Originally Posted by
Wizard Magazine
The Thor Relaunch
Thunder strikes a second time for the gods of Asgard, thanks to the combined efforts of three of comics' top writers in May 2005.
That's when Ultimates writer Mark Millar and X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong artist Greg Land launch a brand new take on the mighty Thor, seven months after the Michael Avon Oeming-penned "Ragnarok," in which Asgard was destroyed and Thor prevailed before meeting his glorious end.
"The old Thor is dead and gone," confirms Millar. "We get a chance to start all over again and create a whole new batch of characters, and that's quite tantalizing."
It all started with a pitch by legendary scribe Neil Gaiman. While Gaiman's novel-writing schedule prevented him from actually writing the new series, he gave Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada permission to take his idea to an editorial summit attended by Marvel's top writers. Amazing Spider-Man scribe J. Michael Straczynski came up with a new spin that Mark Millar - who previously had zero interest in the character - fell in love with and jumped at the chance to write.
"Gaiman's idea was so nice, and JMS' spin on it was absolutely brilliant," raves Millar. "I went back to my hotel, and while I was in the bath, I became obsessed with the idea, and I was so excited that I actually phoned Joe naked from the bath and said, 'Don't let anyone else do that Thor idea, because I must do it!'"
In the aftermath of "Ragnarok," pieces of Asgard begin falling to Earth in the form of powerful artifacts. An evil corporation sets out to collect these artifacts, building a base around an immovable hammer - the legendary Mjolnir - in the middle of a field in Iowa. A group of teens gather the remaining artifacts at this site, which becomes ground zero for their transformation into Thor, Loki and the gods of Asgard.
"Thor never quite seemed to fit in with the rest of the Marvel Universe," explains the writer. "There was always something weird about this Asgardian god hanging around super-soldiers and billionaire industrialists. This idea is a bit more real, in the sense that it's a group of kids who inherit what's left of that world."
A brief interview with Greg Land
In 2005, Greg Land goes from girls to gods.
Early next year, the rising star artist with a flair for the female form will pair with mega-popular scribe Mark Millar to relaunch one of Marvel's mightiest males, the Norse god Thor.
The move to Thor vaults Land to the big leagues and lets him strut his stuff on some of Marvel's most popular characters, but it won't be without its hurdles. "It's going to be a challenge," Land admits. "To take something a lot of people have liked and change it. But with Mark doing it, it'll have that big, box office feel."
Though the project is in the early stages, the creators feel a concept overhaul is necessary. "All the main characters will be there, but they'll be handles differently. Don Blake won't be Thor, that kind of thing." says Land.
The new series' first arc will deal with people's reaction to a startling development - all the gods' weapons have fallen to Earth. "They've been found, and they're being treated like treasures," explains Land. "Thor's hammer has been discovered, but no one on Earth can lift it. So they've created a scientific community around it to determine what the heck it is."
Land won't be ignoring his bread and butter, though. The artist promises fans they'll have plenty of beautiful babes to ogle in the pages of Thor. "That's the one thing I asked for," says Land. "I know the fans enjoy my renditions of the ladies."