Thanos has been off the board for a few years now, but he’s back this week thanks to Christopher Cantwell and Luca Pizzari’s new series. It features Thanos but more heavily utilizes an unfamiliar civilian character who is somehow drawn into it all. Given the Illuminati are involved too, the most shocking thing about this comic is the incredibly dark and sad story within the story.
Thanos #1 is as bold as superhero comics can get, thanks to its format. It’s bold in a way that’ll likely leave many scratching their heads or even annoyed, but it’s bold enough that it kind of works. It doesn’t hand hold the reader with introductions, nor does it supply big action with their favorite characters. Outside of structure, the boldness also lives and dies through death itself, which is fitting given Thanos’ desire to kill so many.
This issue is sad, thanks partly due to a narrative explained via captions. The narrative comes from a dating show like The Bachelor. Over the first four pages, we watch a woman go to work at a crappy job, do the job, and head home. Along the way, the captions reveal a moment in a reality show where a man reveals a deeply personal story about his dead grandfather. It’s a story I think many will relate to, and yet, in the usual reality TV fashion, it’s not respected. He’s rejected, and that puts a pall over the narrative.
As you can see, the captions are quite dark.
Credit: Marvel
Outside of this, not a lot happens save for Fresno being ripped off Earth. The sequence takes up a lot of pages, and once the dust settles, the story starts to make some sense. Heroes show up, our main character points out details about each of the heroes in a somewhat comedic fashion and the banter here is great.
Some well-littered details in this short final scene give readers a sense of what is happening, but not enough to piece it together just yet. There seems to be a big secret afoot and possibly a brand new character being introduced once this story arc ends.
Pizzari’s art is grounded and suits the civilian-focused story, but lets it fly when the world crumbles around our main character. Thanos has a slightly scary look to him thanks to the use of shadow on his face. In a story about death, Thanos comes off as a bringer of it. The wonderment and awe of cosmic Marvel is very loud and present thanks to Pizzari’s work.
Thanos #1 is intriguing. It takes a bold stab at telling a story differently and will make you feel dark thoughts that set up a vibe for Thanos to settle into. The plot of the story remains to be seen at this stage, with this issue feeling more like the 10-minute cold open to a great episode of TV.
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