I'm a big fan of comic writers taking a stab at what could be considered the final story for a character. I've endured a never-ending loop of stories about my favorites, and every so often, it's nice to see someone take their shot at wrapping it up. Batman has "Dark Knight Returns", the Avengers have "The Last Avengers Story", and in 1990, Thanos kinda-sorta received his, courtesy of writer Jim Starlin and artists George Perez and Ron Lim. To many readers, THE INFINITY GAUNTLET established Thanos as one of the major villains in the Marvel Universe, leading to bigger and better things, but I look at it in another way. I feel that THE INFINITY GAUNTLET can serve as the perfect "last Thanos story", and I prefer it as such, instead of it leading to more stories, such as Infinity War and Infinity Watch.
THE INFINITY GAUNTLET is a continuation of a story that originated in both the regular Silver Surfer series and the THANOS QUEST limited series. The gauntlet is perhaps the most powerful item in the Marvel Universe, as it bestows upon the wearer absolute control over time, space, power, the soul, the mind, and reality. Thanos obtains the gauntlet in order to finally win the hand of his love, Death, through the elimination of half the population of the entire universe. A group of Marvel heroes, one villain, and a host of cosmic characters, come together to stop him, and he fends them off with the sort of casual anoyance that any god would. Adam Warlock, however, is onto Thanos' game and has his own tricks up his sleeve. Warlock's true plan leads to a conclusion that I never expected in one of Jim Starlin's super-duper cosmic epics, but it makes sense and is an ironic finale for a character like Thanos. If only it could have stayed that way. In any case, pick up this book and prepare for a great read.