The Good
Jim Starlin is back, writing and drawing Thanos? My goodness. This is something I didn't think I'd see again. Let's get one thing straight right away, this isn't the Thanos from today. After the events of INFINITY, he's a little preoccupied. What we get is a Thanos from a few years ago. At first the exact time period isn't clear. But soon you can figure out around when this takes place due to some of the other characters involved.
If you think about Thanos over the last two decades, he has gone through some changes. The Thanos here isn't quite the MAD Titan we sometimes see. It is almost possible to reason with him. Of course he has his own agenda and will do what he deems needs to be done.
The interesting part of the story is the return of a character that accompanies Thanos on his quest. The character goes through some changes and there's no telling what will happen the next time we see this character.
With Starlin's return, we get a pretty trippy ride on an extremely cosmic level. It's a treat to read the entirety of Starlin's story in one sitting. Long time Starlin and Thanos fans will enjoy the presentation here. Frank D'Armata and Rachelle Rosenberg's colors will amaze you.
The Bad
Of course with the story set in the past, there is a bit of a limit as to what could happen during. There are some developments, more so with the mysterious other character I don't want to spoil (it's not too hard to find out who if you really want to know). This character's costume also goes back and forth between two versions. I believe I know why this was happening in the story but it was a little distracting during the story until it's somewhat clear what's going on.
I also mentioned the story gets trippy. While the art is gorgeous and we get the occasional full page or double page shots, you might find yourself wondering what exactly is going on. Or as Thanos is taking his journey, the strange going-ons are merely background imagery. It looks great but is it fully necessary?
Those not completely familiar with the more philosophical Thanos might be wondering why he's a lot calmer than he's been in more recent appearances.
The OGN hardcover package is really nice but some might question the $24.99 price tag for 100 pages.
The Verdict
Thanos is big news these days and what could be better than having Jim Starlin return to the character? Starlin has told many epic stories with the character and it's great to revisit his take on the character. The story obviously doesn't take place during the current timeline but we do get a nice completely self-contained story. This is the Thanos that likes to contemplate things. There is a big massive cosmic journey that only Thanos and Starlin could pull off. Fans of the character, especially during Starlin's time, should definitely check this out. This story might not be for everyone but if you dig Thanos, you'll want to see how this adventure play out.