Thanos #5 (of 6): Let’s Do the Twist Again (in Zero Gravity)

Thanos #5 sees this miniseries delivering on some of its early promise, although I’m hard-pressed to say this shouldn’t be entitled Gamora rather than named after ol’ Purple Puss. Gamora is the real emotional core of this story, and although the overall execution of her arc leaves a little bit to be desired, it’s affecting nonetheless. Seeing her fight for her life is a fun treat, too. She’s nowhere near the warrior she’ll become, but she’s still scrappy and resourceful. Bonus: Thanos’ forces aren’t written as hapless buffoons in her presence, but merely overconfident. If writer Tini Howard had leaned toward the former, the scene would have had less impact.

Speaking of being less impactful, though – Thanos’ war with the Magus continues to be unimpressive. It’s an attempt at being a clash between two cosmic titans, but plays out like a petty high school cat fight. There are no real stakes to their conflict; it’s mainly just a lot of trash talk and wang-measuring. As alluded to in the above summary, there’s a little present-day twist at the end of the issue that throws the conclusion of their fisticuffs into question, but it’s more confusing than the “Ah-HA!” moment it hopes to be.

Unfortunately, Ariel Olivetti’s art continues to be basic at best. The painterly skills he employs on the cover do not translate to his sketchy, detail-less pencils, and the colors by Antonio Fabela are flat and dull.