REVIEW: The Thanos Imperative #4
Friday, September 10, 2010 - 13:07
REVIEW: THE THANOS IMPERATIVE #4
THE THANOS IMPERATIVE #4 PREVIEW
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist: Miguel Sepulveda
Colorists: Jay David Ramos & Wil Quintana
Cover Art: Aleksi Briclot
Warning: Contains Spoilers
A surgical strike by a team comprised of some of the most powerful beings in the 616 universe pitted against the stronghold of Lord Mar-Vell would be the penultimate “head shot” to end the Cancerverse War if it was successful. That’s the gamble Nova’s team, referred to by the cosmic fan community as the Cosmic Avengers, take at the beginning of this issue -- and I can definitively say that fans will be astounded by the combat sequences. They’re just as awesome as would be expected given the players and their foes. Everyone gets a chance to shine in this high stakes battle.
In the Cancerverse, Starlord’s surgical strike team deals with the aftermath of Drax’s actions last issue where he took out Starlord’s secret weapon, Thanos. As Starlord desperately scrambles to come up with a new plan, the game changes again and it looks like the original plan is back on. Of course, DnA have another twist waiting in the wings and things look dire for Starlord’s team with a cliffhanger ending.
In short, DnA have done it again by bringing us an epic cosmic story. Taken in its entirety, the story thus far is both grand in its literally universe changing stakes as cosmic abstracts battle for survival on a level incomprehensible to us mortals; yet relatable to us mortals in scope as our beloved heroes risk and give their lives as they try to pull off dramatic game changing strategic victories reminiscent of some of the epic battles throughout human history. On a personal level, Nova’s desire to rescue the love of his life is a perfect dramatic touch.
Starlord’s mission is equally high stakes and it looks like it will be the real game changer in this storyline. His leadership skills will be stretched to the max in this mission – and at a dramatic level, he may finally attain the redemption he so desperately seeks. I fear that the cost of that redemption may be very high as the casualties are beginning to mount.
There are so many favorite moments in this issue that to list them all would simply fill this article with spoilers. I’ll only name my top favorites. Favorite line: “That’s my boyfriend.” Best deadpan trash talk: Silver Surfer. Best “buddy adventure” interplay: Nova and Quasar. Best fight: Nova vs. Mar-Vell. I know one reviewer at another website implied Nova was weak in this fight. He must’ve been reading another issue. Who else could’ve gotten back up to fight some more? Thor maybe? Hmm – it seems that the Cancerverse’s version of Thor is in thrall to Mar-Vell. Silver Surfer? Mar took him out too. So, the lesson is: think it through before you make a snitty comment.
The story is excellent, but it did contain some personal disappointments in terms of character “developments.” As a Drax fan, I was very disappointed. I’m hoping that we’re not heading for a “Wild Bunch” or “Space: Above and Beyond” type of nihilistic finale for most of our cosmic heroes. That’s really not what the cosmic fans want if my measure of fan desires is accurate.
Sepulveda’s art gets better with every issue and fans will certainly be very pleased with his rendering in this issue. Ramos and Quintana’s colors perfectly complement the art. Briclot’s cover is a nice tribute to what is perhaps the final battle between Thanos and Drax.
Marvel seems to have difficulty understanding cosmic and understanding what cosmic fans want if their characterization of the upcoming Chaos War as cosmic is any measure. So, let me try to set the record straight. Chaos War is magical-mythological high fantasy. Annihilation, Kree-Skrull War, and Thanos Imperative are cosmic military science-fiction/science-fantasy. Cosmic fans want the more Star-Wars-ish science-fiction/science-fantasy stories. This, The Thanos Imperative, is the type of storyline cosmic fans want.
Written by: Bill Meneese
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