Titans clash in this final fight between Thanos and Thane! It is father vs son, where gods are made and gods are destroyed!
THANOS #12
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: German Peralta
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What You Need to Know:
With Thanos dying of illness, his son Thane makes a huge push for power. Recruiting Nebula, Tryco, Slatterus, and Starfox, Thane uses them to kill his father. However, when Thane is manipulated by Death, Thane gains the power of the Phoenix Force. Strips Thanos of his powers betrays his team and leaves them all for dead. Thanos won’t die easily as he enters the God Quarry in order to regain his power to take down his son. At a place at the end of all places, who will emerge victorious? It is Thanos vs the Phoenix-powered Thane.
What You’ll Find Out:
In the previous issue, Thane and Thanos fought to a standstill as both father and son seemed equal in power and skill. We arrive at the God Quarry where the sisters of the Cosmic Coven stand in witness to the final fight between to the two Titans. With Nebula, Starfox, and Tryco watching on as well. Death is also there, eagerly anticipating the outcome of everything she started from the beginning.
But this is the God Quarry and it belongs to the Cosmic Coven and they rule here. They banish the Phoenix Force from their world, leaving Thane considerably less powerful. Giving Thanos the choice of killing or sparing his son. Instead, considering Thane a disappointment, he tosses his son into the God Quarry pit to face the trials, Thanos himself had to endure to get his powers back. Death, who was certain Thanos would emerge victorious and return to his former glory, shows her approval. Only to be dismissed by Thanos and cast out by the Cosmic Coven.
Thanos takes his leave and even strands his brother Starfox, daughter Nebula, and Tryco on the God Quarry. No longer dying, back to his full power, and ready to begin anew. Thanos, the Mad Titan, is set to face the universe once more. Thanos is here to conquer and destroy…be afraid!
What Just Happened?
Here is the thing about doing a series where the protagonist is a villain. A villain shouldn’t be a protagonist! But that is just what makes Jeff Lemire’s Thanos so different from the rest. Thanos isn’t like any other villain out there. He doesn’t have some sob story that makes you feel sorry for him. Thanos isn’t trying to make up for past deeds or correct his mistakes. This story was about two villains, Thanos and Thane, and who would emerge the winner. Nobody innocent got saved, lives weren’t really on the line as Thanos wasn’t trying to prevent his son from becoming some “monster.” No, basically, whoever won between these two killers, the rest of the universe will have to deal with him. Lemire does this story just right as the reader is most likely (as I was), rooting for Thanos to take his place as the most powerful and kick his son’s ass. All the while, forgetting that you are hoping that this villain endures only to be a threat to your beloved heroes later on.
Again, that is what works so well for this series, Thanos is a villain, a destroyer. And Lemire doesn’t pretend he is anything else. Thanos isn’t Magneto, where you feel for his horrible past and understand why he does what he does. Thanos isn’t any of the villains with some sob story trying to become good. That has been done and Thanos is just what the “doctor ordered” for a fresh new series. When Thanos abandons Nebula and the rest, Lemire shows you just who Thanos is from a perfect little detailed moment. Thanos could have been grateful to Nebula and Starfox for their help. But no, that’s not Thanos and it shows through. Thanos could have killed his son and walked away like it was nothing. Sure, that is Thanos in a way, but it is also Thanos to consider Thane unworthy of death at his hands as well.
Peralta and Rosenberg understand the tone of the story and give gritty and dark detail to go along with what the message is. Thanos is back and this isn’t a glorious moment for existence. This just might be the darkest day and the entire universe is unaware of it. Peralta gives just enough detail in facial expressions to make the characters reactions mean something. And Rosenberg’s colors are beautiful in that everything has a dark tone but nothing seems lost. The separation of one thing from the next is brilliant in its own right.
Rating: 8/10
Final Thought: Thanos has always been one of those popular villains and it’s easy to see why he has gotten his own series. Thankfully what makes him such a popular villain isn’t forgotten by Lemire and we get the Thanos we know and love. It took time to get to this point and that is perhaps the only thing that has held the series back. Doing a series where the main character is someone like Thanos. It is understandable that every now and then, there has to be something to put the character in jeopardy. Otherwise what is the point if the reader doesn’t feel like they should care. After twelve issues it is finally time to see what Thanos is all about when he gets to be the threat readers know he can be. Other than the length of time it took, this has been a solid story and nowadays, solid stories are difficult to come across. I for one am looking forward to what comes next for the Mad Titan.
