Thanos Rising # 1 2013 NM-

Thanos Rising # 1 is the first issue of a five-part 2013 limited series that delves into the tragic and dark origin story of the Mad Titan, exploring his childhood on the moon of Titan and his initial fascination with Death. 

The issue opens with present-day Thanos visiting the gravesite of his mother on his destroyed homeworld of Titan, setting the stage for a flashback to his birth and youth. 

• Birth on Titan: Thanos is born a genetic deviant from the rest of his race, with a monstrous appearance that immediately drives his mother, Sui-San, insane and causes her to try to kill him. His father, Mentor (A'lars), intervenes and saves the infant.
• A Lonely Childhood: Thanos grows up as an intellectual but isolated child due to his appearance. He develops an early, quiet obsession with death, drawing dead animals and struggling with typical social interactions, such as a school dissection lesson which he flees from.
• The Mysterious Girl: A pivotal element of the story is the appearance of a mysterious girl who takes an interest in Thanos. She is a manifestation of Death who encourages his darker impulses. She first lures him to a cave where his new friends are eaten by lizard-monsters, leaving him the sole survivor.
• Descent into Darkness: Influenced by the girl, Thanos overcomes his initial aversion to killing and slaughters the lizards in an act of revenge. This event changes his path; he becomes obsessed with dissection and experimenting on creatures, eventually moving on to sentient beings. The issue ends with him having committed his first murder on Titan and fully embracing his violent nature under the guidance of the girl he is desperate to love. 

• Writer: Jason Aaron
• Artist: Simone Bianchi
• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• Publication Date: April 2013