Remember when the Star Wars Prequels were announced and we were told we would find out the origin of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader? We all thought, wow, thats going to be an amazing story! And then we saw the prequels. Thats kind of the reaction I had reading Thanos Rising #1 - some origins really dont need to be told, least of all Thanos'. But it makes sense that Marvel would go there with this character. With the big reveal that he was the villain behind the shenanigans in The Avengers movie, hes now set up as The Avengers' adversary in the next movie (and maybe even the Guardians of the Galaxy too) so people are bound to be curious about him. So Jason Aaron - one of the best comics writers working today - teams up with artist Simone Bianchi - nope - to introduce a new audience of readers to the character and tell the origin story of how Thanos became the Mad Titan. And I really wish I could say this comic was awesome but it wasnt. In issue #1 we see child Thanos on Titan, one of Saturns moons, living in a highly developed society that he will one day destroy partly because of his troubled childhood. Neglected by a workaholic father and an institutionalised mother, Thanos precocious intellect and odd appearance single him out as different - except hes not bullied by his peers, and is instead accepted. However during an ambiguous sequence where he is trapped underneath rocks in lizard infested caves, we see the beginnings of the evil being he will become. Aaron is easily one of my favourite writers, if only for Scalped though he has penned numerous superb books, so its disappointing that his first issue of Thanos is such a dull affair. I think this has to do with having read Jim Starlins The Infinity Gauntlet long before coming to this. In that book Thanos is presented as this mad, crazy character whos going to kill everyone and destroy the universe to impress his girlfriend, Death! And you can tell he really loves being insanely evil, which is infectious as I really liked him too for being that nuts - I strongly recommend picking up The Infinity Gauntlet if youve never read it before, its fun and exciting, silly and really enjoyable. Yeah its Marvel in the early 90s but it really holds up to this day. So the expectations for this comic were high going in. Aarons interpretation of the character is much less colourful than Starlin's. Thano is kind of troubled, kind of an outcast, and he exhibits some of the warning signs signifying serial killer behaviour. But really, did we need to see this kind of unimaginative storytelling stereotype to understand the character of Thanos? At his core, hes just a brilliant villain who enjoys being a villain and is an utterly insane creation - theres no logic behind his character, he just is! Portraying him in this way gives him more substance but he works really well as a character without this extraneous detail - I feel adding it only bogs him down into the ordinary when hes such an extraordinary character. And Bianchis art - oh dear. It looks really flat so the backgrounds and the characters merge hopelessly together and he just cant draw action so all of his panels feel static. The colours are muddy and give this murky, drab look that actually suits the rather washed-out story. I've never been a fan of Bianchi and this comic did nothing to change my opinion. I really want to recommend this title to new readers whore looking for a way in to the character of Thanos just because he's Thanos and I want more people to read Jason Aaron - but I cant. If you want a really fun representation of Thanos, pick up The Infinity Gauntlet instead and have a good time. I suppose its kind of interesting to give him more background but I just dont think we need to see Thanos as a kid and then a teenager (thats issue #2 apparently) and so on - lets just see the Mad Titan be Mad! Lets ditch this dreary and cliched Psychology 101 crap and have some crazy adventures - that is why we like the guy, after all! Thanos Rising #1 is a slow start to a series that Im going to stick with because I have faith in Aaron to pull it together, and I really hope it picks up soon, but ultimately its a disappointing first issue that poorly serves such a brilliant character.
Thanos Rising #1 by Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi is out now at your local comics shop and online at Comixology and Marvel Unlimited