Screen Time: AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt

Directors: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Runtime: 149 minutes

Certificate: 12A

Release Date: 26th April 2018

Matt C: The culmination of an unprecedented run of interlocking movies, Avengers: Infinity War arrives with near stratospheric expectations, the first genuine attempt at the bringing the 'event book' concept from the comic page to the big screen, drawing in a multitude of characters from the preceding 18 films(!), providing the kind of cinematic team-ups that would have been mere pipe dreams for numerous comic fans many years ago, before the rest of the world caught up.

Perhaps there was a worry that directorial duo Anthony and Joe Russo would have so many plates spinning that it would inevitably collapse into a heap, but there's a reason Marvel Studios has been so wildly successful, both critically and commercially, over the last 10 years: these guys know what they're doing. From head honcho Kevin Feige down, there's always been a pure love and understanding of the source material from the people involved in bringing these stories to the screen, so even when tasked with putting together arguably the most ambitious production of the modern age, they succeed with flying colours. While nuanced characterization was never going to be this film's primary focus (most of the groundwork has been done during previous entries in this respect) it offers an almost relentless spectacle of action and emotion, with a constant delivery of rib-tickling quips sitting comfortably alongside some genuine shocks and surprises.

Cover Story: TOP TEN THANOS COVERS

Matt C: Introduced in Iron Man #55 by writer/artist Jim Starlin, Thanos has had a slow climb up the ladder of evil in the Marvel Universe, and perhaps now holds the position of the premier super-villain (or at the very least, he gives Doctor Doom a run for his money). Moving from the cosmic fringes into the mainstream, battling anyone who's anyone over the years, either in pursuit of the Infinity Stones, Mistress Death's affection or just general chaos and destruction, the Mad Titan continues to strike fear across the universe via his unwavering determination to his cause. His cover appearances are often variations of him looking imposing, wielding a certain gauntlet, or flashing that trademark grin of his, and although there were other contenders in the running for this countdown, these are the ten Thanos comic book covers we feel are the best of the murderous bunch.

Working the Boxes: THANOS #1-12

In Working The Boxes we highlight any recent back issue purchases we've found buried in comic boxes or discovered on eBay that we think are worthy of further attention.

Jo S: Imagine the scene: Josh Brolin, resplendent in purple body paint, blue and gold armour gleaming, stomps onto the set in those gigantic boots, their weight causing tremors in the surrounding scenery. A voice like a crate full of loose slates sliding over a cliff grates out and the Russo brothers raise their heads… “So… what’s my motivation here, guys?”

See, this is my problem with Thanos. Motivation. We need Bad Guys in comic books, otherwise who do we save the world from? But we also need to know why the Bad Guy is so Bad. What was it that set this person off down this road to destruction? Just being evil has limited reach, surely? Being motivated by pure evil must eventually lead to a miserable life for the perpetrator - but perhaps I am a little naive in that.

Jeff Lemire’s recent run of twelve issues, lavishly illustrated by Mike Deodato and then Germán Peralta, lit up in bright flames by colours from Frank Martin and then Rachelle Rosenberg, does a great job of exploring the motivations of its characters, so before the imminent release of Avengers: Infinity War, I wanted to look at what drives the main player, and perhaps thereby shed some light on why the Big Bad of the movie is such a force to be reckoned with.

Working The Boxes: INFINITY GAUNTLET #1-6

In Working The Boxes we highlight any recent back issue purchases we've found buried in comic boxes or discovered on eBay that we think are worthy of further attention.

Matt C: Admission time: until recently, I'd never read Infinity Gauntlet. When writer Jim Starlin resurrected Thanos in Silver Surfer #34 in 1990, I was totally on board with the cosmic awesomeness of the Marvel Universe, and my reading trajectory at that point should have lead me to pick up Infinity Gauntlet at the time. Life, however, had other ideas. As has happened with many of us at some point in our lives, certain things become more distracting (for me, in my late teens, it was rock'n'roll, and related activities), so the need for larger than life characters throwing their weight around the universe seemed to diminish. Sooner or later that need reasserts itself, and after a couple of years of being out of the loop, I was back! In the interim, Infinity Gauntlet, and its direct sequel, Infinity War, had come and gone, and the second sequel, Infinity Crusade, was on the shelves. Reading Infinity Gauntlet did become a mission of sorts for me, but one that remained on the backburner, with issues being picked up at comic conventions at acceptable prices over the years. Once I had the six, they went on the 'To Read' pile, but never really progressed up to the top, until the imminent release of a certain movie made me think, 'I really need to read these comics!'

From The Vaults: WARLOCK #9-10, AVENGERS ANNUAL #7

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

Andrew B: He speaks with the grandeur of Dr Doom. He schemes with the insane zeal of the Red Skull. And, yes, he’s got a chin like Darkseid. Thanos of Titan has qualities in common with many of the other great villains of comicdom, Marvel or DC. But there’s one factor that makes him different, darker, deadlier. One feature that sets him apart. The nature of his ambition: nothing less than total stellar genocide.

Take Doom or the Skull, for example. Their world-views are unlikely to be shared by anyone currently reading this article (unless they happen to be sporting a funny little moustache and listening to a CD of SS marching songs), but they can at least be understood. Their dark dreams involve the possession of power and the right to rule over a subject people – not too savoury – but at least they envisage a world with people still in it. There is a twisted rationality in their megalomania, a limit to their plans. Doom for one is even capable of a level of nobility – in Fantastic Four #87, for example, he famously lets the FF go free rather than in battle risk damage to “the immortal art” preserved in his castle. On some level, you can deal with Doom, even the Skull.

None of that with Thanos.

THANOS WEEK @ THE PCG

Matt C: The movie event of the year is almost upon us!

Something that had been inconceivable for many of us growing up reading comics, a cinematic version of an event book is arriving, where a multitude of superheroes team up to battle potentially insurmountable evil. It's astonishing to think how a decade ago, Samuel L. Jackson popping up for a post-credits scene in Iron Man, talking up the 'Avengers Initiative', would lead to Avengers: Infinity War, where the likes of Thor, Captain America, Star-Lord, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and so many more, all join forces to defend the universe from the megalomaniac demigod Thanos.

Ah, Thanos. Who is he, and where did he come from? The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been teasing his presence since a brief, mid-credits appearance in 2012's The Avengers, and while his origins are likely to be somewhat different to his comics counterpart (don't expect to see Starfox showing up anywhere!), we've prepared a series of articles that take a look at a few of his pivotal comic book moments along with some glorious cover images featuring the 'man' himself.

So beware over the next week: the Mad Titan is coming!