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A review by otherwyrld
Thanos Rising by Jason Aaron
4.0
Most people who go to watch the Marvel Universe films know to sit through the end credits. In The Avengers, there are two such sequences. In the one not involving Shwama we are treated to the visage of a smiling purple alien. If you went "Who?" rather than "Whoa!", then this book is for you.
This graphic novel is the full origin and life story of Thanos the Destroyer, who has killed his way through more worlds than just about any other Marvel villain. We begin with his birth, one where his mother tries to murder her newborn child because she recognises the evil in him.
With an incarcerated mother and an absent father (he's a scientist, which of course we all know make for terrible parents - the fact that he also runs the entire planet seems something of a minor point here), you would think that this is the story of how an outcast who looks different from everyone else gradually descends into murder and madness. You would be wrong, because the other children embrace this strange boy with a genetic mutation that makes him look so different.
At this point he also meets a strange girl who urges him to take dangerous risks, something that leads to the tragic deaths of his friends. It is at this point that he begins to become the monster that his mother recognised. He begins to kill and torture, first animals then people, and finally
Fleeing his homeworld, Thanos goes out to the stars, where he discovers he has another talent. No matter how different the alien species is, he is not only a babe magnet, but is also able to impregnate every female he meets. For a while, he keeps a low profile on a pirate ship, but finally his killing ways begin again. Returning from exile to his home world, he meets again the beautiful strange girl of his childhood, who pledges to be his lover. There is one odd thing here - the text says that all his children look like their mothers, but the art clearly shows they look him him. I wondered if this was some clever attempt to show how Thanos's mental imagery is at odds with reality, but it is just as likely to be a simple mistake.
Finally, Thanos returns home, this time to destroy his world as the final act to win his love. It is at this point, in a final confrontation with his father that the truth is revealed -. He leaves, to continue his death mongering, forever alone.
This is a fascinating study of a psychopath and the paths that lead to such a being. You shouldn't let the comic book nature of this book get in the way of this. It is well written, mostly well drawn (just a few wobbles where the art is not as clear as it could be), and a well thought out book. A well deserved 4 stars
This graphic novel is the full origin and life story of Thanos the Destroyer, who has killed his way through more worlds than just about any other Marvel villain. We begin with his birth, one where his mother tries to murder her newborn child because she recognises the evil in him.
With an incarcerated mother and an absent father (he's a scientist, which of course we all know make for terrible parents - the fact that he also runs the entire planet seems something of a minor point here), you would think that this is the story of how an outcast who looks different from everyone else gradually descends into murder and madness. You would be wrong, because the other children embrace this strange boy with a genetic mutation that makes him look so different.
At this point he also meets a strange girl who urges him to take dangerous risks, something that leads to the tragic deaths of his friends. It is at this point that he begins to become the monster that his mother recognised. He begins to kill and torture, first animals then people, and finally
Spoiler
his mother, who he cuts up to try and finds out whether his differences come from herFleeing his homeworld, Thanos goes out to the stars, where he discovers he has another talent. No matter how different the alien species is, he is not only a babe magnet, but is also able to impregnate every female he meets. For a while, he keeps a low profile on a pirate ship, but finally his killing ways begin again. Returning from exile to his home world, he meets again the beautiful strange girl of his childhood, who pledges to be his lover
Spoiler
but only if he goes back and kills all the women he slept with and their offspring, which he duly doesFinally, Thanos returns home, this time to destroy his world as the final act to win his love. It is at this point, in a final confrontation with his father that the truth is revealed -
Spoiler
the woman he loves is a figment of his imagination, a manifestation of his own psychosis. He may love death, but it is himself he loves and not some womanThis is a fascinating study of a psychopath and the paths that lead to such a being. You shouldn't let the comic book nature of this book get in the way of this. It is well written, mostly well drawn (just a few wobbles where the art is not as clear as it could be), and a well thought out book. A well deserved 4 stars