Print Page - Aaron and Bianchi's "Thanos Rising" Dissected

Just finished reading this in 5 parts, and I--for the most part--enjoyed it, so I thought I talk about it here.

We'll do a summary of the story.
A description of my favorite character from it + the 7 categories used for all of my favorite characters.
Audience rating of the graphic novel + the why.
What I liked about it.
What I disliked about it.
Questions raised by myself after I read it.
And a final timeline of events done by myself.
And, oh, yes. There will be spoilers through out the post.

Summary.
Thanos. Born to a mother who wants to kill him at birth and to a father who cannot kill him, even at the end.
From being unable to dissect a dead lizard to being able to dissect a couple of living teenagers.
From 18 self-confessed murders, including his own mother, before 20, to thousands, including whole planets, afterwards.

What follows is what I got from "Thanos Rising." Your opinion may defer. As for my favorite character in it . . .

Sogarth

The class virgin. The teenage boy who has never slept with anyone before, either boy or girl. The honest, but stupid one. "And he was good to the last drop of . . . his blood."

Adult or teen: teen
Hero, villain, or victim: victim
Nationality: Titian
Class: upper middle
Criminal or crime victim: crime victim
Injured or deceased: deceased
Sexual orientation: heterosexual

and his partner in sex and death . . .

Loktus.

The class slut. The girl who has slept with everyone, including the professor, in their class--both boy and girl, except for Sogarth and Thanos. The dishonest, but the smart one.

"Loktus, have you really slept with everyone, in our class, both the boys and the girls."--"Yes, Sogarth. Even our professor. Everyone, but you and Thanos, and as Thanos is not here, slip out of your thong, so I can make it over 90% of the class I have slept with."

Rated T+ for older teens and adults.

As to the why . . .?!

L(anguage): a couple of b******s. Other than that, pus is about as bad as it gets.
S(ex): alien sex. And a couple of underage (?) teens are seen by our hero, from the back, having sex with their clothes still on.
N(udity): alien boobs. Both man and child--girl and boy--seen wearing a skimpy thong.
V(iolence): women and children tortured and killed. Men killed. Animals killed. People dismembered and decapitated.

Next time: What I liked about it.

Continuing "What I Like" from last post.

06. The characters. No, not Thanos. For except for Lex Luthor and Kingpin, I seldom like super villains. Maybe because they are "super." My empathy, therefore, lies not with the chief villain in a story, but with the lesser villains or "hired help," as I like to call them. And this occurs about 75% of the time. No, for the more I think about Thanos in the 1st half of this story, the less interesting he becomes to me. It is the other characters, and we have already talked to some extent about the young lovers Sogarth and Loktus, but there is also . . .

Cythera: the prettiest girl in the class and Thanos' little girlfriend.
Argos: the most popular boy in the class and the leader on the playground.
"4 Eyes:" the 2nd smartest kid in the class next to Thanos.

And his fellow classmates, friends, family members, and professors. The more I think about them, the more interesting they become.

07.The way the characters are drawn. For like many graphic novels, I find the pictures to be better than the story. Though, the characters do sometimes vary in appearance from panel to panel on the same page, and I do wish I knew more about many of them

08. Trying to guess what the characters are thinking and what they might do and say.

09. That my empathy for the characters lies not with Thanos, but with his victims in the 1st half of the story. For it lies not with the person doing the killing, here Thanos, but with his victims. Those who are killed by him, and what they may have been thinking and feeling, as his victims.

10. That in the "thong controversy" here on Earth, there is a society out there in space, where everyone--young and old, male and female--is pictured wearing a thong, either as underwear or as a swim suit. I think it says something for a society, where again everyone is comfortable enough to wear a thong.

Next time: what I like concluded

Continuing . . .

11. I am always on the prowl for some great put downs, and there are a couple in this story.

When Thanos' girlfriend peels back the sheet, covering the bodies of the two buck naked teen lovers, Loktus and Sogarth, she remarks to Thanos: "Heavens! You have been a rather ZEALOUS little boy, haven't you?"

There is an even better one earlier in the story.

When Sogarth starts reciting a bad love poem to Loktus, she snaps: "Shut up an kiss me, ere you say something too stupid for me to ignore!" ROTFL!

12. A stereotype ignored.
Normally, in this type of story, our hero is rejected because of the way he looks, or because of his race, or his religion, but here our hero, Thanos, is not not only not rejected by his peers and fellow classmates, but is accepted on the playground, even if he looks different from them, and is even admired in the classroom because of his intelligence.

13. The logic of it all.
As illogical as the story may be at times, there is a certain logic to some of the events. You need a scalpel to kill your baby, before it becomes an adult killer, grab the scalpel that was just used to cut the umbilical cord.

14. A sex scene
The scenes between Thanos, and his captives Loktus and Sogarth. There is a welcome sexual frisson in those scenes, which you seldom find in such scenes.

15. The scene works.
Most of the time, a murder of a child by the hero, in a book, in a film, on TV, just does not work, but it works here. It may be the empathy I have for the victims, the sexual frisson in the scenes, or for some reason other, but Thanos' murder of the girl Loktus and the boy Sogarth works.

16. The children.
Normally, outside of human children, one does not find alien children depicted in a graphic novel, but they are depicted here, and the way the artist draws them, makes them look good and interesting.
Of course, that might because you think of them as an elite of the elite in a very elite society, but, for that reason, or for some other reason, I will talk more about them later. But . . .?!

Next time: What I dislike?

We talked about what I liked about it. Now we'll talk about what I disliked about it.

What I dislike.

01. Confusing storytelling.
a. Some of it from the author.
b. Some of it from the artist.
c. Some of it from the format.
d. And some of it from the readers, including myself.

02. That the readers find the story confusing.
a. Well, that explains that. That the girl Loktus and the boy Sogarth were having sex, when Thanos sneaked up on them. I thought so, but it is still a point of confusion.
b. The two victims were not stripped stark naked, before they were strapped to the dissection tables, but retained what they were wearing under their street clothes.
c. "Two weeks later" refers to the burying of Loktus and Sogarth, not the burying of any new victims.
d. Cythera is the name of Thanos' girlfriend, the one he had as a tween. The one who died in the caves with Argos and the other boy. Not the one that Thanos had later.
e. The 3 friends of Thanos who died in the caves were not killed by insects nor wild dogs, and that they were killed by lizards is questionable. What or who killed them, we will get to later.
f. The girl Loktus and the boy Sogarth were not buried than dug up 2 weeks later.
g. Does the word "world" mean just the moon Titan, or does the word "world" mean the entire universe, as we know it?
h. "To make friends, he invites friends [to go with him into the forbidden caves.]" Even Marvel's employees find the story confusing. For the 3 who died in the caves are already his made friends. Look at the panels before the caving expedition, and the girl and the 2 boys are already the ones he's always hanging around with.

03. If the girl Loktus and the boy Sogarth were having sex, as Thanos sneaked up on them, the writers being too coy about it.

04. The writers never explain anything that might be confusing to the readers, as they, apparently, expect the reader to understand everything that is happening, even if it might be confusing.

05. The writers contradict themselves, then provide no explanation for the contradiction, even if the contradiction creates confusion.

To be continued . . .

Continuing what I dislike.

11. That Thanos starts out as a serial thrill killer of teens. Carving up horny teenagers that are naked or nearly naked for the sexual thrill of it.

One thing does come out of this. A realization of what a sick s.o.b. Jason from "Friday the 13th" was, who did the same thing as Thanos.

12. The amount of violence in the story against children and animals, and the other controversies involving children.

13. Too little is personal. Too much is impersonal. That lack of personal touch between the characters.

14, The gaps/plot holes in the story. Here are a couple of examples.

(1st) The sequence of events in the caves. Some of which are missing.

(2nd) The sequence of events between Thanos, Loktus, and Sogarth.
(a) How did Thanos subdue them?
(b) How did he get them into his secret lab?
(c) How did he get their clothes off?

15. We hear of Thanos' brother Eros. We hear his brother Eros. But we never see Eros, even though Eros makes a good contrast not only to Thanos, but to the rest of the family.
(a) Grandfather does not know what is going on, but wants to do something.
(b) Father does not know what is going on, but wants to do nothing.
(c) Mother knows what is going on, but wants to do nothing.
(d) Which leaves Eros as the only one, who knows what is going on and wants to do something.

Next time: to be continued . . .

Continuing what I dislike

16. While motivations are given for much of what happens in the story, they are often weak and/or wrong.

Weak
The motivation for the murder of Thanos' mother I find to be weak. We'll find a stronger motivation, when we do the timeline.

Wrong
A man will give up the wishes of his father for his wife, fiancee, mistress, etc., but that is later in his life. At the age of Thanos in the 1st half of the story, he'd be seeking to please his father not some mysterious woman, so we'll have another motivation for the rest of his murders, when we do the timeline.

17. That we do not know more about the relationships in the story. Not only between Thanos and the rest of the characters, but between the rest of the characters themselves.

At least there are relationships. In the 2nd half of the story, the only relationship seems to between Thanos and his mysterious lady, which (IMHO) does not really work.

18, Only in "Kick Ass" have I seen so much violence directed against children. At least, unlike that violence, some effort is made to generate some empathy for the 1st two teenage victims.

19. That they dropped the ball. While the murder of the 1st two teen lovers works. Though, some more detail would be nice. After that we only get the number of victims without any detail at all, and that does not work and is thus a shortcoming in the story.

20. That the story is told in the wrong manner. We see everyone else through Thanos' eyes, when the story would work better if we saw Thanos through everyone else's eyes.

And the story should have been shortened to fit into the 5-part format, or there should have been more parts to the story. As 5-parts does not give enough infomration.

21. Too many unanswered questions.

Next time: Ali Baba and the 50 Questions (More or Less)

Ali Baba and the 50 Questions (More or Less)
Not all questions have answers, but if there is a possible answer, I have included it with the question.

01. Q: Thanos. Nature or nurture?
A: Here. Both. But probably nature being stronger, as he's born bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad to the bone!

02. Q: Since Eternals are apparently not born eternal, but naturally age, when do they stop aging and become eternal?

03. Q: And why are they called Eternals, when they appear to be so easy to kill?
A: Actually, this one was answered by someone else. While the Eternals can be killed and die violently, they are immune from death by aging, disease, or sickness.

04. Q: What is the age of majority among the Eternals on Titan? Since they are not born fully formed, but seemingly grow and age to a certain age, when they apparently stop aging and growing.

05. Q: Besides the Eternals, what else is eternal on Titan among the Titans?
A.: Apparently, their fertility, as Thanos' father had lived around 5000 years, before he conceived Thanos, but what if the man who is thought to be Thanos' father was not his real father, but Thanos' father was another man, who had an affair with Thanos' mother? Which man we will get to, when we do our Timeline of events among the Eternals on Titan.

Next time: to be continued . . .

Continuing . . .

o6. Q: Why are all the Eternals on Titan heterosexual, when . . .
a. Babies are genetically predisposed to be born cute. Both the boys and the girls.
b. It is sometimes hard to tell a boy from a girl and a girl from a boy.
c. The choice of most Eternals on Titan for underwear and/or swim suits is the thong.
A.: You would think bisexuality would run rampant.
And homosexuality.
And lesbianism.
Using Earth's standards, the only thing that would seem to be forbidden is sex between an Eternal adult and an Eternal child.

07. Q: The 3 most likely ways the children died in that cave are from least likeliest to most likeliest . . .
a. by a rock fall
b. by the green tail lizards
c. by Thanos
The reasons for which will be taken up, when we do a timeline of events on Titan.

08. Q: Why is there any question as to how the three children died in the caves, when even today, given just a skeleton, we can determine to some extent how a person died, and by the time the story takes place, forensics should be even more advanced than that?

09. Q: What is the education system like on Titan?
A: What if all the children born in the same year and on the same day, started school at the same time, were enrolled in the same class, attended all the same classes, and all graduated at the same time? The one exception would be Eros, Thanos' younger brother, who would get a dispensation to attend school with his older brother Thanos? And that gives us 15 fellow classmates, remember that number, we'll get to it later, when we do the timeline, of Thanos.

10. Q: Why is the death of the two lovers--Loktus and Sogarth--in Thanos' secret lab be not more personal than being in the wrong place at the same time? We'll do a more personal motive, when we do the timeline.

To be continued . . .

Continuing . . .

So many of these questions will be answered, when we do a timeline of the events on Titan.

11. Q: What about the final exam?
A: Timeline

12. Q: Where is the secret lab located?
A: Actually, we get a hint of its location from the graphic novel. It's not in the city of the Eternals, but somewhere out in the country. And so far from the city that one cannot walk there, but need transportation to reach it. What bothers me is the vehicle Thanos apparently uses to reach it. Too conspicuous for me, something along the equivalent of the Titan dirt bike would seem to be a less conspicuous mode of transportation.

!3. Q: What is the lab
A: Was it a building that had to be equipped by Thanos, or was it already equipped, but then abandoned till it was rediscovered by Thanos? The latter would seem to be the better of the two hypotheses.

14. Q: And what is everyone doing in that area?
A: Timeline

15. Q: How does Thanos subdue his two victims?
A: Timeline

To be continued . . .

If anyone is wondering, all questions will be answered, if not now, then later. Those will be remarked with the word "Timeline," for the timeline I am going to do of the events that happened on Titan. I thought those would be best answered in a timeline of events, and I also wanted to get all my questionable ducks in a row before answering them.

16. Q: How did Thanos get the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus) to his secret lab?
A: Timeline

17. Q: Were the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus)
a. stark naked
b. semi-nude
c. completely dressed
when Thanos came upon them?
A: Timeline

18. Q: Why has the secret lab site yet to be discovered?
A: No answer for that. It is not in an area that is seemingly inhabited, but from the story, it does seem to be an area that is used by some of your teen Titans as a "lovers' lane," so it is not completely deserted and unknown to people.

19. Q: Why are they strapped own to their tables with so many straps?
A: Unknown, but it would seem to make the vivisection harder, especially if done right, one would seem to need only 5 or 6 straps: 1 around the neck to control the head, 1 around each wrist to control each arm and hand, 1 around each ankle to control each foot and leg, and maybe 1 around the middle to control everything else. Not the 12 or so seen in the picture.

20. Q: Why were the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus), when strapped down on their separate tables, not placed in a position so that they could see each other, which would be directly facing each other?
A: The way they are pictured in the picture is probably due to the limits of picturing this in a graphic novel.

To be continued . . .

Continuing . . .

21. Q: How did the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus) get out to that area?
A: Timeline

22. Q: Why were the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus) not gagged with a mask, like Thanos' mother later in the story, since they'd have screamed the lab down otherwise?
A: I know I would have.

23. Q: The boy (Sogarth) or the girl (Loktus)? Who should be worked on first? Who should die first?
A: Timeline

24. Q: Would the boy (Sogarth), out of fear, have wet himself, when Thanos picked up that scalpel from the surgical tray, the boy knowing what was going to happen?
A: I know I would have.

25: Q: Would the boy (Sogarth) tent out his thong, at the first glimpse of the girl (Loktus), his girlfriend, strapped down to the operating table? And if the boy had done so, what would be everyone's reaction to this, especially Thanos' reaction?

To be continued . . .

Continuing . . .

26. Q: Now that Thanos is finished with them, how does he kill them?
a.) Stabbing? Too messy.
b.) Drowning? Water too far away.
c.) Acid? Too dangerous.
d.) Poisoning or gassing? Too impersonal
e.) Shooting? Same.
f.) Strangling? Too much work.

A: Timeline.

27. Q: More questions about the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus.)
a.) How long have they been boyfriend and girlfriend?
b.) How old were they, when she wanted to make love to him? 17 or 18, as the writer thinks? Or, 14 or 15, as I think?
c.) And how old do they appear to be in the illustrations?
d.) And why picture them strapped down to the tables in their skimpy swimsuits or skimpy underwear or whatever they were wearing on the tables, when that would only make their vivisection harder?
e.) Why not just strip them naked and picture him wearing one more strap and her two more straps?
f.) Was that a compromise between picturing them fully naked or fully clothed?
g.) Earthlings now have laptops, but they appear--as do all of Titan's schoolchildren-- to have only pen and paper and pencil? Why?
h.) What did Thanos do to their bare bodies or nearly nude bodies, to make his little girlfriend proclaim his "Zealousness!"

A: No guesses to any of these questions.

28. Q: How old was Thanos, when he started killing and making his friends and classmates disappear?
A: Timeline

29. Q: And what about that final exam?
A: We see two of them. Both involving green-tailed lizards. But, there is something called an ice rat on Titan, why don't we see more of them during the final exam? I can presume, one partners up with one's lab partner, during the final exam, and that one gets a shorter and a shorter period of time to complete each final exam, as one gets older and progresses through school. More at Timeline.

30. Q: And going back to Thanos' 1st or 2nd set of killings, why wait so long--2 weeks apparently--to bury the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus) and just increase the chance of discovery, instead of burying them a week later or even 2 days later?
A: No guesses as to the answer.

To be continued . . .

Two final questions, and then a timeline.

No . . .?! Actually . . .?! There will be more questions, but I think it is time to do a timeline of Thanos' time on Titan. From the time he was born to the time he 1st fled from Titan. After these questions.

31. Q: What happened to all the clothing that the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus) was wearing?

A: After Thanos had stripped them naked, before, during, or after the vivisection, he burnt everything associated with them in the waste incinerator in the lab. Except what he kept back as a souvenir to remind him of their murder.

32. Q: Were their bodies ever recovered and returned to their parents?

A: Yes, I'd like to think so, as a 5- to 6-year flood, a burst pipe, a sandstorm, something, anything, uncovered enough of their gravesite, including the gravesite of the 6 victims that followed, that were in the same area, that their remains were discovered and returned to their parents, who no longer had to worry about whether their offspring were dead or living.

Next time: Timeline

Timeline
From the time Thanos is born on Titan till the time he first flees Titan.

It'd be interesting to know what time they keep on Titan, but here we'll use standard earth time.

Timeline
Year 0 Age 0

Thanos is born brain damaged, as the umbilical cord that wrapped around his neck, as he was born, deprives his brain of the oxygen that it needed to be normal.

Thanos is born inheriting his mother's insanity. And that is something I know about. For on my mother's mother's mother's side of the family, we can trace back insanity in the family for more than 160 years.

1st Female Betrayal
His mother tries to kill him.

He is then saved by his father, who then seemingly washes his hands of him.

Both events Thanos remembers.

Year 1 Age 1
Eros, Thanos' younger brother, is born one year to the day after Thanos is born.

2nd Female Betrayal
Eros quickly becomes his mother's favorite, which Thanos remembers.

Year 2-6 Age 2-6
Thanos is educated at home like most of the children of the elite.

Next time: timeline continues

Timeline continued . . .

But first . . .?!

We know that Thanos killed 18 Titans on Titan, before fleeing the planet. They were . . .

(1) His mother
(2) The boy (Sogarth)
(3) The girl (Loktus)
(4) and two or more of his professors.

But, who were the rest? This is what the timeline will attempt to answer.

Year 10 Age 10-11
Grade III

Explores the moon, where he was born, with two of his classmates, who die on the exploration. Though, Thanos is not responsible for their deaths, as they happened by accident, he later claims them as his 1st and 2nd murder victims. We are told that he did explore the moon, where he was born, with or without his classmates, but we are pushing the exploration up by an year.

And both murderers and non-murderers, for various reasons, will take credit for murders which they did not commit.

Year 11 Age 11-12
Grade IV

Explores Saturn, with two of his classmates, who again die on the exploration. Again, Thanos is not responsible for their deaths, as again they were accidents, but again he later claims them as his 3rd and 4th murder victims. We are told that he did explore Saturn, with or without his classmates, but again we are pushing up the date of his walking upon Saturn by a year or two.

Year 12 Age 12-13
Grade 5

Sees his 1st dissection. Sight of which causes him to vomit.

While exploring out-of-bounds cave system on Titan, with his girlfriend Cythera and two best friends Argos and "Four Eyes,' so called because the boy wears glasses, kills all 3.

Motivation: 3rd female betrayal
Found Cythera snogging (now, there's a word) the other two. And in a blind rage, not knowing what he is doing, further brain damaged by being concussed with a rock in the initial rock fall, he strikes down all 3, he then staggers away and collapses, not remembering what he had done. Awakening sometime later, and not remembering what he had done, he discovers the bodies of his 3 friends being eaten by the lizards who live in the cave.

Now, if you look at the picture of his 3 dead friends and treat it like a crime scene photo, what do you see? They all 3 died almost instantaneously, and they all died at the same time. For, if neither of these were true, then their bodies would be found further apart than they are in the picture. Thus, their deaths were caused by something other than the cave lizards, and, most likely, someone. So, who else but Thanos, who was the only other one in the cave at that time.

Something else works against them being killed by the lizards. Why wasn't Thanos killed as well? Most likely, because the lizards are only carrion eaters, eating something that is dead like the 3 friends, and not Thanos, who as unconscious as he was, was still alive.

And no one holds him responsible for their deaths, because like the other deaths, they are put down as being tragic accidents. That is all, but one: the girl (Loktus.) Maybe, because she and Cythera were BFFs or even lovers. And she, to get her revenge, comes on to Thanos and pretends to be attracted to him and plays with his emotions. (4th female betrayal.) And when Thanos gets up the courage to reply in kind, she cuts him off at the knees and rejects him, while her posse: the black girl, the lesbian girl, and one of the two gay boys in their class, all laugh uproariously at him.

Would that not drive someone like Thanos, who is already half mad, into further madness, and a desire to attack all 4 of them? But, then his animal cunning kicks in, and he realizes that if he attacked all 4 of them, they would most likely beat the crap out of him, as those Titan girls are tough. So, he'll wait for his revenge on them for rejecting and laughing at him. And as they say; "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

Next time: Timeline continues . . .

Timeline continued

Year 13 Age 13-14
pre-Freshman

While none of his classmates hold Thanos responsible for the deaths of his/their 3 friends in the forbidden caves, he is now shunned by them. Maybe, because his madness is making itself more manifest.

Which then makes him vulnerable to being seduced by one of his female professors. Whom he then kills.

Motivation: 5th female betrayal
Not only does she seduce him, an innocent, but she then, in an effort, to get to his father, tries a bit of blackmail, which he will not abide. Thus, he kills her.

As her death is passed off as either a suicide or an accident, he is not held responsible for her death.

He also vivisects his 1st living creature, a cave ape, in prep for his final, which counts toward a large part of his grade, in terrestrial biology, in the hope that if he does well enough, his father will finally take note of him. Does well. Does better, but not well enough for his father to take notice of him.

Next time: as we are running out of time, another year in the life of Thanos.

Timeline continued

Year 14 Age 14-15
Freshman

This year, before the final exam, he wants to vivisect something else, but he knows not what. Then . . .?! He finds his next two victims: the girl (Loktus), who laughed at him 2 years ago, and the boy (Sogarth) who is her current boyfriend.

We know what Thanos is doing there, as he received a dispensation to take a day off from school to prep for the upcoming final exam, but what are they doing there?

They are playing hooky from school, as they want to swim and soak in the hot springs in the same area and to smoke the dope, she has brought with her, and to get sloshed on the champagne, that he brought with him, sneaking it out of his parents' wine cellar. And he thinks, if he gets lucky, to get in a little skinny dipping, so he can see her in the nude, which he has yet to do, and she thinks, if she really gets lucky to cop his cherry, as he and Thanos is the only two of her surviving classmates she has not had sex with, and that includes both boys and girls and their terrestrial biology professor.

We know how Thanos got there, but how did they get there?

That is the problem. If they thumbed a ride with someone, then there is a witness, and, if they brought their own vehicles, then there is something that needs to be disposed of. The best I can do, is to say that they thumbed a ride with someone, who then did not report it afterwards, as he or she were also carrying something highly illegal, which would have got them in serious trouble with the authorities.

How did Thanos subdue both of them?

The old trope. The boy (Sogarth) hears a noise, and then wanders off alone to investigate, whereupon Thanos sprays him with a mist that causes temporarily paralysis. He then does the same to the girl (Luktos) who comes to investigate the thud of a falling body.

How does Thanos get both of them to his secret lab?

He is strong enough he can carry one over each shoulder or one under each arm, and he also takes all their clothing with him and any thing else they had brought.

He then straps each of them to a separate dissection table, after which he strips them of what clothing they still had on.

He then vivisects the boy (Sogarth) 1st. To show the girl (Luktos) what was awaiting her for laughing at him 2 years ago, and as if to say to her: "Now, do you see what happens to one who laughs at me? One loses someone they like or even love!"

He then kills them. How . . .?!

With an injection that allows one to see how the injected person dies second by second, and allows the injected person to feel every second of their approaching death.

Now, that both victims are dead, he takes their nude bodies out to the deserted spot in the desert, where he buried the remains of last year's cave ape. He then digs a shallow grave in a shallow arroyo and throws in the nude body of the boy (Sogarth) 1st, so the boy lies face up in the bottom of the grave. He then throws in the nude body of the girl (Loktus) 2nd, so she lays face down on top of the other body in the grave. He then throws in the soil that was removed in digging the grave, making sure and removing any trace of the grave.

Thus, he . . .

1st kidnaps them.
2nd straps them down to the dissection tables.
3rd strips them of any remaining clothes, leaving them in the nude.
4th vivisects and tortures them, while they are still alive.
5th kills them both with an injection.
6th and buries their nude bodies, so they be harder to identify, in the same area that the cave ape was buried. And destroys all their clothes and other possessions.

Would you like a slice of cheese and/or a hunk of beef with that? That is all the victims are now to Thanos. Thus . . .?!

When are the two victims disrespected the most?

1st. Not when they are kidnapped.
2nd. Not when they are stripped naked.
3rd. Not when they are tortured.
4th. Not when they are killed.
5th. But, when they are buried, as to the way they are buried.

They deserved better.

As for Thanos, he got the highest marks in his terrestrial biology class that year, but failed to gain the notice of his father.

Next time: as we are again running out of time, another year in the life of Thanos.

Timeline continued

Year-16 Age 16-17
Junior

Classmates Vyjitwh and Nymwav, the black couple in class disappear.

Time: same
Place: same
Steps: same
Motivation: same, except Thanos receives 2nd highest test score ever scored in terrestrial biology, behind only that of his father.

Montage of scenes as before.

Year-17 Ages 17-18
Senior

Classmates Wakovxj and Panxew, the lesbian couple in class disappear.

Time: same
Place: same
Steps: same
Motivation: same, exept Thanos receives the highest test score ever scored in terrestrial biology, but his father continues to ignore him.

Montage of scenes as before.

Year-18 Ages 18-19
Post-school

Instead of going on to the university, like his brother Eros, Thanos takes to his lab, and there he murders his terrestrial biology professor, and his last victim on Titan, his mother.

Motivation: he discovers that for the past 18 or 19 years, at least since the time of his brother Eros, his terrestrial biology professor and his mother have been carrying on an off and on affair, 6th female betrayal, behind his father's back. "There is no accounting for a woman's taste in men." Only to be discovered by his father and brother, just after Thanos has killed his mother. Thanos, unable to kill either his father or brother, then flees Titan for other parts.

Next time: questions about Thanos' time off of Titan.

"Round a baker's dozen questions about Titan and Thanos' life on and off Titan. And in no particular order.

Q: Has there ever been a more stupid group of space pirates, then the ones here, their stupidity culminating in the captain's "Kill all aboard!" And why is that stupid? Because . . .?
A: a. If you leave a person alive, then you can rob them more than once, but not if you kill them. b. People will fight harder and longer if they know they are going to die, then if they know they can surrender. c. People will put more effort into pursuit and punishment, if you kill someone, then if you just rob them. d. And in any fight, you may be the one that gets hurt, not your victim.

Q: With 8 or 9 wives, and as many offspring, can Thanos really be expected to track them all down to kill them, without allowing one or more to escape?

Q: And would not some alien races be incapable of producing offspring with another race, if not entirely incompatible?

Q: And is it really feasible for Thanos to kill all the inhabitants of Titan, when he returns, when . . .?!
A: a. As most of the inhabitants apparently live underground, and while there are bombs and missiles that will penetrate that far . . .?! b. And you are looking at a population that is likely in the millions, and with a population that large . . .?! c. And we have historical proof that it is likely impossible. The Holocaust. That one Jew died in the Holocaust is one Jew too many, but a concentrated effort was made, over six years and sometimes longer, by some people to kill every Jew in Europe, and it could not be done, as some Jews survived.

Q: Why does everyone seem so blasé about . . .?!
A: a. The death of Cythera, Argos, and "Four Eyes" in the caves on Titan. b. Loktus and Sogarth's disappearance. c. The death of so many inhabitants on Titan, when death is practically unknown on Titan, especially among the children of Titan. d. The escape of Thanos from Titan. And e. Thanos rampages thru the galaxy around Titan.

Q: What did "Four Eyes" see on the walls of the cave?

Q: And going back to the deaths of the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus), if it was them buried two weeks later, why two weeks, instead of one week or even two days, before their burial?

To be continued . . .

Continuing questions about Titan and Thanos?

Q: How much are the Titans aware of the world out there, and how much is the world out there aware of them?

Q: And is Titan really such an Utopia, when . . .
a. needles and syringes are still used.
b. women still bear the pain of childbirth.
c. the mad are put in straitjackets and locked away.
d. glasses are still needed to see, unless they are some form of fashion statement.
e. cock rings (the round metal objects on the surgical tray) are still needed to enhance sexual performance
f. students still use pen and pencil and paper.
g. children are vulnerable to being kidnapped and taken off the planet.
h. and the mad are so heavily drugged that they are comatose.

Q: We know that Thanos' killed 18 people, because we are told he killed 18 people, including the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus) his 1st confirmed killings and his mother (Sui San) his last confirmed killing on Titan. Thus, how did he kill 15 more people on Titan, within a space of an year, or an average of one killing every 3 and a half weeks, without being caught?

A: Better, as posted above, that the 18 killings happened over a space of 7 to 8 years, or an average of one killing every 21 and a half weeks.

Q: And why both boys and girls?

A: If he killed only boys, then it'd smack of homophobia, and if he killed only girls, then it smacked of misogyny. Thus, we have is neither homophobia nor misogyny, but something else. Or, that is my guess.

Q: Of the children killed by Thanos, which killing were the most bothersome?
a. the deaths of the 3 children in the cave.
b. the deaths of the 2 teen lovers in the lab.
c. the death of Thanos' son and his mate off-planet.

A: c. is brutal, but we are somewhat removed from it, because his victims are so anonymous.
a. the victims are not anonymous, but we are removed from them, because we are asked to believe that someone or something other than Thanos killed them.
b. Thus, the answer is b. The victims are not anonymous. The boy (Sogarth) is poetical, and the girls (Loktus) is practical. And we are told that Thanos killed them.

Q: Thanos' secret lab? His father's secret lab abandoned?

A: That would go a long way to explain how Thanos was able to find it, and if it was still equipped, then Thanos would not bring attention to himself as he tried to equip it.

Q: And how did Thanos' father, Allars, a man so self-absorbed in himself, that he has no time for others, ever become the ruler of Titan?

A: Yet, he is one of the most human characters on Titan, as on earth, there are humans that are just as self-absorbed.

Q: And we know that Ms. Death can only be seen by Thanos, but does she really appear to him, or is she a total figment of his imagination?

Next time: Will we ever see this story made into a film? Why or why not?

The reasons (or the pluses) we will see this story made into a film.

The director
Josh Whedon
It has been suggested, that when the film is made, the director will be Josh Whedon, which is a good choice for director.

The actor
Josh Brolin
As the adult Thanos, and maybe as the teen Thanos. The problem comes as to who is to play the pre-teen Thanos. Which problem we'll take up later.

The character
Thanos
The 3rd most popular supervillain in the Marvel Universe by some measures.

The secondary characters
Strong secondary characters in the 1st half of the story.

The story
It divides neatly and evenly at the halfway point in the story.

2 films
The story can be made into 2 films
The 1st from the time Thanos is born to the time he 1st flees Titan.
The 2nd from everything after that to his return to Titan.

The opening
A strong opening to both films, as Thanos returns to the Titan he has just destroyed.

Marvel/Disney
If anybody can get a film out of the story, then they can.

The reasons (or the minuses) why we will not see a film made out of the story. Actually, the pluses outnumber the minuses, but . . .?! we'll get to them the next time.

Next time: the minuses

Responses to the story and my responses to the responses.

They: "The more mysterious Thanos' background the better."
Me: "Motivation. The less mysterious his background. The more we know of his motivation for what he does on and off Titan."

They: "Thanos lives in a too mundane world."
Me: "Of course, it is mundane. It is suppose to be an Utopia. And Utopias--for the most part--are mundane. And the more mundane Titan, the better contrast it is to other worlds."

They: "Boring!"
Me: "Maybe Thanos is boring and uninteresting, but the other characters on Titan, his family, his professors, his schoolmates, etc. They are some of the most interesting and non-boring characters I have found."

They: "Too much like earth."
Me: "Of course, it like earth, and that is to the good (IMHO.) Because now I have something with which to compare it. If It was like Mars or Venus, I'd have nothing with which to compare it."

They: "The story moves too slowly."
Me: "Actually, the story moves too quickly, as it skips over a lot that should and would be covered in a longer story."

Next time: More pluses and minuses.

More pluses (+) and minuses (-)

Thanos
Even if we have Josh Brolin play the teen Thanos, we need an young actor to play the pre-teen Thanos, if we go there.
(+) An opportunity to cast the right actor in the role.
(-) The problem is casting the wrong actor in the role.

Characters. 1st half of story.
Characters that are basically unknown to most.
(+) There are few if any preconceptions as to what the characters should be.
(-) The characters are not as popular as some of the better known characters in the Marvel Universe.

Characters. 2nd half of story.
Mostly anonymous characters.
(+) A blank slate on which the characters can be created.
(-) There is no base on which the characters can be created.

Actors in 1st half of story.
Even if we can get adults to play the teens in the story, we need young actors to play the pre-teens. Think "Ender's Game." A good example of how to cast and not to cast, when the story calls for younger actors.
(+) An opportunity to cast the right actors for the roles.
(-) The hazard of casting the wrong actors for the role.
(+) Marvel/Disney. Marvel can cast like no one else, and Disney has the widest and deepest pool of young actors out there. Thus, a place to start.
(-) Most young actors are just not as good as most older actors, because they have yet to gain the experience that older actors have had.

2 different films from 1 story.
(+) The film from the 2nd half of the story (IMHO) would be the less interesting film, but it is the more typical of the 2 films, and thus the stronger film and would have the greater chance of success.
(-) The film from the 1st half of the story (IMHO) would be the more interesting film, but it is the more atypical of the films, and thus the weaker film and would have the lesser chance of success.
(+) The way the story is written, with its flashbacks and all, the 2nd half of the story could be shot and screened before the 1st half of the story.

Different
(+) Different is good.
(-) But different is hard to do well.

Relationships
If one looks at the Marvel films so far, then one can see they are about relationships, but . . .?! They are also about other things.
(+) A film from the 1st half of the story would be about relationships. More then most other Marvel films, but . . .?!
(-) It would also be lesser about other things.

R-rated
(+) Audiences have been asking for a R-rated film.
(-) A R-rated film would restrict the audience who attends the film.

Next time: Reasons why this film, if made, could be R-rated.

Continuing from our previous post, as to why an origins of Thanos film based on "Thanos Rising" could be R-rated.

12. Murders
a. double
b. lust
c. mass
d. proxy

13. Naked aliens

14. Nearly naked . . .
a. aliens
b. teen agers (both boys and girls)
c. women

15. a Newborn being threatened with death.

16. ---Sections
a. dissection
b. vivisection

I will add, if the film does feature a scene of vivisection, this would not be the 1st scene of vivisection in the Marvel Universe, an episode, which I have not seen, of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." featured a scene, that got people talking and posting, of a vivisection.

17. Sexual . . .
a. slavery
b. violence

18. Teenagers (both boys and girls) being . . .
a. in possible sexual intercourse
b. murdered
c. stripped of their clothes and/or forced to strip off their clothes
d. tortured

19. Threat of rape

20. Vomiting

21. Wild animals consuming dead children.

22. Women being . . .
a. murdered
b. stripped of their clothes and/or forced to strip off their clothes
c. tortured

Next time: some not so final thoughts and questions

10 Questions

01. Why Aaron, or . . .
why is this not better written, when Aaron is such a good writer. Some people, including myself, have given it some thought, and these are my impressions.

a. Original vs. non-original
This is almost entirely original, when he seems to work better with a story that is not quite as original.

b. Solo author vs. multiple authors
Here he is the solo author, when he might write better with other authors, who can buttress his writings fore and aft.

c. Short vs. long
He might write better if he has longer to tell the story. Longer than what you find here.

02. Why Bianchi, or . . .
Why can an illustrator not draw a child that looks like a child instead of a miniature adult, which I have seen in some stories. Bianchi is not as bad as that, but the characters of the boy (Sogarth) and the girl (Loktus) are not drawn consistently, as their appearance differs from panel to panel, so they appear to be different ages at the same point in the story.

To be continued . . .

Continuing . . .

03. Why is the 1st half of the story (chapters 1-2) more interesting than the 2nd half of the story (chapters 3-5?) (IMHO) Is it because . . .

I. In the 1st half, we have such characters as . . .

the father A'lars
the mother Sui-San
the brother Eros, who we never see here, but who we should see in the film, as a contrast to Thanos.
the grandfather Kronos
the schoolmates and friends . . .

Sogarth
Loktus
Cythera
Argos
et al.

II. And while there are anonymous characters, such as . . .

the Girl
the terrestrial biology professor
the doctor
the nurse
et al.

They are less anonymous, than the characters in the 2nd half, who personify anonymous, such as . . .

anonymous wives
anonymous offspring
anonymous pirates, except for the pirate captain
anonymous victims of the pirates
et al.

III. And the victims of Thanos are more individualized in the 1st half of the story, then in the 2nd half of the story (See I and II.)

04. If Thanos is based on Jeffrey Dahmer, as some have claimed, can we add cannibalism to Thanos' crimes, as Dahmer ate, a portion, of some of his victims? And did Thanos keep a souvenir of his victims, such as Dahmer did?

To be continued . . .

Badmovies.org Forum

Other Topics => Entertainment => Topic started by: BoyScoutKevin on September 20, 2014, 12:44:09 PM