First of the two parts of a 1990 miniseries by Jim Starlin and Ron Lim (summer, sources differ on the month), Thanos Quest #1 sends the Mad Titan on the trail of the six Infinity Gems, held by the Elders of the Universe. It links the resurrection to the 1991 Gauntlet, and comes as a square-bound prestige volume, which you examine differently from a stapled single issue.
The collector looking for "the story of the Gems" quickly runs into an object that looks more like a book than a comic: square spine, thick paper, quality soft cover. Thanos Quest is that volume. It reads like a travel novel, it sits on a shelf, and its value follows its own rules. This sheet approaches the subject through the shape of the object before the story.
As always in this guide, only verified information (creators, issues, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected panels or dialogue.
Thanos Quest #1: the team, the format, the starting point
Thanos Quest has only two issues. Jim Starlin writes the script, Ron Lim handles the art, and publication falls in 1990, between Thanos's return in the Surfer's series and the launch of The Infinity Gauntlet the following year. For this miniseries Marvel chose the prestige format, then reserved for projects given special prominence: square-bound spine, extended page count, better-lasting paper, a cover price higher than that of a monthly.
The first part sets up the premise: Thanos, just resurrected, sets out toward the Infinity Gems, artifacts each of which holds a specific power over one aspect of existence. This is not a first appearance of the gems as objects: Starlin had already brought them into being through his Adam Warlock stories in the 1970s, and it is here that they become the engine of a conquest story.
The structure of the book is that of a hunt: Thanos takes on the Elders of the Universe one after another, ancient cosmic beings who each hold a gem. Each encounter works as a small episode, with its own rules, its opponent and its way of winning. #1 covers the first part of the journey; #2 completes the collection and prepares the gauntlet of the sequel.
A book first, a single issue second: what the prestige format changes
The difference from the standard monthly shows as soon as you pick it up. Where a stapled single issue shows its spine, a square-bound prestige is judged on the edges of the spine, the sharpness of the corners and the absence of transverse creases. The typical flaws are therefore different: a spine that splits on opening, a cover that whitens along the edges, corners crushed by the weight of other books on the shelf.
This nature as an object affects value: copies in very high condition are often more accessible than those of a newsstand monthly, because readers of the time stored these volumes more carefully. Conversely, a copy read and reread quickly shows its age, because the square spine tolerates repeated openings poorly.
Finally, the spine carries a mention: the part number and the title appear on the spine, which lets you identify the copy without opening it. This is useful at flea markets, where prestige books are often poorly sorted in crates of large formats.
The story: a conquest structured like a game quest
Thanos Quest stands apart from Starlin's other stories through its narrative choice: the villain is the hero of the book. The reader follows Thanos from start to finish, with his logic and his appetite, which was rare in superhero comics of the early 1990s. The occasional allies and the encounters serve as scenery; at the center stands a character who advances, calculates and runs into his own limits.
The relationship with Mistress Death structures the whole. She is the one who raised him in the Surfer's series, and it is for her that the Titan accumulates power. The book thus turns the quest for the gems into a love offering, which gives it a stranger tone than a simple conquest story.
Ron Lim, for his part, draws open-space landscapes and face-offs between outsized beings. His precise line suits the prestige format, where large panels have room to breathe. If you read the saga in order, you can measure the graphic progress compared to the Surfer's single issues.
Why Thanos Quest #1 is a key
The keys of the saga come in kinds according to their function: the origin, the return, the building of power, the event. Thanos Quest belongs to the building of power. Without this miniseries, the Gauntlet is not justified: this is where the reader sees how the Titan comes to hold the six gems in a single hand.
Demand also rests on pop culture. The movies of the 2010s popularized the Infinity Gems among an audience that does not read comics. Part of the buyers are therefore looking for "the story of the gathering of the gems" rather than a specific issue, and Thanos Quest answers that search directly.
Finally, the fact that the project has only two issues works in favor of the first: a single opening part, a single starting cover. Collectors who insist on owning the complete chain know they will have to find it sooner or later.
What moves the value
Condition comes first, but on a grid specific to prestige books: the straightness of the spine, the absence of a crease at the junction between the cover and the first signature, the shine of the soft cover. A perfectly flat and glossy copy is rare, and it is what drives the gap between the median of current listings and the sales of very high copies.
Demand for the saga counts as much as condition. When Marvel's cosmic filmography returns to the forefront, the Thanos keys receive an influx of searches, and the titles of the chain rise together. Public sales sources report records for high copies, but these isolated sales do not replace a median over several months.
The last parameter is completism. Many buyers want both parts matched, in the same condition. A lone #1 generally sells worse than a coherent pair: aim for two copies of comparable level rather than one very good and one mediocre.
Recognizing the right edition
The original edition is the 1990 prestige volume. Check the year mention in the copyright line and the publisher logo on the cover. The collected reprints (bound books grouping both parts, sometimes with other episodes of the saga) have different covers and a thicker spine: they cannot be confused with the original if you look at the spine.
Do not rely on the sole mention "Thanos Quest" in the listing. Recent albums carry a similar title or reuse the original covers as illustration; the photo of the spine and that of the title page settle the question. If in doubt, ask for them.
As for alternate covers, we cite no variant for this title: if a listing puts one forward, demand photographic proof before paying a premium.
Do you collect this series?
Track what you own, what you are missing and what your collection is worth. 7-day trial.
Start my trial →
Buying pitfalls
The first pitfall is the listing that sells #2 under the label of #1, or a "complete" lot in which one part is actually a collected edition. Read the number on the spine. The second is the redone spine: visible glue on the edge, a cover paper that differs slightly on the spine, signal a repaired copy.
Third pitfall: smell and humidity. Prestige books kept in a cellar or an attic warp, and the thicker paper holds humidity longer than a monthly. Ask whether the copy spent time in a damp place, and look at the bottom of the cover, the first place to warp.
Fourth pitfall, more subtle: the price of the collected edition billed as the original. A modern bound volume does not have the same collecting value. Always compare like for like.
The neighboring issues that matter too
#2 of the miniseries is the natural complement: it closes the collection and prepares the sequel. It is harder to price apart from #1 than in other series, because demand is for the pair. Upstream is the single issue of the Surfer's series that brings Thanos back, Silver Surfer #34, covered in its own sheet.
Downstream, The Infinity Gauntlet opens the 1991 event; its sheet (Infinity Gauntlet #1) explains why it dominates the saga's value. To understand the origin of the gems, the article on the history of Adam Warlock goes back to Starlin's stories of the 1970s.
What grading changes
For a prestige book, grading protects the spine, the weak point of the object, and freezes the condition. It makes sense when the copy is truly flat and fresh. For an average copy, it is better to keep the book in a rigid sleeve and store it upright on a shelf, which costs far less than a case.
If you buy a graded copy, check that the label shows the right title, the right number and the year 1990. Then compare several completed sales at the same level. Estimating a copy in hand is done through the median of current listings, cross-checked with completed sales; the free estimate provides a first basis.
How to track it in a collection
Classify Thanos Quest by miniseries title, with both parts side by side, and not inside the Surfer or Thanos series. Note the format (square-bound prestige), the condition of the spine and that of the cover. One record per part is enough, with a photo of the spine.
Store it upright, never flat under other books, away from direct light. A prestige book lying under a stack warps and marks its spine within a few years. Acid-free sleeves are fine, provided they are large enough not to bend the cover when inserting it.
Conclusion: the book that sets the gems in motion
Thanos Quest #1 is the opening of a conquest told from the conqueror's point of view, in a format that forces you to think of the object differently. Its place in the chain (between the return and the Gauntlet), its feel as a book more than as a single issue and the demand driven by the movies make it a solid key for anyone building the saga. Choose a copy with a straight spine, match it with its second part, and leave the isolated records to those who need them.
Frequently asked questions
Two. The miniseries was published in 1990 in prestige format, with Jim Starlin on script and Ron Lim on art. The first part launches the gathering of the Infinity Gems; the second completes it and prepares The Infinity Gauntlet, which comes out the following year.
The object is a square-bound book, not a stapled single issue. You therefore check the spine, the edges and the cover junction rather than the staples. The most frequent flaws are a split spine, a cover whitened along the edge and crushed corners.
No, not as objects: Jim Starlin had brought them into being in his Adam Warlock stories of the 1970s. Thanos Quest is the story where they become the engine of a conquest, with Thanos at the center. A listing that labels it "first appearance" should make you wary.
That is the most coherent approach. Demand is often for the pair, and a very good #1 next to a mediocre #2 makes a lopsided collection. Aim for two copies of comparable condition, checking the number printed on the spine of each.
For reading, yes. For collecting, no: collected editions have a thicker spine, different covers and a value of their own. Always compare a 1990 prestige volume with another 1990 prestige volume, and look at the spine and the title page before buying.
Do you own both parts of Thanos Quest? Have their condition estimated, spine included.
Estimate my comic