Thanos Rising #1

I was justifiably concerned when Marvel Comics announced their plans for a mini-series looking in-depth at the life and childhood of Thanos. I can't say Thanos Rising #1 is worse than I expected, but the misadventures of a teenage outcast on the moons of Saturn is exactly as insipid as I dreaded it would be from a company that learned nothing of George Lucas' (flawed, but still vastly superior) attempt at similar themes in the Star Wars prequels.

I can't lay all the blame at the feet of writer Jason Aaron as the entire idea behind the comic is pretty damn bad. (Seriously, who at Marvel thought this was a good idea?) However, Aaron certainly does nothing to save the situation by offering up a Dawson's Creek version of Thanos' adolescence that is just as awful as it sounds.

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.

[Marvel, $3.99]