Comic Review: Thor: God of Thunder Volume 2

    The second volume of Thor completes the God Butcher story arc (see my review of the first volume here).  It doesn’t mean all that much when I say Thor is the best thing Marvel is putting out right now.  But it is.  And they’ve managed to do a lot to make me give a crap about a character I never thought much of.  In fact, I would say this is almost for Thor what Kurt Busiek’s run on Conan a decade or so back was; getting to the root of the concept and getting it right.

    This volume stumble briefly at the beginning with the origin of the God Butcher.  It’s not interesting, and makes the villain somehow less complex.  It’s too trite, too cliché.  That said, once that chapter is done, and we get back to the story of Thor from three ages being thrust together to battle a madman bent on destroying all the gods that ever were or will be, things get cracking again.

    By the end of the volume, I was a bit frustrated by aspects of the post-climax resolution.  But co-Dork Brad assures me it isn’t the Planet Hulk/Marvel 1602 ending it looks like.  We’ll see.  I’m sure interested in continuing if the quality remains.  The art is gorgeous and the handling of Thor at three very different points in his exceptionally long life is fascinating.  I hope Aaron and Ribic continue on the line, which as I said is by far the best thing I’ve seen from Marvel in I don’t even know how long.  They’re a writer/artist team akin to Busiek and Nord (actually, Ribic is more consistently good than Nord).

    My complaint from the review of the first volume remains.  Marvel charging $25. for this very, very thin book is a crime.  I don’t know what’s up with Marvel recently, but their prices seem a)random and b) insane.  Both volumes collected together in one hard cover volume MIGHT warrant a $25. price tag.  And now the soft cover for volume 1 is out and it’s…that’s right, $20.  F you, Marvel.  F you.  The more I see prices like this the more I’ll be hitting the library or borrowing it from friends.  I’d love to have Thor on my shelf.  It’s absolutely the kind of book I’d own, read again, and suggest to others.  But at these prices, I’m not recommending buying it to anyone.

Thor: God of Thunder Volume 2: Godbomb
Author: Jason Aaron
Artist: Esad Ribic and Butch Guice
Publisher: Marvel Comics
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6843-0

-Matt

Dork Art: Thunder Cat HO!!!!!

Newsarama just posted a bunch of variant covers for Marvel's upcoming New Year releases, several of which feature spandexed felines.  I'm not one for variants, but even I gotta bow to the cute factor of this particular ThunderCat.  After the current Malekith movie tie-in arc concludes, Jason Aaron's God of Thunder series will see the return of artist Esad Ribic, and feature a cosmic smackdown with The World Eater, Galactus.  Sadly, it will not feature the Pet Avenger Hairball wrapping his paw around Mjolner.  Nope, this is just cover artist Jenny Parks have some fun.  Slap this on a poster and I'll buy it.

--Brad

Comic Review: Thor God of Thunder

    On the long list of Marvel characters I have never given too much thought to, Thor would have to be near the top.  I was scratching my head when I saw that a movie was being made, and then floored when it ended up being my favorite of the pre-Avengers movies.  That prompted me to give the old God of Thunder a try.  Even more surprise was in store for this reviewer when I ended up liking a batch of the comics.  Though I did also stumble over a few particularly bad issues, too.

    When Marvel Now started up, and they re-launched Thor, I gave it a go.  And it’s awesome.  Steeped in the mythology and the mindset of all those old Viking tales, Thor is a god-hero akin to a Beowulf, bold, boisterous, and badass.  Add to that, some beautiful, painterly art and you’ve got a darned fine fantasy comic.  The story, taking place in three time periods is interesting.  Young Thor, current Thor, and far-future Thor all dealing with one single threat, the God Butcher, as he kills his way through the pantheons of the universe.

    My complaint with this volume isn’t the quality, but the quantity.  For $25. you get only five issues, hardly a taste of the story.  A first chapter.  Though the comic itself is quite good, the value here is not.  Especially as this will likely be collected again in a few months or a year, into a larger volume, complete story.  Very much worth reading if you’re into epic fantasy and Norse mythology.  But not worth buying at the price asked.

Thor God of Thunder: The God Butcher
Author: Jason Aaron
Artist: Esad Ribic
Publisher: Marvel Comics
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6842-3

-Matt