Thor Odinson, God of Thunder Appreciation 2019

[Frontier]

So was this Thor on the Incoming cover a fake out?

Attachment 87951

Well, the design for King Thor on that cover doesn't even match the interior pages for Cates' run, so my guess is that it's either referencing Aaron's Old King Thor or just what Thor's planned design was.

I don't think so. I'm not sure what's going on. Either the change in look is further away than we had imagined, or there's some twist involved, such as the young Thor being from the future, or alternate timeline, or something.

Even if Cates is that big a fan of Aaron, I doubt he is going to repeat Aaron to the extent of multiple Thor's or timelines of Thors.

Which is a rare quality here but I would have thought would be a prerequisite for appreciating a story. I would love to think having a new writer would finally bring to an end all the negativity once and for all, but sadly we all know that can’t happen. Cates will inevitably do something that will trigger a portion of fans all over again.

Fans seem more positive toward the possibility of Cates now then they seemed before. Others are just cautious regarding whether they would actually move Thor away from the Aaron portrayal after so long, especially with Cates' love of that run.

Myself, I am definitely more optimistic for Thor now then I have been in a while. That redesign looks more like Thor then what I've been seeing in the comics as of late.

I very much doubt this cover Thor is anyone other than the Thor we know. He probably reflects a new slightly darker and more serious Thor, who carries responsibility with determination. That’s what I see in that image anyway, but Coipel always brings that serious edge. There is a slight 90s sensibility to him, reminding me of Morpheus or The Crow, but these more intense characterisations are coming back to comics so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see that kind of feel inside the covers with a modern twist.

I would be all for that. Maybe not darker per se, but I am read for a serious and committed Thor who doesn't ask where the bathroom is, bluster ineffectually, or yell about mead.

[JKtheMac]

Others are just cautious regarding whether they would actually move Thor away from the Aaron portrayal after so long, especially with Cates' love of that run.

Well you know I don’t think there was ever a problem with the portrayal anyway, but why would anyone worry about a new writer portraying a character the same way as a previous writer before they have even read an issue? That says more about fans than it says about Marvel.

Cates is inheriting a much improved Thor universe after Aaron, and he will no doubt play with some of those new toys. But he is a new writer. He will do new things. I sincerely hope we don’t have to continually listen to fans crowing about how his run is better or the same as Aaron for the next couple of years.

I would be all for that. Maybe not darker per se, but I am read for a serious and committed Thor who doesn't ask where the bathroom is, bluster ineffectually, or yell about mead.

There is a place for comic relief Thor IMO, and he will inevitably be partly used that way in Avengers unless he moves from the team.

I am not for a 90s style seriousness. For me that was an era that put me off comics for a long time. However I doubt Cates would go too far down that path. He’s too much of an action fan.

Every book that I write for this company I try to make it the biggest, baddest book I can... Matt Fraction once said that every Thor book should sound like Zeppelin. Well, I want mine to be like Norwegian black metal.


I mean, I am not a fan of Norwegian Black Metal, if that’s even a real genre, but I presume he means action heavy, crazy and dark.

[Overhazard]

Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Sweden, so it's kind of in the vein that Cates is going for, every time I hear Floor Jansen's beautiful voice I think "Should I be fighting a Dragon right now?" Which would be fitting for Thor.

I like Cates, and I do like Thor's new look, at least he has his arm back. Hopefully he'll have both of his eyes too.

Edit: Found it.

[Panic]

When I bought the first Simonson trade from Amazon (my original issues were looking a little worn) I bought Mastodon's Blood Mountain at the same time; I listened to it whist reading the trade, and it worked for me.

Mind you, I was listening to Florence and the Machine's Ceremonials when I read issues of Aaron's God Butcher, and that worked, too. Maybe I'm just easy.

[Frontier]

Well you know I don’t think there was ever a problem with the portrayal anyway, but why would anyone worry about a new writer portraying a character the same way as a previous writer before they have even read an issue? That says more about fans than it says about Marvel.

I think it is an issue when the writer says they are a fan of another writer who's take on a character you did not enjoy.

Like, if Nick Spencer was a big fan of Dan Slott's Spider-Man work, I would've been more cautious regarding his Spider-Man run then I already was (which, granted, proved unfounded).

But at least in this thread there seems to be more optimistic feelings compared to before, especially with the new design restoring Thor's look with both arms and eyes. I know you disagree with that, but I'd personally rather that then continue with the current Thor look.

Cates is inheriting a much improved Thor universe after Aaron, and he will no doubt play with some of those new toys. But he is a new writer. He will do new things. I sincerely hope we don’t have to continually listen to fans crowing about how his run is better or the same as Aaron for the next couple of years.

Aside from Thor being king and Loki's new status quo the mythos the Thor "universe" doesn't look that different to me. Not quite sure how it was improved .

I hope Thor fans have more to collectively be happy about then we have for a while, personally.

There is a place for comic relief Thor IMO, and he will inevitably be partly used that way in Avengers unless he moves from the team.

I am not for a 90s style seriousness. For me that was an era that put me off comics for a long time. However I doubt Cates would go too far down that path. He’s too much of an action fan.

I'm fine with Thor with a bit of levity in him but not when he's the butt of jokes as it feels like he's been too much of lately.

We see Volstagg looking fine and dandy in the preview so there will obviously be some comedy relief elements/characters in the book. I'm glad Volstagg managed to survive the previous run.

But I wouldn't mind Thor leaving The Avengers. I wouldn't even be surprised if that scene with him slaying the monster leads to him tending his resignation from the team because he's too busy.

[kilderkin]

I think it is an issue when the writer says they are a fan of another writer who's take on a character you did not enjoy.

Like, if Nick Spencer was a big fan of Dan Slott's Spider-Man work, I would've been more cautious regarding his Spider-Man run then I already was (which, granted, proved unfounded).

But at least in this thread there seems to be more optimistic feelings compared to before, especially with the new design restoring Thor's look with both arms and eyes. I know you disagree with that, but I'd personally rather that then continue with the current Thor look.

Aside from Thor being king and Loki's new status quo the mythos the Thor "universe" doesn't look that different to me. Not quite sure how it was improved .

I hope Thor fans have more to collectively be happy about then we have for a while, personally.

I'm fine with Thor with a bit of levity in him but not when he's the butt of jokes as it feels like he's been too much of lately.

We see Volstagg looking fine and dandy in the preview so there will obviously be some comedy relief elements/characters in the book. I'm glad Volstagg managed to survive the previous run.

But I wouldn't mind Thor leaving The Avengers. I wouldn't even be surprised if that scene with him slaying the monster leads to him tending his resignation from the team because he's too busy.

I would be very okay with Thor leaving the avengers book

The further away from Aaron he is the better imo, especially thre way he is written in the current team

Just horrible I feel

[Wall-Crawler]

Improved universe handed to Cates ? Watching 2 girls 1 cup feels more appropriate than saying Aaron improved Thor's universe lol.

[GrandEleven]

Improved universe handed to Cates ? Watching 2 girls 1 cup feels more appropriate than saying Aaron improved Thor's universe lol.

A troll of Asgard has appeared!

Seriously though: what a ridiculous statement.

[Wall-Crawler]

A troll of Asgard has appeared!

Seriously though: what a ridiculous statement.

Hahahahahah !!

[voidox]

huh, cates taking over huh... I do like the new look and yay for apparent return of his arm! might be finally time for Thor fans to get something to be happy about~

and LOL at saying he's taking over an improved thor universe xD there is very little about aaron's thor run that was good, as @Frontier said, just about Thor being King and Loki's new status quo. See if Cates can maybe go as far as undoing some of the damage aaron did, that would be really great~

[Digifiend]

Based on the cover I guess the Legacy Numbering is disappearing. :-(

Not necessarily. The cover isn't final until we see a barcode on it, so that could be corrected before they go to press.

So was this Thor on the Incoming cover a fake out?

Attachment 87951

You do realise that's out before the new Thor #1, right? Of course it wouldn't use the new design.

[Jekyll]

Cates on Thor? Sign me up! I am thoroughly enjoying pretty much each book he is on.

[JKtheMac]

But at least in this thread there seems to be more optimistic feelings compared to before, especially with the new design restoring Thor's look with both arms and eyes. I know you disagree with that, but I'd personally rather that then continue with the current Thor look.

They can depict him how they want. I don’t mind at all. Why should I disagree with it? I prefer longer hair and am not super keen on only having one eye. I do think it is a bit insulting to fans who identified with him having one arm though.

Aside from Thor being king and Loki's new status quo the mythos the Thor "universe" doesn't look that different to me. Not quite sure how it was improved .

See my entire thesis here for the last few years. If you don’t see what Aaron improved I am not going to spell it out again. Suffice to say I think Thor as a comic was in a terrible place before Aaron took over and is in a vastly better place now. I know there is a very closed minded group that won’t here anything good said about it but they are a tiny and overly vocal minority.

I'm fine with Thor with a bit of levity in him but not when he's the butt of jokes as it feels like he's been too much of lately.

Seems awfully touchy of you. I have never once felt he was treated in a way that I didn’t find humorous myself and perfectly in keeping with the tone of each book.

But I wouldn't mind Thor leaving The Avengers. I wouldn't even be surprised if that scene with him slaying the monster leads to him tending his resignation from the team because he's too busy.

I would be surprised but it may happen. Whatever happens Odin will remain a key part of the Avengers run and Loki will be a part of the wider story.

[JKtheMac]

Not necessarily. The cover isn't final until we see a barcode on it, so that could be corrected before they go to press.

I am not even sure if the font will remain. My first thoughts were that it was cool then I realised it was just repurposed from T:GoT so I wouldn’t be surprised to see an entirely different title logo.

[Frontier]

They can depict him how they want. I don’t mind at all. Why should I disagree with it? I prefer longer hair and am not super keen on only having one eye. I do think it is a bit insulting to fans who identified with him having one arm though.

Glad we can agree on long hair and arm .

To be honest, I would be surprised if Marvel even took into account the idea that people actually identified with Thor's metal arm. When Cates tried to assuage fans about why the Aaron features were gone, not many people actually seemed all that worked up about it.

See my entire thesis here for the last few years. If you don’t see what Aaron improved I am not going to spell it out again. Suffice to say I think Thor as a comic was in a terrible place before Aaron took over and is in a vastly better place now. I know there is a very closed minded group that won’t here anything good said about it but they are a tiny and overly vocal minority.

Again, I just don't really see much different aside from some status quo changes. I guess there's always the possibility that Thor will lose his name again, which is disconcerting.

As a character it feels like he's taken several steps back and is only now starting to rise back up again.

Seems awfully touchy of you. I have never once felt he was treated in a way that I didn’t find humorous myself and perfectly in keeping with the tone of each book.

Everyone has different tolerances for that kind of stuff.

Like how people love Hemsworth's new take on Thor even if it comes off too much like a parody or Hercules in my opinion. People probably find the humor in Avengers funny, but it's too low-brow for my taste.

I liked how in Earth's Mightiest Heroes Thor was a serious, noble, Asgardian but he could have fun when he wanted too. Rick Wasserman's performance helped a lot.

I would be surprised but it may happen. Whatever happens Odin will remain a key part of the Avengers run and Loki will be a part of the wider story.

I foresee Odin definitely factoring into the flashback portion.