This whole "10th Realm" and Angela thing seems rather forced. I'll reserve judgement until I actually read it but I'm staying away for now. Not entirely sold on the concept.
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This whole "10th Realm" and Angela thing seems rather forced. I'll reserve judgement until I actually read it but I'm staying away for now. Not entirely sold on the concept.
[QUOTE=ImprobableQuestion;293214]That issue certainly sold me on Loki AoA. Have to see when the trade is out. So Angela is an existing character not connected to Thor before hand, correct? Here are my two cents:
It seems like she will be just like Loki, raised away from her parents and taught to hate her own kind. I guess we'll see just how far it goes (I'm hoping she's not another villain). Those Angels seem like seriously bad customers. I assume the queen is still alive and primed for a showdown with the Allmother.[/QUOTE]
She was a Spawn character initially. But Marvel and Neil Gaiman brought her into the MU at then end of Age of Ultron.
Welcome, fellow Thor-ian!
Pugbuddy's recommendations are more or less in line with my own. I would say you HAVE to start with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's run. They created the character, his world and many of his most memorable enemies (Loki, The Absorbing Man, The Wrecking Crew, The Destroyer, Mangog, Ulik the Troll, etc). I recommend you pick you up ESSENTIAL THOR, a black and white collection of Thor's early issues. They are available by Volume, though I'm unsure what volume they're up to now. The books are cheap (under $20!), and they pack 20-30 issues a book. By the time you get to Vol.3, you'll find yourself burning through the pages at furious pace because Stan and Jack are REALLY hitting their stride, and pouring so much creative juice into this character, it's criminally entertaining.
Later, by ESSENTIAL THOR Vol. 4, Stan Lee has moved on, replaced by Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, and Jack Kirby departs but we get Neal Adams and John Buscema, two of the greatest comic book artists that ever lived (in my opinion). The book continues to stay strong right through ESSENTIAL THOR Vol. 6, which is where I left off.
Walt Simonson's run follows and is [B][I][U]mandatory [/U][/I][/B]reading. The run is collected in THOR VISIONARIES: WALT SIMONSON. I believe every issue of Walt's run is collected in 5 Volumes. As many have noted, it's arguably the greatest run in Thor's history (I personally think Stan/Jack and Roy Thomas/John Buscema runs edge it out, but that's me). Here, you'll be introduced to the last great character to come out of Marvel, Beta Ray Bill. Also, see Surtur at his absolute best, suffer the menace (and introductions) of Malekith and Kurse, and experience the final (and fantastic) fate of The Executioner. Walt provides the story AND art for the vast majority of the run, and it's beautiful every step of the way.
After Walt, you'll either love Thor or be burnt out. If you still want more, look for the Dan Jurgens/John Romita Jr. run. collected in THOR Vols. 1-4, THOR: THE DEATH OF ODIN, THOR:ACROSS ALL WORLDS, THOR:GODS ON EARTH, THOR:SPIRAL, and THOR:LORD OF ASGARD. Jurgens stayed on Thor for an impressive 70 issues! It starts off very strong with a great Destroyer battle, the introduction of Asgard's Dark Gods, and a new identity for Thor. It all culminates under a different writer/artist team, telling the story of an alternate future Thor and his takeover of Earth, his redemption, Ragnarok, and rebirth! Some really great battles here against Thanos, Juggernaut, Desak the God Slayer, and even the heroes of Earth! This run is sadly overshadowed by Walt Simonson's and the next run by J.Michael Straczyinski in the eyes of the fandom; however, it is a very strong run with good showings for the character and a greater expansion of his supporting cast and world.
THOR, VOL 1-3 cover J.Michael Straczinski's take on the Asgardian, literally recreating Asgard and its godly inhabitants, capped off by a forever-memorable Thor vs. Iron Man fight. This also the arc where Thor stops talking like "Shakespeare In The Park". The run moves along a bit slower than the previous runs, but it all builds up to a nice crescendo featuring Doctor Doom, cyborg Asgardians, and a twist on The Destroyer. Featured along the way are Thor's new armor, King Balder (?!) and Thor's grandfather, Bor. Art by Olivier Copiel in the early issues of the run is beyond excellent, and latter-half strong pencils by Marko Djurdjevic round out a decent, if not overrated (in my opinion) run.
The latest run of Thor is written by Jason Aaron, collected in THOR: GOD OF THUNDER VOL 1-3 and THOR: GODBOMB. Here, Thor faces a foe, Gorr, who has successfully slaughtered all the gods throughout time, leaving only Past, Present and Future Thor. Esad Ribic provides beautifully painted artwork to make a rather weak story and villain enjoyable. Admittedly there are a few good Thor showings here, and the interaction between the 3 Thors was insightful and humorous, but I really disliked Gorr as a villain or character. Your mileage may vary.
Oh, be sure to purchase, read and cherish THOR: LOKI. It's an alternate story that envisions Loki as supreme ruler of Asgard. Thor is trapped and tortured to Loki's unending amusement. But, is Loki's hold on rulership slipping? Has a lifetime of defeats at Thor's hands finally gotten to him? Beautifully written and illustrated, it's a quick, but more than satisfying read.
Every time I read it, Thor: God of Thunder continues to cement Thor's status as one of the most caring heroes in the MU, if not [I]the[/I] most caring.
[QUOTE=HaveAtThee;293887]This whole "10th Realm" and Angela thing seems rather forced. I'll reserve judgement until I actually read it but I'm staying away for now. Not entirely sold on the concept.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. I was never a fan of Angela, and shoehorning her into Thor (much less Marvel proper) is just the result of unnecessary wheeling and dealing.
Watch as Marvel's most powerful and popular characters job to her so she can "earn" her place among Marvel's elite! Pffff!! No thanks.
[QUOTE=Mockingbird;294351]Every time I read it, Thor: God of Thunder continues to cement Thor's status as one of the most caring heroes in the MU, if not [I]the[/I] most caring.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Such a solid book + I'm alright with Angela being an Asgardian. It makes sense.
[QUOTE=bloodyarts;294353]Agreed. I was never a fan of Angela, and shoehorning her into Thor (much less Marvel proper) is just the result of unnecessary wheeling and dealing.
Watch as Marvel's most powerful and popular characters job to her so she can "earn" her place among Marvel's elite! Pffff!! No thanks.[/QUOTE]
Well, the initial issue doesn't do much of anything other than set up what's to come; it's definitely an introduction to the story. One thing is does have is a rather bizarre statement by Odin, indicating that the "Odin force must rise within" before he can use it--as if it's not his own power. That bit rubbed me wrong but otherwise there was little to complain about since this issue really had very little in it.
[QUOTE=pugbuddy;297391]Well, the initial issue doesn't do much of anything other than set up what's to come; it's definitely an introduction to the story. One thing is does have is a rather bizarre statement by Odin, indicating that the "Odin force must rise within" before he can use it--as if it's not his own power. That bit rubbed me wrong but otherwise there was little to complain about since this issue really had very little in it.[/QUOTE]
It's a ln allfather power, not an Odin Power. King Thor has a Thor-force, for example.
While King Thor is fun I actually still prefer Rune Thor from the Avengers Disassembled tie in.
He followed in Odin's path to achieve the Odin force while combining it with that of the runes than proceeded to sacrifice more of himself than Odin. Plus in this form you could really tell Thor has gain great wisdom and overall cold nature in his form. Heres a sample of his powers.
[IMG]http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/4/47437/1468582-th23.jpg[/IMG]
I'm looking to expand my graphic novel collection, so I was wanting some feedback on the quality of various Thor collections. Some collect minis but I know others are just a compilation of one shots.
The ones I'm curious about are:
Astonishing Thor
Thor: Heaven & Earth
Thor: Godstorm
Thor: First Thunder
Thor: Wolves of the North
Astonishing screams out the most to me. Look at Walt Simonsens(?) run, one of the best.
Angela is awesome. I hope she will be awesome and still look awesome in Marvel.
Ill reserve an opinion on the Angela integration until the mini is complete. Its not a bad fit but not an obvious one either, I hope it wont feel forced.
[QUOTE=havok1977;300005]Ill reserve an opinion on the Angela integration until the mini is complete. Its not a bad fit but not an obvious one either, I hope it wont feel forced.[/QUOTE]
I think people who don't know anything about the character are having a much easier time seeing how it goes together. I'll be honest, I've never been a huge Spawn fan and I know very little about Angela.
But from the way she's being depicted in Marvel... her winged helmet outfit, her angelic origin, and her obvious power/strength. All of that fits in with Asgard stuff. I think they've completely scrapped any and all ties to her former incarnation. I hope they explain why she doesn't have eyes. Or rather, pupils and stuff like that. Especially considering her parentage, you would think she would have those.
[QUOTE=Bucky;301045]I think people who don't know anything about the character are having a much easier time seeing how it goes together. I'll be honest, I've never been a huge Spawn fan and I know very little about Angela.
But from the way she's being depicted in Marvel... her winged helmet outfit, her angelic origin, and her obvious power/strength. All of that fits in with Asgard stuff. I think they've completely scrapped any and all ties to her former incarnation. I hope they explain why she doesn't have eyes. Or rather, pupils and stuff like that. Especially considering her parentage, you would think she would have those.[/QUOTE]
Think you got that right, personally I only ever read the very early Spawn issues in which she first showed up as a demon hunter shrouded in mystery but never kept up to find out all the details about her, so Im keeping an open mind knowing only the bare basics.