Writer: Tini Howard
Art: Ariel Olivetti, Antonio Fabela, VC’s Joe Caramagna, and Jeff Dekal
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25th, 2019
Thanos has set into motion the chain of events between him and Gamora that will inspire loyalty, bloodshed, and betrayal across the galaxy in this week’s all-new THANOS #6 by Tini Howard. But, what does the Magus have to do with it? Let’s dive into the grand finale of Howard’s THANOS series and find out.
Will the shadow of Thanos ever stop haunting Gamora? This is ultimately how Tini Howard ends her THANOS run with questions about the Mad Titans parenting style and the scars that were left on Gamora. But is this what was expected from a book entitled THANOS?
Ultimately, this reviewer left the series confused, particularly after the finale. Too many questions hovered over the issue as in concluded. It appeared as though Thanos had an agenda all along for Gamora and Magus. However, readers didn’t see a single shred of evidence about this plan leading towards the finish line. Additionally, the relationship that blossomed between Gamora and Thanos didn’t make sense. One minute Gamora is trying to kill the Mad Titan and the next she’s not.
Thanos’ characteristics didn’t jive with this analyst either. Why would the Mad Titan reward his crew for betraying him by bestowing them with promotions? Why would Thanos continue to keep Gamora around if she endlessly disobeyed him and tried to murder him? Yet, earlier in the series the book’s namesake slaughtered people for doing the same thing. Heck, Thanos killed people for less! This concluding factor seemed so contradictory.
Even though there were many principles, themes, and ideas that didn’t work for this reviewer, there were some impressions that Howard dropped into the issue/series that were rather clever. This reviewer enjoyed the way Thanos defeated Magus. Furthermore, the sneaky connection to Death and Magus that Howard introduced into the finale showed fans a little behind the scenes look at the series as a whole. Lastly, readers love when stories intertwine continuity between books AND explain it. Howard reveals to fans a connection between her series and the Gamora in the current GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. This takes planning and organization months in advance that this reviewer can truly respect.
Moreover, Howard ends the issue with a profound statement that describes any parent that lets their child go; “it’s not quitting to realize you’re not the best person for the job.” As true as this statement may be, the part that didn’t sit well with this critic was that the parent at least finds someone to raise the child and doesn’t send them out on there own! This analyst entirely disagrees with the manner in which Howard uses this statement and ends her series. Leaving a child with food and sending them “to a place for people who have been hurt” still seems like a cop-out, as well as neglect. What if the child doesn’t make it? Do they know the child is coming? Furthermore, to see Magus say, “you’re saving me.”, just added more of a heavy parenting hand on the story that wasn’t what this reviewer expected from the beginning of the series and felt extremely forced to get a point across that was unnecessary.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This issue felt confusing and ultimately was nothing that this reviewer anticipated. Instead of a Thanos story or even a story about Gamora, it turned into a tale about bad parenting, unresolved issues, and forced plot threads to wrap up the issue that didn’t make sense with the anecdote to date. Finally, this entire series felt like it didn’t know what direction it was going to take until the last 5 pages, which were forced, complicated, and extremely disappointing to any person who grew up in a broken home or with a parent that didn’t seem to care. If you’ve been buying the issue to date, grab it to complete your story. Otherwise, just pass on it this week.