Thanos: Where Do I Start?

Have you seen a purple-skin giant of a man with a funny looking chin around lately? Maybe you saw him in the movie theater recently, or maybe in a recent issue of Avengers Assemble. His name is Thanos, and he wants to kill everyone. everywhere. every-when, if there is such a thing.

Debuting in the pages of Iron Man back in 1973 by a then-young writer/artist named Jim Starlin, the idea for Thanos came out of the military veteran’s college psychology class mixed with an early love of Jack Kirby’s New Gods. Thanos quickly became more than just a two-bit Iron Man foe, but a galactic-level threat who successful killed the universe on more than one occasion. His most popular exploit is his long quest for the Infinity Gems, six powerful gems each with a specific gift that, when combined, gives the bearer limitless power. He first pulled them together in the epic 1991 miniseries Infinity Gauntlet, proving that fashion and power do mix. Why does he do it? He’s in love with Death…. no not the character from the Sandman mythos at DC/Vertigo, but the personification of Death in the Marvel U. He does it all in a misguided attempt to please her, despite the consequences.

Unlike a majority of characters over the years in the company-owned superhero titles of Marvel and DC, Thanos’ creator Jim Starlin has been able to stick with the character for decades and is the author of many of the Mad Titan’s best stories. But where do you start? What do you avoid? Where can I get an Infinity Gauntlet? All Most of those questions will be answered in this week’s Where Do I Start, counting down five stories that serve as an ideal introduction to Thanos.

The Infinity Gauntlet: It’s neither his origin nor his death, but this six-issue series is by-far the quintessential story to see just how bad — and how good — Thanos is. Starlin, joined with artists George Perez and Ron Lim,chronicles the deeds of the Mad Titan when he has the limitless powers of the Infinity Gems in his grasp. The Avengers, The X-Men, Fantastic Four and others team up but prove no match. Then galactic entities like Galactus and the Celestials rise — and fall — against him. Who can stop Thanos? The answer will surprise you. If you enjoy this tome, Marvel did three sequels centered on Thanos that, while not matching up to the epic nature of the original, continue down that same vein.

Thor by Dan Jurgens & John Romita., Jr., Vol. 4: Not many heroes can go toe-to-toe with Thanos, but if there’s one who could it would no doubt be Thor. This collection brings together an under-appreciated run on Thor by Dan Jurgens and  John Romita Jr. that pits the Norse thunder god against the Mad Titan. Although without his trusty Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos has a evil creature named Mangog, the personification of a “billion billion” beings Thor’s father Odin killed in battle.  Jurgens and Romita Jr. is a unique pairing here, and these issues really live up to the promise those creators deliver.

Silver Surfer: The Rebirth Of Thanos: Consider this a prequel to Infinity Gauntlet, for it includes both the two-issue series Thanos Quest which follows Thanos as he collects the individual Infinity Gems from their previous owners, but also how Thanos came back from the dead. Although Silver Surfer is in the title and on the cover of this massive tome, Thanos steals the spotlight like Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock but evil… real evil.

The Thanos Imperative: When things go from bad to worse in the cosmic titles of the Marvel Universe, someone gets the bright idea to resurrect Thanos to step up and be a hero. It all came about when a crack in the universe called the Fault opens a doorway for an evil mirror universe to come invading through. Although never the hero, The Thanos Imperative does show Thanos in a new position facing someone worse than him and writers Danny Abnett and Andy Lanning balancing that expertly without whitewashing the character.

The Death of Captain Marvel: People joke about how death is impermanent in superhero comics, but this seminal 1982 graphic novel bucks that trend by showing Marvel’s titular superhero succumbing to cancer as well as the evil grip of Thanos. This is one of those stories any self-avowed comics fans must read, and for someone wanting to know about Thanos this is an excellent early appearance that shows just how menacing he can be.

Comments

  1. Aw Yeah, Mad Titan!

  2. Also, Guardians of the Galaxy. All of it.

    Seriously, it is an awesome book people. I want that movie, and hopefully I may get it.

  3. My favorite Thanos story is when he fought the Pet Avengers. I’m disappointed that that wasnt up here.

  4. I’ve been mildly interested in Jurgen’s Thor but haven’t gotten around to it. I think this just bumped it up a few notches. The other 4 are excellent choices. I’d also throw out Starlin’s Warlock run, which I think is what Rebirth of Thanos picks up from IIRC.

  5. Honestly, I don’t think that I would enjoy Infinity Gauntlet even half as much as I would without reading Rebirth Of Thanos first. It grounds all of the major characters and establishes rock hard motivations and characteristics. To me, reading Infinity Gauntlet without it is like watching the last few scenes of Return Of The King without watching ANYTHING else Lord Of The Rings related…it’s cool to watch, but you have no idea what’s going on or why.

    • Interesting… I recently read Infinity Gauntlet with no prior Thanos knowledge. I still enjoyed it, but it certainly does feel like I walked in to the movie 20 minutes late.

      Interesting side note — two weeks ago, VF/NM copies of Thanos Quest 1 & 2 could be had for around $10 combined. Now, good luck finding a copies for less than $30. I have seen some asking north of $50. I am kicking myself for not pulling the trigger two weeks ago.

  6. My favorite take on Thanos would be from Starlins run on warlock. These were reprinted most recently (and expensively) here in the second Warlock Masterwork.

    http://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Masterworks-Warlock-Volume-2/dp/0785135111/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337265556&sr=1-1

    but were also reprinted in deluxe formats by marvel in the 80s and 90s.

    Starlin’s Marvel cosmic has always been my favorite. The modern takes are cosmic in the sense that they are sci fi, but a very grounded sci fi, Starlin’s were pure 70’s expanded consciousness, acid trip sci fi, especially when he drew it. It’s angst, dark humor, social commentary and wild ideas.

  7. there was a avengers and marvel two in one annual two part cross over. that was a awesome thanos story. i think that should be on the list.

    • that was part of the Starlin Warlock saga. In many ways it was a precursor to infinity gauntlet, as it featured thanos’ quest for the soul gem, which at the time was unique. The infinity gems grew out of that initial concept. It also set the stage for death of captain marvel, as it ends with thanos turned into a statue, which is how he begins the death of captain marvel.

      sorry to keep going on about that story, but it is really one of my all time favorites and it so often gets overlooked these days.

    • no i totally agree keep going on it,was great. and it,should be there.

  8. Uh, how can this list possibly be complete without Spidey Supe-Stories #39? He has the Thanos-Copter!

  9. Thanos Quest is my jam. Whatever Hickman does next I would love if it had something to do with the Elders – as well as all the cosmic abstracts and gods that the Infinity Gauntlet introduced me to.

  10. All great choices. I’d argue Thanos is one of the best Marvel villains not created by Lee or Kirby, and he’s had some awesome stories told about him — my favourite being Infinity Gauntlet, which was the first Marvel book I ever read in trade.

  11. thanos quest is awesome.
    i need to look into jurgens’ thor. sounds interesting.

  12. All great stories. Thanks for reminding me about the Death of Captain Marvel – amazing book. It was the first one I ever gave to a non-comic reading friend (she loved it).

  13. OK, I’ve always considered Thanos to be a Darkseid knock-off. But dammit if you guys aren’t convincing me to give some of these a shot.

    • Well, I can’t deny that he kind of is a Darkseid knock-off, but that doesn’t mean he’s not awesome in his own right. From what little I’ve read of Darkseid I don’t think their characters are really all that similar. They just look a bit alike, are ridiculously crafty, and are always striving for ultimate power. Their attitudes never seem that similar to me though.

    • Rebirth of Thanos is just a great cosmic tale in the Surfer’s monthly title(back then).That, and I just loved Ron Lim’s work.Worth a shot!

  14. I would probably snuff out a small child if Marvel would publish an omnibus-like collection of the Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos + Thanos Quest + Infinity Gauntlet + at least the first issue of Warlock and the Infinity Watch.

  15. My second favourite villain in comics after Dr. Doom.

    I’d also recommend Annihilation, best Marvel event since… Infinity Gauntlet.

  16. I’ve been reading comics for close to 40 years now, and my two all-time favorite issues ever are Avengers Annual #7 & Marvel Two-In-One #2, the two issue arc that features everybody and their mother taking on the Mad Titan. Plus the first deaths of Adam Warlock & Thanos. All hail Jim Starlin.

  17. I agree with the Death of Captain Marvel, but Marvel put out a great TPB Titled “The Life and Death Of Captain Marvel” that contained both the death TPB and Captain Marvel #27-#34? that collects Marvel’s first run-in with Thanos as he attempts to grab the cosmic cube. This story is closely related to the avengers movie in that they are both about Thanos trying to gain the Cosmic Cube.

  18. looks like infinity gauntlet hit #1 on the amazon graphic noivel chart and amazon already has a listing for essential warlock and a second essential captain marvel with a lots of fols expecting a thanos omnibus too.

    all this from a quick smile, thanos is powerful indeed!

  19. What about Thanos’ solo series, that only lasted 12 issues, but produced some great moments in badassery? A reprint of that is likely coming…