Thanos | Through the Shattered Lens

I usually write about old movies here, but they’re not my only interest. When I was younger, back in the 70s, I collected comic books. I had stacks and stacks of them: Marvel, DC, Charlton, Atlas, undergrounds. Even the oversized Warrens and of course, Mad. Now that I’m slightly older (well, okay maybe more than just slightly), I’ll occasionally pick up a trade paperback that grabs my nostalgic interest. While browsing through the local Barnes & Noble recently, my gaze came upon one that screamed “Buy me now”! That book was WARLOCK BY JIM STARLIN: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION.

Starlin’s cosmic opus starred Adam Warlock, a Christlike space hero, pitted against Thanos of Titan and his quest to posses the Infinity Gems. Adam has the soul gem imbedded in his forehead, an vampiric emerald that steals mortal souls. The story’s themes concern philosophical questions about life and death, chaos and order, gods and madmen. Very heavy stuff. The books weren’t all that popular though, and the series only lasted from 1975 to 1977. Way ahead of its time, Starlin’s Adam Warlock saga has now become considered a classic of the comic world as the years have passed.

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Jim Starlin is now recognized as one of the giants of the comic industry. Starlin wrote and drew the series with a deft hand, knowing exactly what he wanted to say and how to get there. He was ably assisted by inker/finishers Steve Leialoha and Joe Rubinstein. They make Starlin’s pencils and layouts pop with cosmic wonder. Tom Orzechowski’s lettering aids tremendously in setting the tone and mood for this galactic epic. The book’s loaded with extras, including a “lost” Warlock tale Starlin conjured up as a fill-in issue. The adventure is fanatastic as a whole, but some favorite chapters of mine are the Steve Ditko inspired “1000 Clowns” (Strange Tales #181), the solo interlude starring Warlock’s degenerate friend Pip the Troll (Warlock #12), and the cataclysmic conclusion from Avenger Annual #7 and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2.

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans (of which I’m one) are already aware of the power of the (now renamed) Infinity Stones. We’ve seen Thanos appear in the two AVENGERS flicks and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. And where Thanos treads, can Adam Warlock be that far behind?? One can only dream…

The Dystopian Reality:

I have been toying with the idea of a reality traveler story. A cataclysm wiped out the super hero population: every mutant, artificial posthuman, radiation empowered being, alien, synthetic life form, cyborg, magic user, supernatural entity, and deity died on that day. An extremist group composed of AIM, HYDRA, and followers of Chthon created a Nihil Cube, a variant of the cosmic cube, designed to eliminate every superhuman hero. The bomb was prematurely detonated and eliminated both heroes and villains. The wide scale death attracted the attention of Thanos, who acquired the cube and enhanced its ability. The Mad Titan used to extinguish all life including the cosmic entities like the elders of the universe and the Celestials. Despite his accomplishment, Death still rejected him. An enraged Thanos then travels to parallel realities to repeat his rampage. His actions attract the attention of a higher reality, which sends a champion to defeat him.

The Hero:

He hails from a utopian reality where all of the science heroes used their intellects to usher in a golden age. His signature weapon is a Richardtech recreation of Noh-Varr’s Kree Weapons Band. It is composed of unstable molecule alloy and is the amalgamation of his reality’s Heroic Age weaponry. It assumes the form of repulsor revolver based on Starktech, Parkertech impact webbing pistol, and a beam axe derived from Weapon X. It possesses a mobile force field generator constructed from Nathan Summers’ Cone of Silence, the Ghost’s intangibility circuitry, and modified Ultimate Nullifier built to destroy the Nihil Cube. He also possesses technology from the World: a nanite-based Greylock and bacterial variant of James Howlett’s healing factor. A dimensional transportation spell from the Book of Vishanti is implanted in his mind.

Technology:

The Greylock is a variant of the Doomlock based on Nate Grey’s former dimension crossing ability. It protects the user reality friction.
The impact webbing is a web pellets that releases tendrils which ensnare the target upon impact.
The beam axe is based on the energy claws used by Strike Force X.