduro AB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read a lot of Rob William's work, to be honest I can't be sure I have read any of his work (I'll do a quick search after this); as the three stars indicate I Liked the story, more so for the duplicitous, and subversive nature of the Ebony Maw (love that name), than for what I assume was intended to be a character arc for Thane (the son of Thanos).


I read the story in it's Digital format, not the Hardcover, and was pleased with the visual flow of the story, unfortunately I don't have much in praise for the story itself; it was, properly, derivative.

Skip this one.
Cheers.

[Villain E · Rating 2 out of 5]

After Infinity, I was wondering why Marvel didn't do anything with Thane. Somehow, I missed this. (Well, I wouldn't say I'm missing it, Bob.)

Thane, with the disembodied Ebony Maw in his ear, heads off into space where he runs into some rando who tells him a story about Thanos trying to fight Ego, the Living Planet. This adds nothing to Thane as a character, and what this has to do with spirituality, I have no idea.

Also included is a Thanos annual by Starlin and Lim set when Captain Marvel was still alive where Thanos encounters an avatar of himself. I've seen this book in more than one collection. I don't think it adds anything.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ebony Maw and Thane are by far the two most interesting characters to come out of Infinity. Here, Rob Williams pens a tale of madness and the search for answers. While the way we look into Thanos' past is a bit corny, the actual history is a fun cosmic story. The art is at times very good and very bad. There are quite a few indescribably bad panels in the back half of the book. The inclusion of a Jim Starlin Thanos tale is well placed and nostalgic. Overall, a solid cosmic tale.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great except for book 3

Great continuation of the Thanos series minus book 3. It felt like they gave up on the Art with the minimalism and story was lacking like they were rushed for time.

[Daniel Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prepping up on Thanos with the movie around the corner. Interesting read, but more based on Thane's path. Not that I disliked it, just the beginning of Thane's "world."

[Frida Andreasson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whoever compiled this doesn't know how a story hangs together. There are two fractions to two different stories here, and they're not even focused on the same character, not completely anyway.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this, despite some negative reviews. I thought it gave more perspective to Thane, as well as some other spoiler-y events.

[ilian · Rating 5 out of 5]

first marvel comic i ever read and i assure you, it DID NOT dissapoint ! would totally recommend to everyone who doesn't know where to start with the comics!

[Artrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

La primera vez que conozco y sé de la existencia de Thane hijo de Thanos, ha sido bastante entretenido, quiero saber más de este personaje

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in the wake of Infinity, A God Up There Listening follows Thanos’ son Thane as he learns about his mad father with the help of one of his Cull Obsidian, the Ebony Maw, and comes to terms with his heritage. And what better way than to hear about the time Thanos fought Ego the Living Planet?! Also, in the closing issue, Jim Starlin takes the reins of his creation once again and sends Thanos on a bonkers journey through time and space where he meets and fights different versions of himself and Mephisto.

This miniseries sucked! I thought it was weird that in a Thanos book we’d be focusing on his son Thane until the narrative basically became a flashback about Thanos and then it made more sense. I guess Ebony Maw thought recounting Thanos’ fight with Ego the Living Planet highlighted his craziness and hubris (and wasn’t The Infinity Gauntlet, which is a separate, better book)? Shame it’s not a very interesting story, full of ‘splosions and pointless fighting that leads nowhere.

This is apparently Thane’s lead-in to The Black Vortex storyline but not a whole lot happens to him here. He learns about Thanos’ brutality/madness and is shocked… and that’s about it! I suppose on the last page he suddenly changes his appearance but that could’ve easily been done as a prologue for Black Vortex rather than as its own unnecessary book but I guess Marvel’s a business first and foremost.

You’d think for a short four issue miniseries there’d be artistic consistency but three different artists contribute work, some of it decent, some of it not. The variations add to the feeling that this book was thrown together in a slapdash style.

The Jim Starlin Annual is as nutty as you’d expect: plenty of cosmic bullshit, none of it easy to follow unless you remember Starlin’s entire Thanos sequence (who does??), and most of it drearily forgettable. I suppose Starlin’s art is ok.

Infinity fans looking to see what happens next to Thanos’ progeny will be disappointed by this weak story and if you’re going to read The Black Vortex, you really don’t need to bother with this one either. Even Thanos fans will be bored with Rob Williams’ dull writing and Jim Starlin’s nonsense. A God Up There Listening is definitely worth skipping.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanos is a difficult character to write (unless you're Jim Starlin). The bulk of this trade contains a four issue miniseries that bridges the gap between Thane, son of Thanos' appearance in Infinity and his reappearance as part of the Black Vortex crossover as he tries to discover his place in the universe -will he become the thing he fears like his father?

Spoilers - this isn't the most interesting plot line in the trade. That's reserved for whether or not the Ebony Maw is real or not. Trying to work this one out as the story progresses is infinitely more fun than Thane's existential crisis which consists of mostly just complaining about things whilst people die around him. There are some flashbacks to Thanos fighting Ego the Living Planet, which is again even more fun than the main story.

The artwork is pretty inconsistent, unfortunately; Iban Coello draws 2 of the 4 issues (but not consecutive ones!) and his style is the most detailed, with Neil Edwards and Paco Diaz doing fill-ins on the other issues, which causes a breakdown of consistency thanks to their vastly different styles.

The best part of this trade, and the reason I bought it in the first place, is the Thanos Annual collected in the back by Starlin and Ron Lim, which acts as a prelude to Starlin's Infinity trilogy and is Thanos at his finest.

If you're buying this for Thanos, you'll probably be disappointed. But it's got some good points, and the final issue is almost worth the price of admission alone.

[Silas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series tries really hard to make Thane a compelling character, and for the most part fails. The infinite comic was not terribly interesting, being rather slow-paced, since each issue needed to establish that the Thanos action was taking place in a flashback. It mostly just involves a single fight with Ego the Living Planet, which takes pace at a glacial, almost DragonBall Z-like pace. What ought to have been a single issue (or perhaps a few pages of an issue) instead takes four. Afterwards, there is a slightly better annual issue that jumps about through time through the means of the time stone from the infinity gauntlet to shed light on a weird gap in Thanos's past and to foreshadow an imminent event, since time itself appears to end. I appreciated all the references to cosmic Marvel weirdness, which is probably what made this a two star book instead of one.

[Alex Sarll]

Thane, son of Thanos, is probably the dullest character created during Jonathan Hickman's mostly quite good time at Marvel. So who wants to follow him as he faces up to his heritage (yes, basically the same story already being done with nice Apocalypse clone Evan in the X-Men books) via an unreliable living biography? Anyone? Although admittedly it does feature Ego, the Living Planet, who's always fun. Also included is a Jim Starlin annual in which the young Thanos, right after his first bid for cosmic power blows up in his face, meets a future self who explains how much more of this he can look forward to. This is not as funny as you'd expect.

[Omni Theus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deranged Story Telling...
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars
Art: 3.5 stars
Prose: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Pacing: 4.25 stars
Character Development: 4.25 stars
World Building: 4.25 stars
The concepts in this should not have worked at all but I loved everything in here. Risk taking done very well. I am likely partial as I am a huge Thanos fan. But Marvel cosmic shills like myself will love this story. Even Ego from GoG 2 movie was lifted from this tale. I couldn't put this one down. The art was good for the most part but somewhere in the middle another artist shat on the good work of the others. Marvel why? Just why? Otherwise I enjoyed this and can certainly see why others did not.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Cosmic" is probably the right word for it. This is a long and slightly trippy (in a grand sense) prophecy-type story. But it also seems like the main character is severely underdeveloped. The set-up is that his father's way of thinking and his way of thinking are polar opposites. But all of a sudden, he's placed in the shoes of his father. So, internal conflict.

But the way the story is written, he does not actually have different thinking from his father. He seems too protean to make the conflict come alive.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bulk of the book by Rob Williams is a hot, ugly mess. Not worth the time or money. The final part, a single annual issue is the normal very fine work by author Starlin with artist Lim. Basically, a short history of Thanos brings little new to the table. Yet it's always pleasing to read a Starlin/Lim team-up.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty good, but not great. I enjoyed the inclusion of the Thanos Annual #1 immensely. However, it is a good setup for the upcoming All-new X-Men/Guardians of the Galaxy crossover, "Black Vortex".

Definitely worth a read. Buy or borrow, you won't regret it. Won't knock your socks off, but it's good cosmic fun.

[Thelaurakremer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always irked by characters who take the advice of someone they *know* is evil. Seriously, his name is Ebony Maw why the fuck would he ever give you good suggestions? There's a dark figure haunting me, guess we'll go for a joyride? Boo. Lame. Job one is, hey someone get this asshole away from me?

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main mini series is a pretty good Thanos story from the perspective of Thane, son of Thanos. But the Annual by Jim Starlin is (unsurprisingly) better. It's fills in some gaps in the life of Thanos, gives a summary of his main adventures and teases future Thanos stuff.