A Family Brought Together By Death In Thanos #2
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead]
Thanos has killed the remainder of the Zen-Whoberi except for their last survivor, Gamora. She has seen Lady Death, and Thanos wants to know how. He takes Gamora back to Zero Sanctuary and has Ebony Maw put her in a cell. Maw wants to use Gamora as leverage against Thanos, but she escapes him instead. She makes it to Thanos, who is having his own confrontation with Adam Magus and the Church of Universal Truth.
Thanos #2 shows the pivotal moment when Thanos began to see Gamora as something more than another offering for Lady Death. She distinguishes herself before Thanos, even while the Ebony Maw seeks to use this new relationship to his advantage.
It’s a compelling issue for fans of Thanos and/or Gamora, as it shows a side of Thanos few ever get to see (well, at least since Jim Starlin stopped writing him). We see something resembling concern for another living being, even if it’s all still wrapped up in his macabre love affair with Death.
Ebony Maw plays a large role in all of this as one could guess from the summary. He inadvertently leads to the confrontation between Thanos and Gamora in which the Mad Titan gains respect for the child. Of course, Thanos is still privy to the Maw’s machinations to some degree; no one gets one over on Thanos.
Ariel Olivetti’s artwork is once again stellar. His ability to render the expressiveness and strength of the Mad Titan all at once is incredible, and the texturing work adds another level of detail to the proceedings. Antonio Fabela backs the linework up with a vibrant splash of color that jumps off the page.
Thanos #2 is another exciting showing from Tini Howard, Ariel Olivetti, and Antonio Fabela. We get to see the early relationship of Thanos and Gamora and how it was shaped by the Mad Titan’s obsessions as well as his duplicitous followers, and it makes for a compelling read for sure. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out.
Thanos #2 comes to us from writer Tini Howard, artist Ariel Olivetti, color artist Antonio Fabela, letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna, cover artist Jeff Dekal, and variant cover artists Jen Bartel and Dan Panosian.
Final Score: 8/10
