This is myth building at its finest. The whole story mirrors the structure of a Greek tragedy, as Thanos is born into the highest levels of his society, but is fated to fall and be reviled rather than revered. Thanos has always been portrayed as a Machiavellian plotter. He sees the universe as his game board, that everything is a pawn to be sacrificed so he can control the uncontrollable. Simone Bianchi's art is perfect for this kind of story His imagery darkly renders Thanos' descent into madness and his highly detailed style fits the complex and cosmic nature of this story. One expects that we will be exposed to a great deal of Thanos moving forward, and Thanos Rising #1 is a damn good start to that journey. Read Full Review

Thanos Rising is a rich comic. There's more material to chew on and discuss than a lot of comics ever hope to achieve. Aaron is a masterful character writer and even though the art isn't at its peak in some areas, Simone Bianchi still does a great job. I'm confident, that when completed, Thanos Rising will be a modern classic. Read Full Review

So far the story is rolling out a bit slow - and it's definitely not for young readers, as dark forces swirl around the Titan's childhood - but it's a solid start on a definitive origin story, and should help keep Thanos on the mind of the comic-reading public - at least until his next movie appearance. Read Full Review

Although not a perfect issue, this was a brilliant opening to this new mini series that explores the origins of one of Marvel's biggest villains, Thanos. It also makes for the perfect starting point for new readers of Thanos, as it will give brilliant insight into the character, making you understand him more, which is brilliant considering he'll play a big part in the Infinity story arc. I would highly recommend this issue, and look forward to seeing it progress, and hope it keeps this level of quality, or gets even better. Read Full Review

I would certainly recommend this book. It paves the way towards Infinityand promises to give you a solid understanding of “that guy at the end of the Avengers movie”. Oh, and I will hold my spoilery thoughts on who the girl in this story is – needless to say, she has meintrigued. Read Full Review

THANOS RISING tells a story a lot of fans may not want to hear, but if you're intrigued by what events could have created something like Thanos, you'll be transfixed. Read Full Review

I really love how Jason Aaron is taking his time to flesh out Thanos. From this first issue I am already getting a great sense of what makes this character tick and that has me thirsting for more. The story is truly compelling here and the art isn't anything to laugh at either. I have to say Marvel Now is doing an amazing job bringing in new readers and I for one think I just added yet another Marvel book to my pull list. Read Full Review

I'm a bit perplexed on what to give this. While I felt the issue had a few strong points at the end and was beautiful to read I'm not sold on the young version of Thanos. Yes everyone is young once and they don't always show their nature at a young age, but I felt that the initial introduction was a bit of a clash from the Titan we all know is to come. Read Full Review

Thanos Rising #1 promises to be a typical good boy turned bad man story. It's well-written and decently-drawn, but it certainly doesn't reach for the stars or challenge preconceptions about the character. Read Full Review

I'm giving this comic a "read" recommendation, not because the story is worth it at all, the art is the draw here. Read Full Review

This comic was... interesting, I guess.  I mean, I know a lot of Thanos's history, but nothing really in-depth from this early on in his life.  Now, there were a few things that bugged me, such as Mentor's disinterest in Thanos, as well as a lack of Starfox.  The Starfox thing was especially odd.  I could swear that Starfox was Thanos's younger brother.  But this comic kind of contradicts that...  If Thanos's mother ended up in a mental home after Thanos's birth, how could Starfox have been born AFTER Thanos?  Thanos's popularity in school also contradicted his established origin...  I remember him isolating himself due to his appearance...  So yeah, there were a few things that bugged me as a fan of Thanos.  With that said though, this comic was an okay read...  Especially for people who aren't as familiar with Thanos's history as I am. Read Full Review

Despite all this, one female peer in particular has taken a special interest in Thanos. The foreshadowing isn't exactly subtle with her role, so something tells me a monkey wrench will get tossed in as soon as next issue, but she is the catalyst for some actual progression and action within this issue so for that she has my gratitude. Read Full Review

There's plenty of room left for this story to improve, and I suspect it will as Thanos ages and becomes more the Mad Titan we know him as. But this first issue proves there's such a thing as making a character too sympathetic. Read Full Review

I’m assuming this is a mini-series, but if it’s not then I would only recommend it to fans of Marvel’s defunct Cosmic line. This book would have been terrific a few years back when the line was huge and not just being produced for the sake of the movies. Thanos is an interesting character, but I think the world that he comes from is actually more interesting. Too bad we’re not likely to see if for very long. The story is pretty “meh”, but the art should be the main factor for you in deciding to purchase it or not. Read Full Review

It's early in the series so there's still plenty of time to turn it around and into something a bit more recognizable in terms of the character. Aaron and Bianchi are the team for this book and if you have any affinity for their work or the character this is a can't miss read. Yet at the same time, there's definitely something off about it in the way that it attempts to create a sympathetic anti-hero, rather than just show off the dark journey of the most dangerous man in the galaxy. It's certainly a mixed bag of a read, something that will be easier to judge when we know more of Aaron and Bianchi's plan, but for now “Thanos Rising” has all the telltale signs of a book that will read better in trade. Read Full Review

Thanos Rising #1 is a puzzlement, with a lot of unanswered questions, but it is a good-looking comic with great coloring, and a strong story that doesn't quite fit the character. Read Full Review

Who is Thanos? Why is he one of the greatest and most evil villains in the Marvel Universe? That's what Jason Aaron is setting out to show us. It's hard to fully take in what we're seeing. We know that Thanos had to be young at some point. It's interesting to see but almost sheds new light on Thanos in a bad way. A big part of me didn't want to see Thanos as a kid. But I do trust in the vision Jason Aaron must have for this series. I'm more looking forward to what's in the next issue. We can't forget Simone Bianchi's amazing art here either. It might be a rocky start but you can't help but be excited to see what Aaron and Bianchi have coming up. Read Full Review

It's okay stuff -- not nearly as bombastic or entertaining as something involving a purple guy from space named Thanos should be, and nicely illustrated by Bianchi who dials back the crazy intricate layouts he's generally known for. Then again, it's not necessarily for us, but for the curious audiences who will pick up the trade come Guardians of the Galaxy and/or Avengers 2. Read Full Review

Kano is a skilled artist but he made an error that basically proved itself fatal in my opinion: He tried to imitate the style of Yanick Paquette. And while I understand the desire to keep the visuals similar to the rest of the series before, I don't believe that fits the new direction of the book. Especially when the writing style and creative direction were altered so much. Read Full Review

Thanos Rising #1 has its share of weaker points, but the character Thanos carries such am impact as a super-villain heavyweight, making issue #2 look promising. Aaron is a proven writer with as strong team of artists at his side, so it will be well worth checking out Thanos Rising #2. Read Full Review

Even though there is some lovely art here, this first issue is off to a rocky start, as it does not do much for the old fans and does not show the reasons why this character is so beloved to begin with for new readers. With some questionable choices added in the mythos, it is hard to see whether this will succeeds, even with some nice moments being brought up once in a while. Read Full Review

Thanos Rising #1 was a disappointing look at one of the most powerful Marvel villains. In trying to make the reader sympathize with Thanos, Jason Aaron strips away why fans love him as a villain. We do not have to sympathize with every villain and Thanos is one of those villains that should be treated as such a threat we hate him because of it. It does not help that the art by Simone Bianchi does not capture the cosmic setting properly with the grounded take taking away from what life was like for the young Thanos. Read Full Review

Thanos Rising feels like the beginning to a forgettable and throwaway mini-series rather than the epic origin it seems to have been positioned as. The story is not very deep and isn't terribly imaginative. If you like scared and innocent kids turning into angry killers then you should check this out. I'm not sure this is definitive Thanos story I was looking for. Read Full Review

Perhaps Aaron and Bianchi can make it work as the series progresses. There are moments of genuine brilliance in the execution, not least the scenes between Thanos and his mother. But in the long run, it's hard to feel like this is doing anything to improve the character. It's enough to know that he's the Mad Titan -- filling in the gaps can only make him less interesting. And in the same way learning that Darth Vader was whiny and lovesick made him look ridiculous, the more time spent with this version of Thanos, the less threatening the adult version seems. For a villain that readers have to believe is intent on wiping out the universe, that can't be a good thing. Read Full Review

Indeed, the whole thing smacks of being a watered-down version to introduce new readers to a figure that should need no introduction. There's even a gaggle of girls who giggle over him and "wanna kiss him". Seriously. Prior toAnnihilation, Thanos starred in the excellent 12-issue titular maxi-seriesby Jim Starlin (to whom the issue is dedicated). The almost Western-focused leanings of that series, in whichThanos decides to atone for the destruction of Rigel-3 and meets Galactus, gave us insight into the fragility within Thanos before restoring him to his full power and sinister glory. Given the weak opening of this series, it is entirely possible that the Mad Titan will be seen as an emo outsider by its conclusion. Read Full Review

Thanos Rising is a cool idea in theory, that doesnt gel in the first issue. Simone Bianchis art is probably where my disconnect lies, though as the story goes on it could start to fit better. Jason Aaron is does a better job than I expected, but while its not bad it's not great either. If youre curious about Thanos as a teen, cautiously give it a look. If youre not interested at all, Thanos Rising wont change your mind. Read Full Review

Thanos is a character who is difficult to write. In that sense, I think Aaron, Bianchi and the rest of the team is working very hard to put together a successful story. I'm not very confident they will pull it off, but who knows what will happen in issue #2. Read Full Review

In a lot of ways, Thanos Rising #1 feels like we're looking at Saddam Hussein's high school yearbook and seeing a doofy kid wearing headgear on the chess team. It feels more funny than frightening, and it still lacks that human connection to invest us. I still believe Thanos is primed to become the A-list villain of the Marvel Universe... but anecdotes like these certainly don't help. Read Full Review

After giving us the birth of the blue-skinned baby Thanos in a world filled with bland suburban Caucasians, the story follows the outcast finally making friends and to learn his first lessons about death. None of which is of any interest. Pass. Read Full Review

This falls under the “Was this really necessary” origin story. Thanos was–is–cool because he's just evil outright. No explanation needed. That's one reason he's so frightening. Again, this is like Anakin Skywalker: if young Thanos had just been hugged by the right people, none of the following tragedy would ever have happened. Skip this book and pretend it never happened. Read Full Review

Yikes that’s some low hanging fruit here. I do not need kid Thanos. Skipping this series now.