Thanos Rising

The characters of the Marvel Universe are a diverse and flexible bunch.  This is to the point where if a writer wanted to, they could tell a pretty straightforward genre story with the right one.  Garth Ennis has told war stories with Nick Fury, Bendis and Brubaker have done legal thrillers with Daredevil, the latter has also done espionage tales with Captain America and the Black Widow.  Done right, the approach can let you see the character in a new light and provide a fresh take on the genre being used.  For “Thanos Rising,” Jason Aaron is giving us a new take on the origin of the title character in the vein of a serial killer story.  Unfortunately, neither the character nor the genre come out looking any better by the end of this.

It’s no secret why we’re getting this story now.  Thanos is a hot property in the wake of his cameo in the credits of “The Avengers” and he’s also a key player in the current “Infinity” crossover as well.  However, for the past few years he’s been off in the fringes of the narrative of the Marvel Universe, having been used to good effect in Keith Giffen’s “Annihilation” series and Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s cosmic stories, including “The Thanos Imperative.”  So in order to let everyone in comics know that he was back (and to provide the films with a streamlined story to work with) we get Aaron and artist Simone Bianchi giving us the character’s story from his birth to his near-massacre of everyone on his home moon of Titan.

If you’re looking for an example of what a good serial killer story looks like, then I can point you in the right direction.  “Thanos Rising” culls a lot from stories like that:  We have a main character with a troubled home life.  He can’t relate to others in a normal fashion.  Things start with him killing small creatures, before he makes the jump to sentient beings.  The only real difference from other stories in the genre is that he’s also cold to those he mates with and his children as well.  There’s no deceptive facade here, what you see is what you get with Thanos.

I will say that the trappings of the Marvel Universe do liven things up a bit.  Galaxy-spanning serial killer stories are certainly rare, with Thanos’ evolution into the mass-murdering “Mad Titan” handled in a smooth and capable fashion.  There’s also his relationship with the woman who will be the one true love of his life.  If you’ve got any familiarity with Thanos, then you’ll have a pretty good idea where that particular story thread is going.  At least Aaron does  manage to throw some interesting wrinkles into their encounters early on.

This also brings us to the book’s other major issue.  As familiar as some of the ideas in this story are, Aaron does manage to wrangle them into a satisfactory narrative that showcases the character’s slow descent into the wanton slaughter of millions.  It’s just that this isn’t the Thanos that I’ve been reading about for years now.  The Thanos I know is a schemer, a meticulous planner who takes joy in murdering countless beings all to please death, and one who relishes a good challenge.  Take this cover to issue #4 of “The Infinity Gauntlet.”  All of the heroes of the Marvel Universe had just assembled to take him down in the previous issue, and here was his response.  Even that glimpse of him we saw in “The Avengers” gave you the impression that he was someone who enjoyed what he did.

That Thanos is nowhere to be found here.  What we have here is a cold, emotionless killer who takes no joy in what he does, even though we’re told that he’s doing it out of love.  The character feels like he’s being molded to fit the conventions of the genre, rather than having them molded around him.  A character with Thanos’ personality would’ve likely broken all of those molds, which should’ve been Aaron’s first clue that his approach may have been a bit misjudged here.  Yes, the writer is great with pitiless dramas like “Scalped” and insane superhero action such as “Wolverine and the X-Men,” yet in trying to mold a serial killer story with space opera his reach has exceeded his grasp.  Also, between this, his “Immortal Weapons” story and “Wolverine’s Revenge,” the man would do well to lay off filicide as a plot point for the foreseeable future.

Thankfully Bianchi’s art is as compelling to look at as ever.  The artist has always had an imaginative sense of style and seeing him render Thanos’ journey never gets old.  From the schools of Titan to the ruins of his many conquests, there’s always some impressive sight to behold here.  Granted, sometimes the art can seem rushed at certain points, yet even when you can tell that deadlines are breathing down Bianchi’s neck his work still looks better than most.

Hell, that image of Thanos on the cover?  That’s the character I know, and he’s nowhere to be found in this book.  If you have no familiarity with the “Mad Titan” (or serial killer stories in general) then I can see how this story may present a compelling portrait of a disturbed individual unleashing his sickness on the galaxy.  For everyone else, including me, you’re more likely to be left hoping that Jonathan Hickman delivers a version of the character more true to the way he has been shown to act in “Infinity.”  Or go back and read “The Infinity Gauntlet.”  That’s an option too.