Silver Surfer: Rebirth Of Thanos Review By Deffinition
Rebirth of Thanos is the second volume in the required reading for the Infinity Gauntlet saga. After the disappointing introductory chapter, Avengers Vs Thanos, I’m not exactly over the moon to be reviewing this book.
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However, every cloud has a SILVER lining (excuse the pun).
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One of my biggest criticisms of the previous book was that its length made it a chore to get through. This graphic novel, on the other hand, is relatively short in comparison and has the potential to deliver a SILVER age (sorry again) story that stands as a nostalgic walk through the comics of yesteryear.
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Will this book follow in the footsteps of Avengers Vs Thanos or does it have the power to go stratospheric?
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Let’s find out and dive into Silver Surfer: Rebirth Of Thanos!
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The Return Of Thanos
Travelling the universe sure is tiring. That’s why Silver Surfer needs to rest once in a while and go to sleep. Entering a dream he prophesies the return of Thanos and upon awakening discovers the Mad Titan is alive once more.
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It’s not exactly Eisner award-winning storytelling but it sets the stage for the return of Marvel’s greatest villain, even if it feels completely hamfisted, lazy and implausible.
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Luckily, the following arc completely redeems this and makes it completely forgivable. It’s a positive that the creative team didn’t waste a lot of time in exposition explaining how the monster had revived and it sets the stage for the brilliant chapter that succeeds it.
The Galaxy According To Thanos
Touring the Galaxy with Thanos, The Silver Surfer learns how Earth’s resources have dwindled due to overpopulation and how the planet is unable to sustain any further growth. It’s brilliant social commentary on the problems that we face today in terms of the energy crisis and global warming. I was blown away by how much the comics had matured since Avengers Vs Thanos and this analysis on society invested me in the villain and heroes points of view.
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Tricking the Silver Surfer, Thanos transports them to another planet that faces the problem of overpopulation too. This time, however, he has brought Earth’s viruses with him and unleashes them upon the inhabitants. It’s a bold move that implies the positives of Euthanasia and Genocide and definitely feels like a step in the right direction in terms of elevating Thanos to the evilest encounter that the Silver Surfer has ever had.
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This adult tone was welcome and it’s a vast shift from the, at times laughable, Avengers Vs Thanos graphic novel. This storyline even does a brilliant job of recapping that arc in a few pages, meaning that you can easily skip this stories redundant predecessor and use this book as a starting point. Which is a credit to Starlin’s ability to cohesively sum things up in a simple to understand manner.
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Drax Attacks
Unforuntatey this simplicity can sometimes be to the book’s detriment. In his search for Thanos, The Silver Surfer encounters Drax and is stalked throughout a chapter by the hulking Titan. Unable to shake him he simply returns to Earth, sits down and watches TV with the beast until he sees an opening and runs off.
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It’s laughably bad and really had me rolling my eyes. In a book that was dealing with weighty subjects, this stupid section massively derailed my interest in it and it really knocks the book down a peg or two.
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The Thanos Quest
In the final chapter of the graphic novel we follow Thanos as he traverses the galaxy attempting to obtain the Infinity Stones. It’s a brilliant journey from the villains perspective that fans of infinity war will adore. By far the book’s strongest section it was great getting to see the character first hand from his own point of view and it’s rare that character development is done through the eyes of the villain.
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Thanos is cunning, charismatic and cool under pressure, making him a character that readers will gravitate towards. I loved watching his battles through brawn and brains and this book paints him out as the perfect all-rounder.
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The story goes out with a bang. Thanos manages to get all 6 infinity stones and the book expertly teases the next in the run. Making for a brilliant ending.
The Verdict
Silver Surfer: Rebirth Of Thanos rewrites all the wrongs of Avengers Vs Thanos. It’s well paced, beautifully drawn and doesn’t have an eye-rolling dialogue that seems dated by today’s standards.
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It’s a great journey from beginning to end and fans of infinity war should definitely pick this up.
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That’s why it gets a solid…
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