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Thanos: Marvel Universe -
The End

Creator: Jim Starlin
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Rob Manuel

To all good things...

It's in the nature of the story.  With every story, there is a beginning (before stuff happens), a middle (stuff happens), and an end (all the stuff that was happening stops happening, and everyone gets to go home to bake a ham). With a resurgence of "How does this all begin" story lines, readers became equally interested in the "How does this all end" story lines.  Of course we've seen the Hulk smash things one last time and old Wolverine smoke his last stogie, but how does it all end?  I mean...everything.  How does everything end? I'm sure Jim Starlin's jaw hit the floor when he was asked to end the Marvel Universe.  Everyone.  Every last spandex-wearing, stand-too-close-to-the-microwave mutating, get-bitten-by-a-radioactive-Ozzy-Osbourne superhero turns to dust in one last story line.  I'm not sure if Jim did it, but I'm pretty sure he could have gotten the job done a lot quicker with some gasoline and a match.

In Thanos: Marvel Universe- The End - which I will now lovingly refer to as The End - we begin at the end.  There's only darkness and Thanos.  Yup, he made it which is part of the reason he gets his name in the title. Unless you can stand pages of this beefed-up California Raisin ranting and raving about the end of the world, turn back now.  You won't make it past the end of this book.  The book really begins a few days earlier when everyone starts to sense a disturbance in the force... or air... or Thathgar...or their spider-senses start tingling.  An ancient Egyptian pharaoh gifted with God-like alien powers decides to come back from vacation and enslave the world.  That's when people start dying...a lot of people.  X-Men don't make it past three pages.  The Fantastic Four fair far worse.  Either the superheroes get slaughtered, or they watch other superheroes get slaughtered.  The only ones who make it are a handful of the Avengers, the Defenders, Dr. Doom, and the always cheerful Thanos.  Really, it's Dr. Doom and Thanos who use the rest of the superheroes as human shields until they can think of a plan.

As you can probably tell by now, I didn't care for The End.  I should first point out that I did like the art work.  I thought it was wonderfully drawn and reflected the styles that we see today in Marvel.  With that said, the story itself contained two elements which I think have plagued comics since pen was ever put to paper:  one-sided battles and excessive talking.  No one had a chance in beating the alien pharaoh. Thanos only made it to the end through a technicality that even he wasn't sure would work.  It was one of those spur of the moment ideas.  Mr. Fantastic just happens to invent something to turn back the Mole People.  Cerebro just happens to be able to pick up the mutant in danger.  It just so happens that jumping into the center of the Universe won't kill you after all.

Afterwards, Thanos turns into an angst-ridden teen with all the typical complaints and aimless pondering about the meaning of life.  After reading several pages of this, I thought he might go into a monologue about how no one at school likes him and his daddy won't buy him the new prom dress from the mall.  When it's all said and done, having God-like powers just makes you whine a lot.

I must give credit to Starlin for at least trying and to sticking to what he knows.  Having published works such as Thanos - Infinity Gauntlet and Thanos - Infinite Abyss, it's easy to see Starlin's love for the grape ape.  Obviously with a target as large as the Marvel Universe, some superheroes must be put to the wayside so others may have their panel of glory.  I still feel that The End could have been handled better than breaking down into a very special episode of Dawson’s Creek.

Rating: (1 1/2 out of 4 stars)