Thanos (2017) Annual # 1

Cover Art: Geoff Shaw

Published: June 2018
Original Price: $4.99

Title: untitled
Writer: Donny Cates, Chris Hastings, Kieron Gillen, Katie Cook, Ryan North, & Al Ewing
Artist: Geoff Shaw, Flaviano Armentaro, Andre Arujo, Katie Cook, Will Robson, & Frazer Irving
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Antonio Fabela, Frederico Blee, Chris O'Halloran, Heather Breckle, Rochelle Rosenberg, & Frazer Irving
Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

SYNOPSIS
Frank Castle, the Cosmic Ghost Rider, is sitting in a grassy field beneath a starry night sky, reminiscing out loud to an unseen individual about his death at the hands of the Silver Surfer.  He comments that Thanos used to make him see every vile deed the Mad Titan had ever done via the Penance Stare on a daily basis, and Castle's head is now filled with memories of Thanos' life.  He then goes on to tell stories about some of these memories, including ones about Gamora and Thanos' time wielding the Infinity Gauntlet.  Once finished, Castle's companion is revealed to be Odin, who is there to escort Frank into Valhalla.

ANNOTATIONS
Cosmic Ghost Rider was killed by the Silver Surfer in Thanos (2017) # 17 and appears next in Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 1.

It was revealed that Thanos used Ghost Rider's Penance Stare as a way to relive all of his atrocities in Thanos (2017) # 15.

Podcast Review: Inner Demons Episode 26 - "Unreliable Narrator" (Click to Listen)

REVIEW
Cosmic Ghost Rider narrates an anthology of Thanos stories in an issue that is ultimately inconsequential.

Anthology comics are always a dicey concept, usually comprised of a very mix bag of creators and stories that can hop around in terms of tone and theme without much structure.  Cosmic Ghost Rider's narration is the connective tissue for each story, and he's the star of the framing sequence that takes him from his death at the end of "Thanos Wins" to the first issue of his own mini-series.  That's really all you need to know, honestly: Castle died and is taken to Valhalla by Odin.  If all you care about is Ghost Rider's journey, you can easily skip right past this comic.

There's not much to recommend here otherwise, I'm afraid.  Two of the stories are relatively decent: the Cates/Shaw Gamora story and Kieron Gillen's Infinity Gauntlet interlude are both readable if not terribly interesting.  Three of the stories are outright terrible, ranging from the ludicrous "Thanos Helps an Old Lady Across the Street" and "...Man Who Takes Everything" stories that turn Thanos' motivations into comedy situations that make no sense given the character to the absolutely horrendous "My Little Thanos" by Katie Cook, which made my eyes bleed.  Only Al Ewing and Frazer Irving turned out a truly excellent story, "The Comfort of the Good" was a fantastic exploration of goodness and religiosity with a truly haunting final panel of Castle asking if children were still in Heaven.

I think it's that drastic shift in tone from story to story that sinks this comic, because it can't make up its mind if Thanos is a deadly serious madman or someone who tortures a random Earth guy for no reason on his birthday.  If you're just coming for Cosmic Ghost Rider, I suggest giving this one a pass and saving your money.

Grade: C-