The Long Box

I know I haven't done one of these in a while, this is actually only the second one I've done but I'm trying to make it a regular thing. Here goes:

THE THANOS QUEST
Words by Jim Starlin
Pictures by Ron Lim
Book One: September 1990
Book Two: October 1990
Collection Edition: March 2000

Thanos. One of Marvel's most iconic characters. He worships death and deals it out very well. His story is unique in that he is generally a villain, in the 1970's he tried to destroy the universe many times until he was finally killed in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL #2 (1977) and was gone until his rebirth in the pages of the SILVER SURFER in the 1990's which introduced a whole new generation of comics fans to the madness of the Titian.

It goes like this: Mistress Death has decided that there are more living beings in the universe than there are dead and she seeks to correct that mistake. Her tool is the one being that spent the better part of his life dealing out the gift of death: the Mad Titan, Thanos. She charges him with a monumental task: Kill of one half of all the sentient beings in the universe.
Even though his powers were augmented by Death he knows he needs more. Within in Death's domain is the Infinity Well. "Within its cosmic vortex lies universal knowledge unimaginable" is how Thanos describes it. While gazing into its depths he discovers the tools he needs to commit cosmic mass murder, six objects at the time known as the Soul Gems.

After he convinces Mistress Death these gems are necessary in order to carry out her task, he begins his Quest.
But instead of going after any random gem, Thanos realizes how each gem, once obtained, can aid him in gaining the next gem. After all, the gems aren't just laying about, no, most of the gems have found their way into the possession of beings known as The Elders Of The Universe, a crafty and dishonest bunch who are more obsessed with their given life goals than anything else. The exception is the green gem which controls the soul. Formerly the property of Adam Warlock and also the very gem that was used to kill Thanos in 1977, this gem is now in the hands of a being known as The in-Betweener.
After Thanos liberates the green Soul Gem from The In-Betweener and the red gem which grants infinite power from the warrior Elder called The Champion, Thanos then decides since only one gem has anything to do with the soul, perhaps a better name for them would be Infinity Gems since each gems infinitely controls one aspect of reality.

I won't give away much more of the story to those poor souls who haven't given themselves the honor of reading such a classic story but I will say this: The Thanos Quest is a perfectly written story. While the main character is a villain, the main reason he's on this Quest is to gain the power to slaughter have the sentient beings in the universe, this story shows different layers to Thanos' character. We see that, while he's a cold blooded mass murdering monster, he also has a certain level of respect for certain beings and, in the case of The Gardener, would rather pick a different, less fatal way of gaining certain Gems.
We also learn Thanos isn't a creature of mindless violence, no, this story builds on certain concepts began in the 1970's that show Thanos a calculating being. Nearly everything he does has at least one purpose behind it. For example: He quests to gain the gems to grant his beloved Mistress Death's wish but another reason he does it is so he would be more powerful and perhaps an equal to his love.
Many facets to one of Marvels most interesting and complex characters.

On the art side, Ron Lim shows how cosmic stories should look and pretty much set the standard. At the time this story was published he was also doing the art chores on the SILVER SURFER ongoing series. He would go on to draw the INFINITY GAUNTLET event miniseries which the events of this miniseries lead into.

Overall, The Thanos Quest has always been one of my most favorite books and is the best example of how to showcase a villain without having to water him or her down to make them more human. It's difficult to feel sorry for Thanos when he fails in a task or shows regret for having to murder a character like The Gardener, even knowing The Elders cannot be killed, but his overall goal is the murder of many many more beings.
After recently re-reading this book I have rediscovered the excitement of this era of Marvel Comics. This story lead into the legendary INFINITY GAUNTLET event in which Thanos, know in possession of all six Infinity Gems, sets out to complete his task and it's up to a collection of Marvel's mightiest to try and stop him.
Thanos Quest itself is a follow up to a story which was also collected and called SILVER SURFER: REBIRTH OF THANOS which is also well worth reading. Fans of Marvel's current run of cosmic comics like NOVA and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY as well as fans of the events called ANNIHILATION and ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST would enjoy these stories just as much because of their scope and their depth. Truly, Marvel Classics in every sense.