| Title | : | Avengers vs. Thanos |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 472 |
| Publication | : | First published July 25, 2013 |
Collects Iron Man (1968) #55; Captain Marvel (1968) #25-30; Marvel Feature (1971) #12; Daredevil (1964) #105-107; Captain Marvel (1968) #31-33;Avengers (1963) #125; Warlock (1972) #9-11, 15; Avengers Annual (1967) #7; Marvel Two -In-One Annual #2; material from Logan's Run #6.
Avengers vs. Thanos Reviews
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This is a long compilation of various Marvel comics that all related to the Avengers vs Thanos storylines starting back in the mid-60s to the mid-70s and the first volume of the series leading to Infinity Wars. There is a plethora of superheroes involved - old favorites like Cap’n America and Iron Man feature prominently alongside The Thing, Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Thor and many more. Spidey even saves the day at the end. There are secondary characters like Vision and Scarlet Witch as well as Drax and Gomorra from Guardians of the Galaxy. Missing in action is fan favorite Silver Surfer (apparently he has a prominent role in the next volume), Wolverine, and Hulk. I was unfamiliar with Adam Warlock until this book and wonder if the Marvel Cinematic Universe will bring him in at some point.
As for bad guys, there is primarily Thanos and a whole bevy of galactic scum that helps him out including some unconvincing Skrulls. There is a LOT of Thanos backstory here so those unfamiliar with this particular villain will find this tome indispensable.
The artwork, for comics drawn in the 60s and 70s is extraordinary with some truly psychedelic renderings by Jim Starlin particularly during the esoteric parts where we see character transformations or flashbacks or stars and planets exploding - this was a truly no holds barred comic!
As far as themes are concerned, there is of course the will to power incarnated by Thanos but also some existential elements to the Adam Warlock story as well as that of Captain Marvel. This is, of course, a (white) male-dominated world so most of the heroes are white (and blond more often than not) males with muscles everywhere, but occasionally the theme of accepting difference pops up yet without ever really talking specifically about racism. The most important line here impacting the current cinematic universe is the appearance of the Soul Stone which of course has broader implications later on.
Overall, it was an interesting glimpse into the wider Marvel universe. The downsides, besides the aforementioned blind spots in terms of a lack of female or non-white protagonists, were the repetitive situations (two nearly identical space battles), the overwhelming number of superheroes, and the leaps in plot due to skipped issues (like the abandonment of Gomorra by Thanos and a more credible explanation of their complex relationship). Despite these objections, it is still fun to read and one of Marvel’s central texts. -
So maybe you saw ol’ Purple Puss in last week’s rollicking premiere of The Guardians of the Galaxy, and maybe you wondered what’s up with that guy, and why is he so darn evil anyway? And if that’s the case, then this graphic novel compilation The Avengers versus Thanos is where you can get some answers.
A bit of a misnomer, the collection isn’t really about the Avengers versus Thanos, although he does have two epic encounters with them in these pages, and fortunately Earth survives both. Instead, the compilation traces the Mad Titan’s early appearances in the Marvel universe through the end of 1977 . I assume this graphic novel collection was titled The Avengers versus Thanos to capitalize on Thanos’ first cameo at the end of the Avengers' first movie when he shocked true believers with his surprise appearance during the credits. But I don’t care how much you like the Avengers, and I realize they’ve saved the Earth many a time, with the exception of Moon Dragon, maybe Mantis, and probably Thor, they really aren’t up to the task of battling Thanos, and if Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock hadn’t been around to help, Earth’s mightiest heroes wouldn’t have fared so well either time.
If you aren’t familiar with him, Thanos is a little like John Keats, that English Romantic poet who professed to be “half in love with easeful death,” except that Thanos is full barking madly in love with Death and his own poetry takes the form of mass murder, genocide, and the wholesale destruction of galaxies, or even the universe, if he can just get Death to look his way every now and then. Death’s so fickle, though, and poor Thanos has to constantly up his game to get her to pay him that attention he so desperately craves.
And Thanos’ career is also a bit like Robert DeNiro’s, both making rare and powerful appearances in the ‘70s and ‘80s. When you went to a DeNiro film back then, you knew you were in for something special. But by the ‘90s, you started seeing him all over the place, and now he’s just stretched way too thin…and so too with Thanos in the Marvel universe. His selective presence once upon a time signaled big things, but now when you go to the bookstore and see the row of graphic novels there starring the Mad Titan, then you know something’s wrong. How many times can the universe be in danger of utter annihilation before readers begin to get bored? Sorry, the shine’s off the pumpkin when DeNiro appears in Little Fockers and Analyze That, and the Thanos brand name has likewise gotten stretched a little thin at this point.
The creation of Jim Starlin (whose head will one day be carved into the Mount Rushmore of comic book legends right next to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), Thanos makes his first appearance in the early ‘70s in the pages of Iron Man, a treat for me here since I had never seen that comic before, and then he goes on to pop in and out of Captain Marvel and Warlock, two cosmic titles that make more sense for this demi-god with a hard-on for intergalactic destruction. Included here are Thanos and Gamora teaming up with Adam Warlock and Pip the Troll to fight the Magus in Warlock issues 9-11, one of my favorite storylines from my youth. And a big surprise in the compilation (at least for me) is to see some Thanos story crossovers into Daredevil in the mid-‘70s, a development I was unaware of, although it is the weakest writing in the entire book. Pitting cosmic elements against Daredevil and Black Widow is a little like teaming DeNiro up with Ben Stiller and Billy Crystal (or maybe even worse is adding Spider-Man into the mix, which is what happens in the final story and somehow even makes it to the cover of the collection). Even though Steve Gerber writes these three Daredevil stories, they’re weak and add little to the overall storyline, beyond introducing the character of Moon Dragon.
And speaking of Moon Dragon, doesn’t Peter Quill’s dying mother look a lot like her in the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy? I can’t help but wonder if that’s intentional. True, many cancer patients bear a resemblance to Moon Dragon, but remember how his mother told Peter that his unknown father first appeared to her like an angel? Well, here’s what Moon Dragon says in Daredevil 105 after the deaths of her mother and father: “I was the lone survivor—a mere child, utterly helpless… until I looked up from the mud and saw before me what I assumed at the time must be an angel! And he was reaching out to aid me!” This alien is Emlot from Titan, and he takes the young girl there to be first raised by Mentor before she is later put in the Shao-Lom monastery. Hmmm…are the scriptwriters of Guardians of the Galaxy playing with the storyline here, making Peter Quill the son of Moon Dragon and Mentor (or Moon Dragon and Eros, the brother of Thanos)? I suppose we’ll find out in the second film, true believers. And I imagine we’ll be seeing much more of Thanos in later Marvel movies as the plot threads of the infinity gem storyline are pulled together into what can only become a film version of The Infinity Gauntlet. Now that’s some Thanos I’m looking forward to. -
This was a walk down memory lane for me. I had just started regularly reading comics when the Captain Marvel issues came out. I had bought CM #28 due to the fallen Avengers on the cover, but the art (especially the battle between Thanos and the Destroyer for the Cosmic Cube) and scale of the whole plot had me hooked. Unfortunately, I didn't get another CM until issue #32, which I set aside until I could fill in the sequence. I ordered the back issues and they arrived one day I was home sick. Reading the books from 28-33 at one fell swoop, and the way Thanos is defeated, just blew me away. This was the height of literature to a 14-year old.
Yes, the title of this collection is misleading since the Avengers play only a minor role in the proceedings and then only to add the needed muscle and numbers that Mar-Vell and, later, Warlock require to defeat the plans of Thanos. (Note that no current Avenger, at that time, even appears on the cover.) However, it is great to have the whole epic brought together and to read the back issues I didn't have (Iron Man, Daredevil) to see how the story was developed in the early stages.
There are some issues missing from the Warlock storyline. These detail the start of his campaign against the Magus (and precede the issues included here) and explain why Adam goes back to Earth, why he is so large at the start of #15, and how he returned to "normal" size. Not vital to the Thanos story, but nice for continuity of the character. (The main Warlock related issues are collected in "
Warlock by Jim Starlin.")
Looking at the art today, after 40+ years of reading comics, I can see how that might not appeal to today's newer reader. It was even a bit discombobulating to me at times with the (obviously) Kirbyesque posing of heroes and villains (e.g. bad guy strolls into room full of heroes and everyone, regardless of what they're doing, adopts an over-the-top threatening or defensive posture). The exaggerated dialog and plot elements ring as almost archaic today, but at the time these stories were being published, this was the way comics were written. Revel in the hyperbole!
Even with all it's faults, this is a "must-read" for anyone that is interested in the character of Thanos, the Infinity gems and the Infinity Gauntlet/War/Crusade sequence. If you're interested in the Marvel movie films, this is a good background to the comic book origins of the character and (I assume) situations that may be featured in "Avengers 3" (and teased at the end of "Thor: The Dark World"). -
It was a lengthy, but i enjoyed it , so much dialogues, but still glad to read it.
Its name should be warlock vs thanos. -
I really like the format of this book and that is the main reason why I'm giving it four stars. Comics can be really frustrating when you want to read up on a given story-line only to find that it is spread across half-a-dozen different comic book lines.
Exhibit A: Thanos. Who is he? Joss Whedon mentions him in the commentary for The Avengers movie and of course he shows up at the end of the credits.
Ordinarily reading up on the Thanos storyline would require collecting dozens of different comics, including one-shots, annuals and special features. But instead Marvel has made it easy on the reader and collected Thanos' appearances in Iron Man, The Thing, Captain Marvel, The Avengers, Adam Warlock and more in one volume. I hope they do more collections like this.
Thanos is a pretty memorable villain, and not for the usual reasons of being an unstoppable bad-ass, though he is that.
For starters, not too many villains can claim that they have their own superhero who exists SOLELY to kill them. Thanos does, and he's called The Destroyer, and they can't seem to get rid of each other.
Thanos also has a pretty cool back-story which involves being the offspring of the Titans, a super-race which lives inside Saturn's moon. They fashioned a paradise for themselves there, all run by a planet-spanning super-computer named ISAAC. Until Thanos ruined everything, of course, but that's for later.
But really, the most important part of any villain is their motivation, and Thanos has a unique one: he is in love with the physical incarnation of Death. And you know what, when your girlfriend is Death, sometimes you just gotta kill a lot of people.
So Thanos is a pretty memorable villain (it helps that he has AMAZING THIGHS). And he's powerful. His run-ins with Iron Man, The Thing and other heroes usually revolve around him casually kicking their butts and them running for their lives. Even The Avengers are completely outgunned by Thanos. In fact, the name of this book is a little misleading, because while The Avengers do show up from time to time, they aren't really that instrumental in defeating him.
And this leads to what I don't like about the book: the main heroes. The Thanos stories were written during the late sixties and early seventies, the 'silver age' of comics, and boy does it show. The Avengers line-up includes heroes with names like 'The Vision' and 'Moon Dragon'.
Then there's Captain Marvel, one of the few heroes able to go toe-to-toe with Thanos. Marvel (erm, 'Mar-vell') is a pretty straight-forward flying, ray-shooting warrior type at first, but then he has a trippy experience in another dimension with a being called Eon and becomes a 'protector' instead of a 'warrior', who is willing to use violence only as a last resort. Unfortunately for him, this is the Marvel Universe and violence usually IS the last resort.
Marvel's also somehow got 'honorary Avenger' Rick Jones trapped inside him. Rick is a groovy dude who is obviously supposed to appeal to the cool kid demographic... in 1968. Every bit of dialogue out of his mouth sounds dated. Fortunately we get more Captain Marvel then we do Rick Jones.
So the first half of the book is about Thanos pursuing the Cosmic Cube so he can achieve god-hood, and Captain Marvel teaming up with various Avengers, Titans and anyone else in an effort to stop him. Not bad.
Fast forward in time to the second half of the book. Thanos is back, and worse, it's now the SEVENTIES. That means our new 'hero' is Adam Warlock, who has all sorts of groovy powers that involve cosmic vibrations and astral gems. Also, he has a comedy-relief sidekick troll named Pip and a gal-pal named Gamora whose power seems to be wearing really confusing makeup.
In case you can't tell, I frickin' hated Adam Warlock.
The first person Warlock has to fight is himself, from the future, where he's turned into a god called Magus. You can tell Magus is a god because he has a fabulous silver afro. Seriously. Thanos aids Warlock in his battle against Magus. Really, how high do you have to not realize that THANOS HELPING YOU IS NEVER GOOD. In fact it's probably bad, really really bad (SPOILER: it is).
In this case Thanos turns out to be helping Adam Warlock so he could get a piece of that soul-gem action, so he can build a super-soul-gem that will allow him to blow up whole suns. His little gift to Lady Death, you see.
When Adam Warlock gets wind of this hetries to stop him immediatelyspends a lot of time being mopey and angst-ridden. I guess it's hard not to navel-gaze when you've got a groovy golden belt that looks like a pro-wrestling trophy.
Sadly, despite the fact that Adam Warlock is pretty much the crappiest hero ever, the writers at Marvel decided that he is the only one who can stop Thanos, so we get to spend most of the second half of the book with him. Hopes rise when he dies not once, but TWICE, but alas fair reader, he keeps coming back for more.
The final confrontation with Thanos involves all The Avengers, including Thor and Iron Man, fighting off an interstellar invasion. Captain Marvel, Moon Dragon, Beast and Vision are also in it to win it. And because they're not enough, Spider Man shows up.
Good thing too. Despite having no particular powers that are useful in stopping an Evil Space God, Spidey does seem to have something no other hero possesses: common sense. When confronted by Thanos, he does the only sensible thing: run away. And then hide, and then attack Thanos at a critical moment when his back is turned. Instead of yelling meaningless threats and charging headlong to his demise like everyone else.
Eventually Thanos is defeated (BUT NOT DESTROYED!!! duh nuh nuh...) but not before another appearance by super-douche Adam Warlock.
The Thanos storylines involve some of the best parts of the Marvel Universe and also some of the silliest. The fact is that all this zooming around outer space with cosmic beings and other dimensions just isn't very interesting. And the increasingly improbably powerful heroes who swoop around out there blasting each other with cosmic ray beams are ridiculous. The stories are at their best when they're earthbound, like the part where Dare Devil has to save San Francisco or when Spider Man uses his brains instead of his powers to outwit the villain.
At the end of the day, I guess the question is, is Thanos a compelling villain. And the answer is definitely Yes. I look forward to his appearance in future Marvel films. I just hope they can keep them down-to-earth. -
This collects various Avengers/Thanos comics from 1963-1972, presenting the story of Thanos' quest to become a god and destroy all life in the universe, and Avengers' efforts to stop him.
It ought to be exciting, right?
I remember liking these comics as a kid. Really I do. And Marvel has given us some good movies over the last several years, using the Avengers. I was really pleased to see this available in Kindle Unlimited.
Unfortunately, it's just silly and disjointed, and the art isn't that good.
Yes, these are separate comics published over a period of about a decade, from different specific lines, focused on different main characters. But it's presented as being the story of the Avengers battling Thanos to protect the universe, as if there's a coherent story, here.
There isn't. Repeatedly we see Thanos finally and completely defeated, and then back in the next part of the sequence, present as if the previous defeat hadn't been presented as decisive. New characters appear, presented as if we should already know them.
And really, in the end, I don't care. There's backstory that I don't remember, if I ever read those particular comics, that isn't here, that would probably make it all feel a bit more coherent. In what is included here, Marvell and his alter ego, Rick Jones, are the only characters whom I was able to feel much connection to at all, and even that was tenuous.
Mostly, I just didn't care what happened to these characters.
Clearly, I'm not the intended audience here. I suspect the intended audience for this collection is the audience of readers who loved these comics when they were younger, and never stopped loving the Marvel universe.
I read this for free from Kindle Unlimited, and that's a bit of a relief.
Merged review:
This collects various Avengers/Thanos comics from 1963-1972, presenting the story of Thanos' quest to become a god and destroy all life in the universe, and Avengers' efforts to stop him.
It ought to be exciting, right?
I remember liking these comics as a kid. Really I do. And Marvel has given us some good movies over the last several years, using the Avengers. I was really pleased to see this available in Kindle Unlimited.
Unfortunately, it's just silly and disjointed, and the art isn't that good.
Yes, these are separate comics published over a period of about a decade, from different specific lines, focused on different main characters. But it's presented as being the story of the Avengers battling Thanos to protect the universe, as if there's a coherent story, here.
There isn't. Repeatedly we see Thanos finally and completely defeated, and then back in the next part of the sequence, present as if the previous defeat hadn't been presented as decisive. New characters appear, presented as if we should already know them.
And really, in the end, I don't care. There's backstory that I don't remember, if I ever read those particular comics, that isn't here, that would probably make it all feel a bit more coherent. In what is included here, Marvell and his alter ego, Rick Jones, are the only characters whom I was able to feel much connection to at all, and even that was tenuous.
Mostly, I just didn't care what happened to these characters.
Clearly, I'm not the intended audience here. I suspect the intended audience for this collection is the audience of readers who loved these comics when they were younger, and never stopped loving the Marvel universe.
I read this for free from Kindle Unlimited, and that's a bit of a relief. -
Although a good deal of this material is outdated 60's and 70's, it was great way of introducing myself to Thanos, after reading Thanos rising. I was intrigued that they spoke of the infinity stones as early as this.
I was surprised to see how long he has been around in various series.
If you want to really explore Thanos's earlier career this one is for you. -
Comic book perfection. These stories are the backbone of the Marvel Universe. Required reading for all Marvel fans. Must-reading. All-time favorite. Just doesn't get any better than this.
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This wasn't for me at all. I thought it'd be fun to read up on the history of Thanos but I struggled to finish this.
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I've started reading it on 22/04 and finished in 06/05 but that was because I hadn't the time to finished it earlier, not because of boredom or anything else!
Now, on to the book, I must say that some might think the art is "old" (I myself love it, gets me a nostalgia feeling) but it's impressive, very anatomically accurate and expressive, either by the characters and the surroundings/landscapes.
The dialogues are extense and very rich (either the way it's written and structured) and not a bit boring.
You get to see the "birth" and "built" of a mega villain, and the heroes. There's at least 2 first appearances, and at the end of the book you'll have more knowledge of the way things "work" in the cosmos and that all characters are kind of pawns in a big picture (the universe).
For me was even better because I wasn't an avengers fan at all and now I've a "better feeling" about them...but Marvel and Warlock really steal the "show", especially warlock who is so tormented by confusing feelings about himself and the purpose of his powers.
You get also a sense of a twisted feeling about love, life, death and fanatism, and the fanatism plays in both ways (villain and heroes).
One wants to kill for the love of death, others want to save life for simply the love for life.
You may also might to be tempted to skip the DD stories but don't do that since they are good stories that play a kind of a "major" role on the next thanos stories, especially to perceive the extension of Thanos "power" and "evilness".
I would recommend it if you're into cosmic marvel. -
Collection of marvel comics from late 1960s and early 1970s, deals with origin story of Thanos on his quest to become the insane GOD, and end all life in universe to please his mistress, Death. This arc is precursor to infinity saga with appearances from lot of marvel heroes, avengers like Iron-man, Captain America to Adam Warlock and kree fighter Mar-Vell, and even the friendly neighborhood Spidey who saved the day in the end.
This is must read for those who want to know the back story of villain Thanos and his quest to become a demigod. -
A great collection of stories about the Avengers fighting the Mad titan obsessed with death known as Thanos! A couple of the stories are pretty bad in the middle but once the super cosmic stories come into play in the back half it's pretty amazing. Some stories in here are mind bending and the art is just phenomenal overall. Comic Books don't get much better then this
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Silver Age melodrama tends to distance me from older comics. This happened to some extent in the first half of this collection. The Captain Marvel storyline isn't bad, but bored me somewhat because the storytelling and dialog in old-school comics is difficult for a modern reader. However, once Jim Starlin assumed writing duties, Rick Jones became a little less annoying, and the Cap'n got interesting.
I can see how this could go either way for people, but since I'm a big fan of psychedelia and the hippie mindset, the Ego storyline that sees Captain Marvel achieve "cosmic awareness" was, IMHO, though cheesy, really fuckin' cool. Although, after so so so many mentions of Marvel's COSMIC AWARENESS, the obvious solution this awareness provides Marvel that allows him to defeat the Cosmic Cube-charged Thanos would've been clear to a whiskey-drunk Wolverine.
Likewise, I can appreciate other reviewers' dislike for the Warlock stories. However, these stories were cosmic in every sense. Starlin is astonishingly inventive, fitting time-travel, doppelgangers, classic mythology, and insane ethical quandaries in a single story. The entire theme of his Thanos cycle is the reconciliation of the valor and life embodied by the iconic superhero (the Golden Age ideal) with the clarion call for existentially and politically meaningful art that occurred as part of the 'LSD era.'
For me, the Adam Warlock stories are the best part of the collection. Warlock spends most of his time moping, which sometimes makes it hard to understand why he's considered a cosmic power on par with Thor and Thanos; however, this fits the mold of the era, and continues the meditation on pacifism and violence Starlin began with his earlier work on Captain Marvel.
I could write on and on about how fantastic Thanos is, both as a villain and as a concept, but everyone loves Thanos. I'm sure there are fifty reviews on Goodreads saying everything I'd say already. I'm no comic historian, but I peg Thanos as one of those pioneering villains who moved away from the campy crook caricature of previous eras and instituted the use of antagonists with complex motivations. Given my fascination with death in art, part of me roots for Thanos. He removes choice from the equation, but ultimately his heinous acts are committed out of love. In another life, the Mad Titan may have been a great poet.... on Titan, the moon of Saturn.
The cheese factor helps this volume without ruining the value of the stories. I normally don't respond well to comics from this era, but the trippy space stuff is a clear exception. I'd love to get my hands on more Warlock stories, or some LSD-era Doctor Strange... -
This is basically "Essential Thanos." Every bronze age appearance is here and ironically I don't Thanos appeared in a single comic in the 80s (other than a small cameo in the 1982 Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel.) This includes the first huge Thanos storyline featuring Captain Marvel, and also the second storyline featuring Warlock. If you're a Thanos fan, this is required reading.
Almost all of the writing (at least the plotting) and art is from Jim Starlin. The art is really good and you can see Starlin getting better as the issues progress. The final two stories here are the annuals which have fantastic art.
The only thing that keeps this from 5 stars for me is the outright weirdness of it all. Starlin is the master of cosmic comics, and cosmic is the operative word. Sometimes things get abstract and a little mind blowing and it's struggle to keep up with things. Some of it may just be me.
In any case this is some really trippy 70s work here from a master of the genre. (Starlin was one of the first superstar artists to develop in the 70s.) At this point in time Thanos is probably Marvel's top villain, so if you are interested in his roots it's all in this volume. -
This collection of comics from the 60s is quite an epic read, in terms of volume. We see a different side to Thanos at times, as he seems to be less powerful than in more recent stories and more vulnerable or in need of help. The collection covers interaction with Iron Man, then Captain Marvel, then Adam Warlock, then the Avengers and finally Spider-man gets in on the action.
This is mostly one continuous story as Thanos' plans are foiled and he comes back time and time again.
The story has some real metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that I could have done without (including my favourite, most cringey line ever "Death by ... Time-mind Sync-warp!"), and the dialogue really has dated pretty badly, most notably in the Captain Marvel section.
A real epic read to get something of a feel for Thanos' origins, and a good lead in to the Infinity War/Gauntlet saga.
Read for free on Kindle Unlimited trial. -
let me explain the importance of the comics contained in this GN, firstly if you were actually to but the actual comics 21 in total in Fine condition it would cost around the $2000 mark. Why is that?
Written, draw and plotted by Jim Starlin between 1973 and 1977 this is not only the first crossover event, it also marked the evolution of the comic book from the juvenile albeit enjoyable to a more adult 'we can achieve anything' that came afterwards. Without this start there would have been no Watchmen or Sandmen this is the original, the blueprint the beginning of a new literary art form. I am simply amazed that this book which features The Thanos saga and his love of Death has only a mere 30+ ratings. If I could I would give this 6 stars. -
This book isn't really Avengers versus Thanos, so much as it's Thanos versus several contemporary heroes in the Marvel Universe, including, on occasion, some members of the Avengers, and on two occasions, the actual Avengers. But what's in a name?
There's a lot going on in this collection. It's essentially the first run for Thanos, who would eventually become one of Marvel's major villains, and it spans several different, seemingly unrelated titles throughout the 70s. He worships the literal manifestation of death, and to gain her favor, plots to basically destroy the universe, and failing to do so, settles for trying to destroy all life in the solar system. It's full of big, metaphysical ideas and trippy moments.
It's the sort of story that could only be told in comic books. -
This collection of a slew of stories published across a half-dozen different series and even more creatives shows how storytelling used to happen in comics: Good stories that stood on their own, each building a stepping stone to bigger stories but all within the scope of character advancement, NOT artificially-propped-up "events" and mini-series.
I had forgotten just how great many of these stories are on their own and together in this package. More than a few of today's "talented stars" of comics could stand to learn a lot from Jim Starlin, Mike Friedrich, Steve Englehart, and others herein. -
Started binge-reading Thanos stuff since the very beginning and this volume proved to be really great to start things off.
Recommended!
Includes a bunch of stories from the 1st appearance of Thanos, until his very first death at the end of the volume.
Includes the amazing stories with Mar-Vell and the stories Warlock too. And lastly of course some Avengers stories that are mainly ok unless they include Mar-Vell then they're great!
And yeah some mainly ok too stuff with Spidey and the rest.
Recommended if you're want to read some good amount of Thanos before the movie! -
While I appreciate that this is classic stuff there was just a little too much Starlord and not enough Avengers for my taste. This was to the point the title is just ever so slightly misleading.
The whole 60s / 70s psychedelic vibe became a little bit grating at times. In the end, while there are a load of classic panels it was a comic book that just never clicked for me. I came out of the story not really caring where I had been but it had been a long journey to get to the end. -
A long story ark, often chaotic. A typical marvel classic, with a number of knots, somewhat hurried ending, but overall satisfying. Character development was okay-ish, except for Drax the Destroyer. Thanos was portrayed as a great adversary, but the founding Avengers' part was minimal often.
A more apt name should have been- Thanos Vs. Captain Mar-Vell/Adam Warlock. -
Read digital... the paperback goes for too much. Its a collection of old tales when Thanos locked horns with the Avengers. When I scored the Guardians Solo Classics Omni, I realized half the material is in there... mainly because Mar-vell and Warlock hung out with both teams. I likes it but then again I love Thanos and this book is Thanos doin what he do... bein bad.
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A trip back to the classics, especially the ones where Thanos started showing up as the prime evil that he is. A nice read overall but, as was to be expected, story-line complexity has nothing to do with current day story-lines. Regardless, a good read.
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Avengers had very little to do with Avengers and mostly Captain Marvel. Leads up to Infinity titles.
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Was finally able to finish this 1973 run after starting a couple of years ago. I loved that it brought in so many side stories and characters plus all the big names and how they all come together to show not just the full threat of Thanos but how he was defeated.
Collects Iron Man (1968) #55; Captain Marvel (1968) #25-30; Marvel Feature (1971) #12; Daredevil (1964) #105-107; Captain Marvel (1968) #31-32;Avengers (1963) #125; Captain Marvel (1968) #33; Warlock (1972) #9-11, 15; Avengers Annual (1967) #7; Marvel Two -In-One Annual #2; material from Logan's Run #6. -
Starlin wanted very much to tell his own type of stories, and when he was done he'd put his toys back in the toybox so no one else could. Honestly, his stuff never clicked for me, and in a better universe he'd have gone into van art and psychedelics and we'd have been spared every Adam Warlock vs a tepid Darkseid rip off. At least the Russos were able to do something interesting with the character.
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Wonderful start to the story of the infinity series
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[Edit: I just finished reading Warlock: The Complete Collection, and find it's worth noting that you may want to read that book instead of this one, for reasons outlined
here.]
I'm going to write this review in the same way Jim Starlin writes his comics! So get ready, because every sentence will end with either an ellipsis, or . . .
. . . an exclamation point!
The title of this book is a little misleading! The Avengers play very little part in the story, up until the end! And Spider-man (who's pictured on the cover) is only in the final issue! Then again, I can see why they did things this way, because . . .
. . . the Avengers and Spider-man are better sellers than Captain Marvel!
Okay, that's enough of that. Even I'm getting annoyed, and I'm the one writing the review.
Anyway, the "Thanos" part of the book's title is accurate, in that he plays a big role in the entire thing. The first half or so is devoted to his quest for the Cosmic Cube (in which he fights Captain Marvel, who's a decidedly boring character), and the last half/third is just Thanos's various attempts at stellar genocide.
I love Thanos's character. I also like Adam Warlock, who starts showing up toward the end of the book. These guys just hate their own existences, and I find that endearing.
Unfortunately, it's very clear that this book was mostly written in the early 70s, because the dialogue and exposition are kind of terrible. Also, a lot of times things just make no logical sense. ("Minions! I'm sending you to kill Iron Man. If you fail, I will destroy you with a single thought from half a solar system away, via the power of the Cosmic Cube! Never mind the fact that I could use this same power to cut you out of the process and just kill Iron Man directly--there's much less drama and tension in that!
"What's this? You've failed in your quest? Well--it was a pleasure working with you." ZZZZAP!!!
"Now, how am I going to deal with Iron Man . . .")
Sorry--that parenthetical note kinda got away from me.
Anyway, this book is definitely a two-star affair, but I'm giving it a reluctant three because A) the issues were better toward the end, once the Avengers and Warlock took over for Captain Boring, and B) I guess the Cosmic Cube was sort of an important storyline in the history of the Marvel Universe, so it's nice to have it all collected in one place.
If you really want to know more about Thanos after seeing his cameo at the end of Joss Whedon's Avengers film, you could read his earliest stories here. But if you want better stories, check out the "Thanos Quest" storyline in
The Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos, followed by
The Infinity Gauntlet and
Infinity War. -
A really good read. Reading this has made me more intrigued to learn more about the the history of Captain Marvel.
-
"Back to reality, yippee! I guess!" -- Pip, Warlock
This collection does offer some intriguing background on Thanos, Titan, his father Mentor, his brother Eros, and his love of Death. You see these origin details evolve somewhat across the issues, although none of this really forms an arc or overarching story in the way that we understand that now. Early versions of Gamora and Drax also make appearances here.
Otherwise, this was sheer drudgery to get through, as "Star-lin" is in love with space operas and dialogue that feels like it came out of Buck Rogers and similar, older pulp sci-fi.
The result is speechy, pretentious, and overwrought. Plus, the characters didn't seem to grow much, develop meaningful relationships or sub-plots, or think their way out of problems. Thus, the collection made for boring, disjointed reading, despite all the wordy narration and cosmic fist fights, which involved Captain Marvel and Warlock more than it did the Avengers. It's not like Thanos has some sort of master plan that is revealed across these issues; he's really just a very powerful bad guy who is obsessed with death.
In one scene, Mar-Vell and the Avengers take out a space cruiser by accidentally kocking out its universal translator. The crew fights each other and the good guys win, but this victory was by no means earned or planned. In other issues, the Cosmic Cube seems to be constantly dropping or switching hands at random, whenever the writer needed the change. None of these low-point moments made for compelling drama, and yet I read on anyway, to see if it gets better.
It doesn't. All in all, it was this kind of stuff I saw on spinner racks as a kid, which was just not appealing then or now.
