With Marvel having canceled “Thanos,” I find myself breathing a sigh of relief at a close call.
See, now that the book’s going away, I feel it’s okay to say that Jim Starlin–upon leaving the title–recommended that I take the series over. Since he’d left “Dreadstar” in my hands and was pleased with the results, he felt safe in turning “Thanos” over to me.
But Marvel went with Keith, and even at the time, I had zero problem with that. Keith is a comics master who should be doing far more in the industry than he is, and you know I mean that since I hand-picked him for “Captain Marvel #25.”
And now I’m REALLY relieved they went with him, because with the book going away, the fan response is, “Ðámņ, they canceled ‘Thanos’! Whereas if I had been put on the book and the exact same thing happened–which it likely would have–you just know the response would have been, “Boy, Peter David sure can’t keep a book going.”
PAD
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I don’t think too many people would have said that. I think that Thanos really does not fit in well with the current type of books Marvel is producing. Sure, had it as sold really well, it would still be going. But I really don’t think Marvel is really into the “cosmic” type of comics anymore.
I was going to say what the previuos poster said–Marvel is currently concentrating on Spider-Man, X-Men, Bendis and bad girls–any other books aren’t given any real advertising or a break at all unless Wolverine stars in it. Anyway, I like Giffen, and his Thanos was nicely done, but your take on the titan from CM v1 16-17 was priceless–“Suit thyself..”
PAD:
I didn’t think that the book was going to last without Starlin’s storys and artwork. I dropped it as soon as he left.
On a sadder note:
James Doohan “Scotty” has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. He is a fan favorite and I am sorry to learn this. I wish James and his family all the best.
Regards:
Warren S. Jones III
I’ll hold off until your work on the Hulk and Madrox comes out to see if you’re able to keep a book going.
[Post laced with dubious wit and sarcasm–for those who recognize one, the other, or neither.]
you just know the response would have been, “Boy, Peter David sure can’t keep a book going.”
Of course, anyone who says that is either a troll, someone with an imaginary ax to grind, or simplt a babbling idiot. behold the small sampling of the proof:
10+ years Hulk
10+ years Soulsearchers
80+ issues Supergirl (plus specials)
apx. 50 issues Aquaman
Agreed.
And let’s not forget that, if *anybody else* had been on “Captain Marvel,” I seriously doubt it would have lasted as long as it did. (Still sad to see it go …. )
Peter, had you taken over as writer of the book, I would have given it some attention. But, I thought it was already cancelled & I’ve always thought that Thanos worked best as part of an event. My favorite story was Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 when he was killed when the spirit of Adam Warlock (whom Thanos had killed earlier) emerged from the Soul-Gem, and turned Thanos into stone. Ðámņ fine story!
I dropped Thanos when Starlin left, because I was under the impression that he’d been forced off the book. If I’d known that he specifically asked that someone else take it over (say, PAD), I might have kept buying it.
I’ts still a mystery why Starlin left.
I think Keith did a very good job. As for them cancelling Thanos, I think it had more to do with what they want to publish than with sales. Sales were actually pretty good.
It would’ve been neat to see a crossover with CM.
I’m still dissapointed no matter how you look at it. Starlin has been leading to this version of Thanos for years. It’s the closest thing to his original Adam Warlock work. I’d have liked to have seen him continue his vision (I’d also like to have seen PD’s). Dissapointment abounds!
I was a THANOS fan since the Infinity War.Always loved the idea of portraying a “villain “in a comic book so we understood the motivations and view of battles from their perspective.Starlin was a favorite since DREADSTAR.Would like to see more of Starlin’s work.Why not give him Thor ???
I have not read that since Simonson left.
As far as PAD not being able to carry a book.Thats a bunch of B.S.Critics are gonna bash any one who is not a “fan favorite Or Hot writer”
No disrespect,its just IMO fan favorite does not always equal good ,creative or thought provoking.
WTF! First Captain Marvel now Thanos! Thanos was a good book. I really liked what Starlin, Giffen and Lim were doing. I have always been a fan of the “Cosmic” stuff Marvel has done. I know there is going to be a new Warlock series coming out in September…I know it won’t make it, but I plan on getting that.
Well Thanos has rarely been done well when Starlin was not at the helm. I loved how he ‘nixed’ some years worth of Marvel’s Thanos stories by writing a story in which all of those turned out to be about flawed Thanos clones.
The new team was okay, Lim is an old Thanos vet, and Keith got Thanos’ characterization right, but…..well otherwise, I didn’t really care for it. At chapter four of his arc, I still had only a vagu of idea who was doing what, and none at all as to their motivations for those actions. And loads of characters, old and new were tossed in that didn’t really do anything at all.
And since when is the Beyonder a blue, white-haired chick with amnesia? And when did he/she and Thanos ever interact before? I may be off on Marvel continuity and I think I missed the last issue, but on the whole I found it a tad pointless and confusing.
Your relief notwithstanding, Peter, I will wonder for a while what you would have done with it.
Well, too bad for Keith. Everyone seems to have abandonned the title because Starlin left, without leaving a chance to him. But he’s a great writer : i still roll on the floor each time I read his JLI 🙂
And since when is the Beyonder a blue, white-haired chick with amnesia?
Since the cosmic cube he became at the end of Secret Wars III evolved into a sentient Cosmic CUbe like Cubik and the SHaper of Worlds, in some FF Annual
What the…? Thanos cancelled? I must have missed that notice. I liked the first arc, great new direction for the old warhorse. And I’m about to read the second (now that it’s finally finished)… and it’s been cancelled?
SHÍT.
Giffen on Thanos was GREAT!! Its sad, because you knew the book was going to be canceled months ago due to Marvels inside cover… it had what previously went on issue by issue…and then they had blank spaces for issue 10 11 and 12. So you knew they were shooting for 12 to end it. Notice the cover of 12 has part 4 of 6 or something on it. Seriously..The only people who I think could pull off a Thanos book would be Keith, PAD or Walt Simoson.
by the way, people should pick up the back issues of Zodiac by Giffen if you want to read one of the best comics ever published!
Keith’s JLI work was great, but I also liked a short-lived series he did in the 80’s called The Heckler.
Well, if you just look on the cover you could see Thanos series was a goner. After Starlin left it I think it would have been cancled pretty much no matter what. The second (final) arc did not seem that good to me, but when you do a typo (4 of 6) then you know it is in trouble when it should be (6 of 6). Did other people have typos on the front page also?
“Since the cosmic cube he became at the end of Secret Wars III evolved into a sentient Cosmic CUbe like Cubik and the SHaper of Worlds, in some FF Annual”
There was a Secret Wars 3? Must have been a slow year for Marvel then.
Even if it WERE true – which it isn’t – which is worse, someone who can’t keep a book going, or someone who can’t stick with one? The latter being aimed at an unnamed Marvel/DC writer/artist who was supposedly very successful on a variety of books, but just couldn’t be bothered to stick with them more than a few years, if that, for the most part. He’d get bored and move on. Feh.
*** There was a Secret Wars 3? Must have been a slow year for Marvel then. ***
It was during a fairly dreadful run of Fantastic Four in the late 80’s. Reed and Sue had left the group to be replaced by Ms. Marvel and Crystal, Ben had been transformed so that he looked something like a giant pineapple, and Ms. Marvel had been turned into the She-Thing (shudder).
I *think* the entire “Secret Wars 3” arc was written by Steve Engleheart, and while I never much cared for the make-up of the team itself, IMO the story wasn’t so bad as it offered a fairly reasonable explanation for the origin of the Beyonder and how “he” actually fit into the hierarchy of Marvel cosmology. IIRC, the Beyonder and the Molecule Man were both revealed to be aspects of the same Cosmic Cube, which had somehow become fractured. In the end, they were merged into a “whole” cube, which then evolved into the chick currently in Thanos (kinda like the Shaper of Worlds and Kubik are evolved Cosmic Cubes).
(Note: I’m doing this from memory… so take the whole thing with a grain of salt).
Holy Smoke. I am *such* a nerd. 🙂
A couple of quick comments:
About 7Thunders’ comment on the “blank spaces”, those spaces were left for one very good reason: Those issues hadn’t come out at the time. It was a way to recap what had gone before issue-by-issue, and there was little sense in revealing what would happen in an issue which hadn’t come out yet. (The Image book, “Rex Mundi” uses the same idea.) As for the “ending it at 12”, well, duh! The storyline was only intended for 6 issues. If the recap showed what had already happened in 3 issues (7, 8, 9), but left blank the info on 3 issues (10, 11, 12), what else was Marvel to do? 3 + 3 = 6. There isn’t really much need in providing blank spots for issues which won’t be continuing that particular storyline.
About WadeTripp’s comment: I guess some people don’t know (or don’t remember) the little fiasco with the first “Punisher” mini-series. The issues were bannered as “#1 of a 4-issue limited series”, “#2 of a 5-issue limited series”, “#3 of a 4-issue limited series”, “#4 of a 5-issue limited series”, and finally, “#5 of a 5-issue limited series” (I personally was rooting to see “#5 of a 4-issue limited series). This was incredibly confusing for the first 3 months (is it 4 or is it 5 issues?), and was only resolved when the last page of issue #4 was seen.
“I’ts still a mystery why Starlin left.”
I assumed he wanted to concentrate on his new creator-owned book, Cosmic Guard, being published by Devil’s Due.
With the thought of “Marvel isn’t into the cosmic game any more”…
Is Silver Surfer in danger of being canned next?
I’m sorry to see Thanos go but i wasn’t enjoying it as much as i was before Starlin left . I’m pretty sure i would have preferred Peter writing it and would have been my first choice too based upon the aforementioned Dreadstar work. There IS a market for this kind of book… but Marvel seems to have a hard time pulling it off. If i remember ,sales were stong on the title before starlin left weren’t they ? It doesn’t make sense to me the way Marvel spends money promoting the titles that ALWAYS sell well, [namely the X-books] and neglects to promote the books that NEED promoting like Captain Marvel and Thanos. …..
I was PÍSSÊÐ when Thanos just stoped out of the blue.
Here i was thinking that Marvel had put out a comics that i could really get into, being a BIG Thanos fan , ever since the “Infinity” saga, and then without warning, they just can it………but i guess thats just the Marvel way.