Top 5 Thanos Stories to Read Before You See ‘Infinity War’

The character of Thanos was created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin back in 1973. Immediately he showed himself as a force to be reckoned with taking on Iron Man, The Avengers and Captain Marvel trying to make himself even more powerful by obtaining the Cosmic Cube and the Infinity Stones. Soon, he will be taking center stage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ as he takes on the combined might of The Avengers & The Guardians of the Galaxy. But before that epicness begins, here are the Top 5 Thanos Stories that you may want to read to either brush up on your familiarity with The Mad Titan OR that you may need to read if you are unsure as to just who this purple faced villain is that keeps appearing in the end credits of these Marvel films. Let’s begin, shall we?

#5.) Thanos Rising (2013)

This series, written by Jason Aaron with art by Simone Bianchi, explores the origin of Thanos from his birth to his growth to adulthood and provides some startling insights as to his obsession with Death and to what ends he will go to attain her affection. Aaron does a masterful job of matching details of Thanos’ previously unknown past that fits smartly in with each story we’ve read featuring him for the past four decades and it needs to be a part of anyone’s collection in order to gain a better understanding of this dark character.

#4.) Avengers Vs Thanos (1973 – 1977)

This collection covers Thanos’ first appearance from “Iron Man” issue 55 and his battle with Captain Marvel (issues 25 – 33) and The Avengers (issue 125 & Annual 7) as well as encounters with Daredevil (issue 107), Spider-Man (Marvel Team-Up 55) and The Thing (“Marvel Two-In-One” Annual 2) among several other related issues from other comics. In many ways, these early stories written and drawn by legends of the comic industry (Jim Starlin, Steve Englehart, Don Heck, John Buscema & Mike Zeck just to name a few) are the framework of what we’l be treated to when ‘Infinity War’ hits the big screen. Not only is it a truly entertaining read, but it’s a primer on how things were done at the dawn of the Bronze Age of comic books!

#3.) Thanos series (2016)

The Mad Titan’s current titular series, which is brilliantly written by Jeff Lemire, starts out by showing us a side of Thanos we’ve yet to see – weak. The series starts with Thanos dying and travelling the universe trying to find someone to cure him. It features his own son, Thane, the Phoenix Force, Nebula, Starfox and many others. This story arc also demonstrates that even without his full power and in a weakened state, the things that truly makes Thanos dangerous are his cunning and sheer force of will. (BTW: stay tuned for the ‘Thanos Wins” story arc that immediately follows this one beginning with issue 13 written by Donny Cates.)

#2.) Silver Surfer: The Rebirth Of Thanos (1993)

Following the events in “Avengers VS Thanos”, the character was thought to have died. It wasn’t until nearly 10 years later that his creator, Jim Starlin, brought him back in the pages of “Silver Surfer” beginning with issue 34. His rebirth took the comic world by storm and he continued appearing in the book over the next year culminating in the events of “Infinity War”. Having Thanos show up and take on one of the most powerful cosmic heroes in the Marvel Universe is a great reintroduction to this character and, in the hands of Starlin with art by the incomparable Ron Lim, makes this collection and instant classic!

#1.) The Thanos Quest and The Infinity Gauntlet (1990 & 1991)

While all of the other series mentioned on this list are great, if I was pressed to pick one definitive story, it would definitely be the one-two punch of “The Thanos Quest” and “The Infinity Gauntlet“. I almost listed these stories as two separate entries but they are so inextricably linked that it’s almost impossible to do so. “The Thanos Quest” tells the origin of the Infinity Gems and how Thanos sought out and acquired them from the various Elders of the Universe who possessed them. This leads immediately and directly into “The Infinity Gauntlet” which, for my money, is still to this day one of the greatest crossover event mini-series in the entire history of Marvel Comics. Using all six of the gems in concert, Thanos immediately wipes half of the universe out of existence. Naturally this catches the notice of Earth’s heroes (the ones still alive, anyway) and culminates in a massive battle at the edge of space. It also would lays the groundwork for the current incarnation of Thanos that we know today and gave way to several spin-off series and mini-series.

So there you have it! Now you’ll be able to impress your friends with all of your comic knowledge while you are waiting in line to see this culmination of the past 10 years of Marvel films at your local movie theater. If nothing else, at least you’ll have a better appreciation of the magnitude of threat that Thanos poses to the MCU after this required reading list is complete. Will Josh Brolin live up to the hype and be the perfect choice to bring Jim Starlin’s creation to life? Even if he isn’t, at least he’ll get to bring Rob Liefeld‘s creation to life in ‘Deadpool 2‘ in another month. Don’t worry… that list of required reading is next. You’re welcome!

 

 

‘Rampage’ Movie Review

‘Rampage’ (2018)
New Line Cinema

Directed by: Brad Peyton
Written by: Ryan Engle, Carlton Cuse, Ryan J. Condal & Adam Sztykiel
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan & Joe Manganiello

SO… before I begin this review, let me preface for all who are unaware: This movie is based on a video game. I’ve seen critics picking it apart like they tried to do with ‘Tomb Raider‘ last month (yes, also based on a video game) and it needs to stop. People overthinking it or over-analyzing these films need to stop and just enjoy the ride. And what a ride it is! Dwayne Johnson stars as primatologist Davis Okoye who works with primates at the San Diego Zoo. Years ago, while on an anti-poaching trip to Africa, he rescued an albino silverback gorilla named George with whom he has developed a bond. When a genetic experiment in space goes wrong and re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, George is affected by one of the canisters containing gas that causes his cells to mutate. He begins to grow abnormally large and exhibit aggressive behavior. Desperate to cover their tracks AND reclaim their genetic material, Claire & Brett Wyden (the sibling team who head the company responsible for the experimentation gone awry) send out a radio signal to call the creatures who are affected back to their headquarters. Mass destruction follows as George, a mutated wolf (that the media have dubbed “Ralph”) along with an altered & alarmingly large alligator creature begin converging on Chicago. Luckily, Davis along with former researcher Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) and Agent Harvey Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) have a plan to seize the antidote from the Caldwell’s and put an end to the creatures’… rampage… before the military wipes out the city to stop them.

‘Rampage‘ is equal parts fun and outright action. As I mentioned in the beginning, it IS based on a video game where YOU play as one of the 3 monsters and try to destroy each city. What is one to expect? Dwayne Johnson is his usual self and, regardless of the script or the film, always is a great lead for a film. Naomie Harris is very relatable and solid as the former researcher out to help take down the company she blames for causing the death of her brother. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is… Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Always. He plays his role with charm and enthusiasm which makes for all of his scenes to be a sheer delight. Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy are outright ridiculous in the best way possible as the maniacal corporate and nearly over-the-top villains out to make money at any cost. While this film won’t be winning any Oscars, it certainly is an enjoyable kick-off to “movie season” and might even steal the #1 spot at the box office from ‘A Quiet Place‘ for it’s debut weekend. Grab your popcorn and soda, hunker down in your chairs and just turn off your brain for a very fast 1 hr and 47 minutes. I would give ‘Rampage’ a 6.5 overall and recommend it be seen in IMAX if you can for maximum destructive enjoyment!

“Normandy Gold” Graphic Novel

Normandy Gold
Titan Comics

Written by: Megan Abbott & Alison Gaylin
Art by: Steve Scott
Colors by: Lovern Kindzierski
Letters by: Rodney Ramos
Release date: April 10th 2018

“Normandy Gold” is a different sort of graphic novel than I am used to reading. Far removed from the normal super hero fare, this is a hard-edged, gritty and visceral crime thriller set against the turbulent backdrop of Washington, D.C. in the 1970’s. The story immediately draws you in and the relentlessness of the plot and depth of the protagonist insist that you stick around until the end. Calling it a “page-turner” doesn’t do it justice! I was fortunate enough to be able to probe the minds of the writers behind this whirlwind of a tale, Megan Abbott & Alison Gaylin and here is what they had to say about “Normandy Gold”:
**THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T HAD THE CHANCE TO READ THE GRAPHIC NOVEL YET!!**

ME: You say this was born out of your mutual love of 70s movies. Was this a culmination of various plot threads you saw in the movies or was this a story that you always wanted to tell and the movies just prompted you to go ahead and tell it?

GWW: I think it was more the world of these movies rather than specific plot threads that inspired us. We wanted to create a story with the same, gritty, paranoid feel as films like Hardcore, Taxi Driver and Parallax View, with a single-minded, revenge-consumed protagonist like Charles Bronson in the Death Wish movies, or Lee Marvin in Point Blank. And we wanted her to be a woman.

MA: Yeah, we really just wanted to enter the world of those films, but with a character you likely wouldn’t find in them. Normandy became our avatar to enter the seamy 70s cinemascape.

GWW: When I first saw the image of Johnny Deeper, I immediately thought of Sam Elliott from ‘Roadhouse’. Was I imagining this? Or was that intentional?

AG: Good eye! We actually included a lot of visuals in our script – and many of those visuals happened to be movie stills and headshots…

MA: Certain characters, especially the secondary ones, were directly inspired by actors (Nancy Allen, for instance, and PJ Soles—how’s that for an obscure 70s reference?) or certain scenes (like the diner one in Taxi Driver, which influenced a scene with Normandy and Charity).

GWW: Modern technology (I.E. cell phones, text messages, internet) takes away some of the “allure” of mysteries such as this one. Did you find it simpler and more rewarding telling a period piece for that reason? AG: Yes, I think the thing that sets these 70s thrillers apart from their modern counterparts is that feeling of isolation on the part of the protagonist. That’s a lot harder to achieve in a world in which everyone is connected. Also, there is something about reel-to-reel tape as an image that I find incredibly foreboding. It could be a Watergate thing.

MA: The analog nature of the 70s—there’s a weird nostalgia in it now, for me as much as anyone. And yet that nostalgia doesn’t strip these objects of their power. On the contrary, because it makes us think now we can’t even the mechanisms of surveillance. They’re invisible.

GWW: While the story certainly has a tangible grit to it, is it a story that necessarily had to be told in the 70’s era or would it have worked just as well in, say, the 80’s or 90’s and, if you were to update it to one of those decades, what do you think would have fundamentally changed about the story?

AG: I imagine it could have been told in either of those eras, but I think the 70s was a uniquely cynical time, in which distrust for all institutions – the government, the police – was pervasive. I think if we’d updated it to the Reagan Era or the Clinton Era, that distrust might have been subtler. Sexual politics too were darker back then… Interestingly, I think it’s a story we could have set in the present day easier than in the 80s or 90s.

MA: The disillusionment of the 70s—I guess that only comes once. After that, there’s not a strong enough faith in traditional institutions to experience disillusionment on that scale again.

GWW: Are there any plans for a sequel or even a possible on-going “Normandy Gold” series? If so, where would you envision her going from here?

AG: No definite plans, but we have discussed it, and I’d love to work with Megan – and Normandy – again. We did come up with another story for her, in which she did some work for the government and became emmeshed in a plot that had a bit of an Apocalypse Now feel.

MA: Yes, we got a story up our sleeves!

GWW: If this were to be made into a movie in the next year or so, who would you envision playing the main parts? AG: Well, we did envision Mark Ruffalo as Sturgis when we wrote the script, but I also think Ryan Gosling would do in a pinch. And Eva Mendes would be great as Normandy. I could also see Margot Robbie in the part. Or Beyonce. (Ah, to dream…) How about you, Megan?

MA: Those sound good to me! Maybe Eiza Gonzalez from Baby Driver as Normandy?

GWW: You obviously had a lot of inspiration that you mentioned from various films and this story flows so incredibly well. Were there any moments of Writer’s Block during the process or did it flow seamlessly from conceptualization to printing? AG: I feel like that’s where collaborating worked to our advantage. We did a lot of brainstorming. If one of us got tripped up, we’d get on the phone and hash out ideas. We were so much on the same wavelength throughout the writing process. For me, it was the most fun and least amount of torture I’ve ever experienced writing.

MA: Whenever one of us would slow down, the other’s enthusiasm would spark us again. The ideal collaborative spirit!

GWW: What would be the most important element of this graphic novel to you? What would you tell the average reader about it to encourage them to go out and buy it?

AG: When we wrote it, we’d never seen a thriller that was driven by female rage. And I still think it’s rather unique in that way. Normandy isn’t victim, a superhero or a femme fatale. She’s just very pissed off. I find that very compelling.

MA: Normandy really speaks to this moment in ways we couldn’t have anticipated. And she’s also kind of eternal. A force for justice for women. That’s evergreen!

“Normandy Gold” completely blew me away and I, for one, am sincerely hoping that we get a sequel to this gripping tale! Make sure you pick it up for YOUR collection this week at your LCS!!