[TheBlueMarvel]

@En Sabah
I like Richard and the maturity foisted upon him after he became Nova Prime, but there was really nowhere else to go with the character post Annihilation. I didn't want to see his power reduced, but that was the logical progression if he was going to re-establish the corps. Although he was an integral part of a major event, the character had been so tepidly written in New Warriors (vacuous and teen-like) that this new Rider made for a weird fit. While I don't appreciate the way the character was handled (killed off), I can understand a writer unfamiliar with him finding difficulty 'buying-in.'

DnA work very well together and War of Kings and GotG were their seminal achievements, but to me, Giffen's Annihilation was better than Conquest. I would, however, put DnA's War of Kings on par with Annihilation. I'm still on the fence with Thanos Imperative, but I'll admit it was fun.

As far as Starlin and his creation - Thanos/Lord High Papal (I mention them both because they are so similar that it almost makes one respect Starlin a little bit less for simply remaking a character - albeit, better and deeper...at least back then in the late 80's, before he wrote Papal elements into Thanos - Thanos Rising) - I'm just annoyed by his transparent treatment of the character. He's been upping the ante with Thanos since the 90's. And while he didn't create "Him," his long stint with Warlock obviously gave him some sense of ownership because he has elevated this character also. I collected the recent Infinity Entity series and Starlin has essentially elevated Warlock and Thanos to levels that make them both the most powerful beings in the universe (beyond Eternity and Infinity, beyond ALL). Sorry, that's not just corny and trite, but a childish act on the part of a creator. I'm surprised more people, other than myself (I have literally seen no other complaints), haven't said anything. I think this phenomenon is a combo of not much interest/knowledge of Cosmic Marvel on the part of the average reader, love for Thanos based on Infinity Guanlet nostalgia, and a bit of exaggerated reaction on my part being a big fan of what King Kriby established with a host of cosmic entities.