Rating: 3.5/5 – Jim Starlin and Ron Lim Revisit an Old Friend.
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Thanos Annual is a reunion of sorts. Not only for Jim Starlin to be writing Thanos again, but also for Ron Lim to be handling the art duties. In what serves as a prelude to the upcoming Infinity Revelation that will be written and drawn by Starlin himself, we see some of the groundwork laid for that story in this oversized annual. Although Starlin’s portrayal and view of Thanos may not be the same as the way current creators like Hickman are handling him now, Starlin made the character who he is, and although there’s not a whole lot of new here, it was still a fun read.
At the height of Thanos’ power when he held the Infinity Gauntlet, he split himself into a dozen avatars that traveled through space and time. One of those avatars visited a past Thanos that had overcome defeat after losing the cosmic cube. As he visits this past version of himself, the past Thanos is walked through his “future” which is in fact all the Infinity stories from the past. Much of this issue is a revisit to events such as Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Crusade, and more. Although there isn’t much new story created, it was still enjoyable to see these events again from a younger, as well as an older and defeated Thanos.
In terms of the art, it was a pleasure to see Ron Lim pencilling the cosmic characters again. At times his characters and backgrounds lack details and depth, but he understands these characters and for so many fans, his Thanos stands out. It was fun to see him redrawing certain scenes from the Infinity events, and throughout this issue there’s an abundance of characters where it was exciting to see him draw them again. This isn’t required reading by any means, and fans of the Thanos that has been portrayed in Infinity and the Thanos Rising mini-series may not find as much enjoyment in this book. But for those who have enjoyed Starlin and Lim’s work on the character from the 1990’s, it was like revisiting old friends.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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