Thanos appears in "GLX"

A page from GLX-Mas. Click here for the full-page.

To the surprise of many (myself included), Thanos has shown up in the pages of the new GLX-Mas Special. He makes a brief appearance where he again declares his intentions to conquer the Universe, using an object called the Pyramatrix to drain the life-force of everyone on Earth so that he can realize his goal. He is immediately challenged by Squirrel-Girl and her squirrel companion, Tippy-Toe.

So what happens next? Well, you're just going to have to buy GLX-Mas to find out!

Marvel starts to hype Annihilation

Marvel.com is already working hard to make sure that ANNIHILATION is on the minds of the fans. They've adorned their main page with a large Annihilation banner, and also a poll, asking fans to vote for their favorite Cosmic character. The selections are Nova, Quasar, Silver-Surfer, Thanos, Captain Marvel, and Galactus. So be sure to surf on over and vote for your favorite!

Star War: Giffen talks "ANNIHILATION"

As I said in yesterday's update, the news is flowing quickly about ANNIHILATION, and today is no exception. Writer Kieth Giffen talked to Comic Book Resources about this galaxy-spanning project:

"I've been reading this stuff since Starlin was first playing around with the idea of Captain Marvel as a cosmic character and reworking Warlock," Giffen said. "Back then that hadn't been done yet. He was doing a totally unique take on cosmic characters and that's what we're trying to do here again."

"The "Annihilation" prologue kicks off the epic inter-galactic saga, "It's 42 pages long and it's the first step in irrevocably altering the cosmic landscape," Giffen said. "If you care about the cosmic characters, you'll definitely want to pick up 'Annihilation' because they are all going to be touched in one way or another."

Giffen has a lot more to say about this event, and to read the rest of the article, please visit Comic Book Resources!

No Thanos mini from Starlin

And in a development that has to rank as unsurprising given the recent news about "Annihilation", it turns out that Thanos-creator Jim Starlin isn't working on a new Thanos miniseries after all. One of my contacts recently e-mailed Mr. Starlin, and got the concrete answer. It seems that the pages currently on display at Starlin's site are likely from his upcoming Cosmic Guard/Kid Cosmos series, which is slated to hit the stands in May. We wish him the best of luck with his latest endeavor!

The first page of "ANNIHILATION"

The 1st page of ANNIHILATION. Click here for the full-page.

The news about ANNIHILATION is coming in a rather fast and furious fashion. Today, Marvel released page 1 of the ANNIHILATION Prologue, a portion of which you can see to the right. The page art features Thanos himself, and he is also flanked by the spritely, but tough-as-nails Skreet, the Fallen One, who was once the original herald of Galactus, and also Mistress Death herself. The art seems to strike a very ominous tone, and leads me to believe that Thanos may be the catalyst behind the cosmic-level events that are about to unfold.

As stated in yesterday's press-release, ANNIHILATION is going to be a huge affair, begining in March with the "Prologue" one-shot, and four 4-issue limited series (Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull, Nova, and Ronan the Accuser), and then the 6-issue ANNIHILATION limited series itself.

And it goes without saying that I can't wait!

QC issues with Bowen THANOS statue?

There's good news and bad news.

The good news is that the new Thanos statue from Bowen Designs has started shipping to the people who pre-ordered that statue through Bowen's site. This means that the retailers who ordered them through Diamond should start receiving theirs sometime rather soon.

However, the bad news is that some of these statues may have a rather annoying Quality Control issue. According to Jameshowlett over at STATUEFORUM.com, one of his sellers said the following:

"They put the tissue paper on in china before paint was completely dry and the paint job is off or smudged in a few places on the statue. We contacted Randy and even sent him digital pics as per his request. He said a few other retailers have reported the same problem."

Ick. That's a pretty major slip-up. I'll try to get more information, and if it turns out to be a widespread problem, you can be sure I'll report it. It's very possible that this issue is limited to just a small portion of the overall stock.

UPDATE!! - It looks like I was likely correct, and the paint-issues aren't that widespread. Randy Bowen has issued a statement:

"Before everyone starts making speculations, we just want to set the story straight...

We have received a few reports of slightly irregular paint jobs on the Thanos statue. If you find any irregularities on your statue please contact your place of purchase for assistance.

So lets not start a panic...BD (Bowen Designs) will take care of issues that may arise."

Good to hear!

The cover to ANNIHILATION. Click here for larger.

Ooooh, do we have some cool news for you today! Marvel released its solicit info for March 2006, and this item at Newsarama caught my eye:

ANNIHILATION: PROLOGUE
Written by KEITH GIFFEN
Penciled by SCOTT KOLINS & ARIEL OLIVETTI
Cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO

This is it! 48 pages of cosmic guts and glory! If you want to see your favorite cosmic level heroes and villains, you dare not miss ANNIHIALTION: PROLOGUE! This 48 page (NO ADS!) book is written by Keith Giffen (DRAX THE DESTROYER, THANOS), and features the stunning art of Scott Kolins & Ariel Olivetti. This is the book to read for the NEXT YEAR'S worth of cosmic stories! Get in on the ground floor as Marvel raises these great characters from the ashes! Heroes will die. Villains and heroes will form allegiances. Empires will fall.

FEATURING: NOVA, SILVER SURFER, THANOS, DRAX THE DESTROYER, RONAN THE ACCUSER, AND THE SUPER-SKRULL!

Retailers take note: this issue kicks off a cosmic event starting in April!
48 PGS (NO ADS)/T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$3.99

Well, it wasn't long before Newsarama offered up even more details:

MARVEL ANNOUNCES COSMIC "ANNIHILATION"

Marvel Comics has stars in its eyes as it announces the impending approach of ANNIHILATION, a major new comics event. ANNIHILATION, beginning in March '06, encompasses a prologue one-shot, four 4-issue limited series, and a 6-issue concluding limited series. The universe itself provides the stage and the backdrop.

Outer space-based characters were once a mainstay of the comics industry, especially in the 40s and 50s, but except for a brief revival in the 70s have never truly been given much in the way of a well-deserved focus. Marvel Comics has a unique and diverse stable of strange space-faring heroes and villains whose time has come to shine once again. But can they survive ANNIHILATION?

"The basic idea is that we've got a ton of cool space characters that have been under used--and to a certain degree misused--for several years," notes Marvel editor Andy Schmidt. "They're fantastic characters that just need to be dusted off and thrust into some new stories that give them a chance to shine. They should and can be great to read about. And during ANNIHILATION, they will be."

The scope of the new event is as wide and expansive a space itself:

ANNIHILATION:PROLOGUE - written by Keith Giffen (Legion of Super-Heroes, Justice League, DRAX THE DESTROYER, HOWLING COMMANDOES) and art by Scott Kolins (AVENGERS, MARVEL-TEAM UP) and Ariel Olivetti (Space Ghost). Kolins says: "Working with Giffen is a dream come true. His plans are amazing and I'm ecstatic to be drawing this prologue. It's gonna rock!"

SILVER SURFER - written by Keith Giffen and art by Renato Arlem (IMPERFECTS)

SUPER-SKRULL - written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (ABC's "Lost", The Middle Man) and art by Greg Titus (Syn, ICEMAN)

NOVA - written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (Legion of Super-Heroes) and art by Kev Walker (EXILES)

RONAN THE ACCUSER - written by Simon Furman (DEATH'S HEAD, TRANSFORMERS UK) and art by Jorge Lucas (INHUMANS, COLOSSUS: BLOODINE)

ANNIHILATION - the 6-issue coda to the event that gathers all the players together, written by Keith Giffen!

Other extraterrestrial entities that will appear in ANNIHILATION will include such hardhitting powerhouses as Drax, Quasar, and fan-favorite baddie Thanos. Fans should keep their eyes to the telescope, as even more cosmic characters taking part in the event will be revealed as the launch date nears.

"I am front-row-center for this party," enthuses Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada. "Andy's more than right to point out that these space guys have not been given a proper spotlight lately...but hey! Ya can't keep good, nay, GREAT characters down at ol' Marvel, and this one's chock fulla great characters! Now, if only I could convince Andy and his gang to use the Guardians of the Galaxy..."

When Andy Schmidt is pressed to pinpoint the single best thing about ANNIHILATION, he smiles the smile of a proud papa. "There's so much going on that I can't pick just one. For me, it's just great to finally see these cool space characters in new and intense situations.

"I can't wait to see what all the fans think!"

Very, very cool! I'm really looking forward to this huge, cosmic event. This is something the fans have wanted to see for a while now, and it could be just the thing to bring Marvel's cosmic characters back into the limelight. As I find out more, I'll be sure to report it!

New Thanos miniseries?

It looks like Thanos-creator Jim Starlin is hard at work on a new Thanos mini-series. There are no plot or story details available yet, however Jim is previewing new pages from the series at his website. To see these page-samples, just click on the "A New Vision" link, and there you will find the link to the preview images. New pages are available each Tuesday and Friday.

Marvel Select Thanos now available!

Marvel Select Thanos, in-package . Click here to see the whole thing.

The highly-anticipated Thanos figure from Diamond's Marvel Select line has finally hit the shelves in most areas. Neon Batman has been kind enough to review the figure in his blog, and he ranks it very, very highly. I'm particularly pleased to find that Thanos boasts 18-points of articulation, which really approaches the norm for the Marvel Legends line. And while I remain irritated that Thanos is supposedly "too obscure" for the Legends line, I'm pleased that the Select version is so articulated.

As for me, I'd love to review the figure. Unfortunately, Diamond has yet to ship them to my local shop. The rep for our region states that they will definitely ship next week. My response to this claim? "They'd better.". As soon as I have my own Thanos figure in-hand, you can expect a detailed, photo-rich review.

Anyway, the figure will set you back to the tune of $18.99 or so, and you really should support your local shop if you can before looking elsewhere. That being said, if you can't acquire one at a nearby shop, then feel free to poke around online.

New Thanos statue expected to ship soon

Thanos statue, from Bowen designs. Click here to see the whole thing.

The new Thanos statue from Bowen Designs was due to ship back in October. But its now halfway through November, and its has yet to ship. That being said, this masterpiece will almost certainly prove to be worth the additional wait when it finally hits the shops, possibly by November 30th. It would certainly make a great Christmas gift for that Thanos fan in your life.

Here is the official info on the statue:

Randy Bowen and the Shiflett Brothers present the ultimate depiction of the mad titan, Thanos - the alien warlord who loved Death so much, he killed half the universe to impress her! Standing over 15' tall, Thanos stands with the Infinity Gauntlet raised threateningly, ready to wreak havoc on a galactic scale. This statue is made from cold cast resin, and is painted and ready for display.

This limited-run statue is sold out on Bowen's site, but you can still order it from one of several online retailers. The price ranges from $150 to $200, and a few of the retailers are offering free shipping.

FOUND! Thanos Minimate alive and well!

The long-delayed Thanos minimate. Awwww, isn't he cute?

As most of you know, I was pretty torqued-off about the long delayed release of the Thanos Minimate. I was pretty close to slapping up a "MISSING" flyer at Wal-Mart in the hopes of getting an anonymous tip. However, that proved to be unnecessary.

The diminutive figure finally saw the light of day at Comicon-International in San Diego, where it was offered up as an exclusive, packaged with the Silver Surfer, as originally intended. After the con ended, the 2-pack was then made available to online shoppers via Action Figure Express, where you can still purchase a set for yourself for a mere $8.49 (The on-sale price. The set is normally $9.99).

Marvel Select Thanos Update

Thanos, from Diamond's Marvel Select Line. Click here for larger photos.

Diamond Select Toys has officially announced the release of the upcoming Thanos figure for its Marvel Select line. Below is a portion of their announcement:

Fans have wanted him for years, and a Select few saw him at Toy Fair. Just in case you haven't heard... Thanos will be the next action-figure in Diamond Select Toys' Marvel Select line. Offered in the May issue of Diamond Comics Distributors' Previews catalog (on sale 4/20/05), the Thanos action figure features 14 points of articulation, and even comes with a removable Infinity Gauntlet. Also included is the great love of the mad Titan: Death, featured as an unarticulated, in-scale companion figure.

The Thanos action figure is cast in scale with all of the previous releases in DST's Marvel Select Action Figure Line, and is set for release Fall 2005.

Interesting. At Toy Fair it was stated that Thanos had been scaled-down to better fit in with the Marvel Legends line. However this info states that it's in-scale with the other Marvel Select figures. So, I wonder which statement is the correct one. I guess we'll either have to wait for more info, or the actual release itself. Its not a huge deal as far as I'm concerned, but it does make me wonder.

For the full report - and bigger photos - please visit Diamond's News Section.

Marvel Select Thanos Figure!

Marvel Select Thanos Prototype. For more photos, please visit the Marvel Select Gallery at superherotimes.com

At this year's annual Toy Fair in New York (Feb 20-23, 2005) , one of the items on display at the Diamond Select booth was a nicely-done Thanos figure for their Marvel Select line, which will be made available via Diamond Select Toys.

Thanos comes with a well sculpted Mistress Death figurine, and also an extra Infinity Gauntlet hand. Detail-oriented fans (like myself) will likely notice that the Gauntlet is missing a gem on the back of the hand, and that the remaining 5 gems are in the wrong order. Hopefully that will be addressed before the figure goes into production. However, if it isn't, it'll be easy enough to modify.

Diamond's Marvel Select line is usually done at a larger scale than the figures in the Marvel Legends line, and they also tend to be a bit stingy with the articulation. However, Thanos is well-articulated, boasting ball-joints in the hips and shoulders, a swiveling waist, hinged knees and elbows, ankle-joints, a dual-jointed neck, and likely boasts rotaing forearms and an ankle-tilts as well. He might end up with a bicep-swivel, and possibly a calf-swivel as well, but its hard to tell from this prototype and we'll just have to wait to see the final production version to be sure. As is, he already boasts a definite 13-points of articulation, which is a lot for a Marvel Select figure. He's also reportedly been scaled down just a touch in order to match up better with the Marvel Legends line.

Is it possible that we'll also get a Marvel Legends Thanos somewhere down the line? Well, it seems rather unlikely at this point. When Toy Biz Senior Product Manager Jesse Falcon was asked about it at Toyfair, he said it probably wouldn't happen because Thanos "isn't well known enough" to be considered for the Marvel Legends line. This is why it was decided to give Thanos more articulation and to make him in a scale that is comporable to the Marvel Legends figures.

Now, I have to scratch my head upon hearing this, since the Marvel Legends line has some rather obscure figures, like Man-Thing and Vengeance for example. Still, I really wouldn't count on a Marvel Legends Thanos. I'd like to be proven wrong, however.

This figure is due for an August release, and will likely be priced around the usual $19.00.

Thanos MiniMate, still AWOL

The Thanos MiniMate remains missing. Click here to see the full-size carton.

In a bit of bad-news, Toy Fair 2005 has came and went, and the Thanos MiniMate is still nowhere to be seen.

Many of you might recall that Art Asylum announced the line up for Series 7 of its MiniMates line, back during Toy Fair 2004. Thanos was slated to be packaged with the Silver Surfer, which was formerly a Tower exclusive. However, when the 2-packs shipped during the summer, the Surfer was paired with Spider-Man 2099 of all people, and Thanos was nowehere to be seen.

So, the question remains. Where is the Thanos MiniMate? There were a lot of new, upcoming MiniMates on display at Toy Fair, including characters like Firestar, Bishop, Cable, Carnage, and even Silver-Sable. Unfortunately, Thanos wasn't among them.

Well, Rob Rooney, who is an editor over at Raving Toy Maniac asked that very question, and found out that there is no set timetable for Thanos' release, and thus the figure isn't likely to ship scheduled to ship any time soon. It must also be noted that there has been no announcement cancelling the figure, so we can only hope that he will indeed be released some time down the road.

At least they better release him at some point, elsewise, Corvus will smash!

For those of you are curious or missed the photos last year, here's the full-size photo of the Thanos MiniMate, courtesy of Raving Toy Maniac: