Writer/Artist: Dan Jurgens, John Romita Jr., Howard Mackie
Publisher: Marvel, $29.99
I remember reading these and enjoying them when they came out, but over time I just never really bothered going back to them and generally forgot about what a fun run this was. Set back after the return of the Avengers and other heroes from the Heroes Reborn fiasco, Jurgens and Romita set out to make Thor epic again and utilized the richness of Kirby infused mythology to create solid and just all around fun stories.
Starting off with a big showdown with the Destroyer and setting the pace of the series as well as establishing a new supporting cast and some new villains, this first volume is packed with a good amount of action, bold art that captures the mythological tones, and a fairly light hearted approach that makes this easily accessible to all ages.
I can go back and forth with Jurgens, and while I would never say he can be bad at times I will say that I do get a little bored with him once in a while. A lot of the time it just depends on how long he’s on a title. For example the entire length of his Superman material, while mostly fun, kind of drones on for me. However, his year or so on Aquaman is one of the best comics I’ve ever read. Sometimes he clicks, and sometimes he doesn’t. Thor is a good click and definitely worth checking out.
If you aren’t familiar with Romita’s art, this is a good volume to start with that embodies what he does best. If you want big and bold super-heroes with excellent pacing and layouts and an overall perfect example of a Marvel Comics style of art then you really don’t have to go any further. It doesn’t hurt that Romita infuses his designs and overall atmosphere for this series with a distinct Kirby flair that really pops off the pages.
I’m kind of torn on which Thor volumes I might recommend to new readers considering there are so many different books that are perfect jumping on points. While I almost would say this volume for sure, the current Straczynski & Coipel run is fantastic. The Oeming/Devito Ragnarok story is one of my favorites of all time. Then there’s the Simonson material, which is just awesome fun. Depending on the reader I would be talking to, I would break it down like this: the Straczynski/Coipel run is more serious and broodier than this volume, the Oeming/Devito more mythic, and the Simonson would be more expansive and experimental. This Jurgens/Romita series is the happy median of lighter super-heroics with some good mythology and a little bit of new material but nothing really groundbreaking. If we were talking a teenage reader, I would throw either this or the Kirby reprints their way and then step up to Simonson and then arc over to Oeming and then Straczynski.
The overall package is decent, while a little overpriced. I don’t consider any of the single issues particularly hard to find, and if you play it right it might only cost you $15ish to put a set together, probably even less. As it is, the pricing for the trade is not a complete rip off and the printing quality is solid so this is an easy package to pick up.
If you like this then try: Avengers Disassembled: Thor, Thor Visionaries Walt Simonson, Thor By J. Michael Straczynski, The Death of Superman, Booster Gold
Related Links: Thor
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