Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "infnity-gautunlet"

The Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos by Jim Starlin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Rebirth of Thanos chronicles the return of this intergalactic mad man/menace prior to the big event, the Infinity Gauntlet after his final defeat back in the 1970s. This book collects Silver Surfer vol. 3 #34-38 and Thanos Quest #1 and #2.

The Silver Surfer issues are a bit stretched out. The Silver Surfer faces Thanos in Issues 35 and 38. Issue 34 is a nightmare the Surfer has that leads into the Surfer's first encounter with Thanos and Issue 38 is the final encounter. Issue 36 sees him flying to Earth and accessing the Avengers database for clues on Thanos since when the Avenger battled Thanos the first time the Silver Surfer was exiled to Earth and then the Surfer runs into the Impossible Man. Issue 37 has him meeting with Mentor (the father of Thanos) and then Drax the Destroyer and tangling with him.

The Silver Surfer issues are good, but the story does feel padded. A story about Thanos doesn't need comic relief in the Impossible Man or in Drax either (because that's what that story turns into.) and there's a lot of backstory in Issues 36 and 37 but much of that was necessary when dealing with a dangerous villain that has been hidden for two decades.

Tahnos Quest was a series of two double length comics telling how Thanos built his Infinity Gauntlet by taking each of the Infinity Gems (in the 1970s they were called Soul Gems) from its demigod possessors. We get a look at how dangerous Thanos is without an effective hero to oppose him. He can be charming, deceptive, and ruthless. This book portrays him as both a fanatical devotee of death and a clever sociopath who wants the death of half the lives in the Universe. This does a great job setting the stage for the Infinity Gauntlet as it becomes clear that Marvel heroes are all in for a great challenge in the next miniseries.



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