Thanos #13
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThanos #13 is the first appearance of Cosmic Ghost Rider — Frank Castle (the Punisher) reimagined as a far-future Spirit of Vengeance who also served as a Herald of Galactus — one of the most inventive character concepts to emerge from Marvel's modern cosmic era. The issue simultaneously introduces King Thanos, a dystopian elder version of the Mad Titan who has literally conquered the universe, a premise that gave the 'Thanos Wins' arc its name and thematic weight. The breakout reception of this single issue launched Donny Cates into the upper tier of Marvel writers almost overnight and directly generated the Cosmic Ghost Rider solo series, cementing the character's place in the publisher's ongoing cosmic mythology. It stands as a rare modern key where both a genuinely novel character debut and a career-defining creative statement arrive in the same issue.
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Thanos #13 went on sale November 22, 2017, published under the Marvel Legacy initiative, and served as the handoff issue when writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw took over the ongoing series from Jeff Lemire. Cates and Shaw were longtime collaborators — they had met at the Savannah College of Art and Design and had previously worked together on indie titles including 'Buzzkill' and the Image hit God Country — and editor Jordan D. White recruited them specifically because of that prior body of work. Cates has said he submitted an outline of sweeping, seemingly outlandish scope and was surprised Marvel approved it wholesale; the publisher also, notably, signed Cates to an exclusive contract before the first issue even shipped. A separate editorial controversy exists in the background: Thanos co-creator Jim Starlin publicly noted that Marvel had elected to proceed with Cates' storyline over a multi-part graphic novel project of his own that allegedly covered similar thematic ground.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Cosmic Ghost Rider (Frank Castle / The Punisher), created by writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw.
- First appearance of King Thanos, a far-future alternate version of Thanos who has conquered the known universe.
- First appearance of 'No One,' a Chitauri counselor renamed by Thanos in the opening scene.
- Part 1 of the six-part 'Thanos Wins' arc (Thanos #13–18), set within Marvel's 2017 Legacy publishing initiative.
- Full creative team: Donny Cates (writer), Geoff Shaw (penciler/inker), Antonio Fabela (colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer); edited by Jordan D. White.
- The issue sold out its first print run and went through at least five printings; variant covers include editions by Rafael Albuquerque, Mike McKone, John Tyler Christopher, and Jacen Burrows (lenticular).
- The story's success directly spawned the five-issue Cosmic Ghost Rider solo miniseries (2018) and the comedic follow-up Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019).
- The complete 'Thanos Wins' story has been collected multiple times, including in the 2018 trade Thanos Wins by Donny Cates and a 2019 oversized hardcover that also gathers the Cosmic Ghost Rider solo series and Thanos Legacy #1.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Marvel Legacy #[nn] (2018), Thanos Wins by Donny Cates #[nn] (2018), Thanos Wins by Donny Cates #[nn] (2018), Marvel Legacy : Marvel Epics #1 (2018), Marvel Legacy #[nn] (2018), Thanos by Donny Cates #[nn] (2019), Thanos - Thanos wint! #1 (2020), Le Printemps des comics #6 (2021), The Ultimate Graphic Novels Collection #201 (2021), Cosmic Ghost Rider Omnibus #1 (2021), Cosmic Ghost Rider by Donny Cates #[nn] (2023)
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