Thor Appreciation 2023

[The Cool Thatguy]

I wonder how long it'll take Aaron's run to get the laurels it deserves...imho a new reader starting now would binge it and love it to bits, I feel

It never really deserved any, so...

[Panic]

I wonder how long it'll take Aaron's run to get the laurels it deserves...imho a new reader starting now would binge it and love it to bits, I feel

I don't necessarily disagree about new readers - the point is that it crapped on Thor and his established supporting cast, with some of the most blatant character assassinations ever foisted on an established Marvel hero, in order to make Jane look cool. If it were an independent comics take on the Thor mythos it would be fine, but of course it wouldn't have the weight of Jane overshadowing a great comic-book hero, the Thor and Odin of those tales would be quite obviously just versions of the mythic characters created to make Jane look good.

For a lot of long-term readers the question is "does it do these characters justice?", and the answer is NO!

Edit: And Aaron's run got praised to the heavens when it first came out, it's only after Aaron's Avengers run was not-so-well-received (and made even non-Thor fans say that Aaron needed to leave the character alone) that it has started to lose its shine.

[Danvidar]

Read the new issue and loved it. Thor commanding the blizzard to just go away, Thor interacting with the people, even Thor referencing King Cnut's attempt to command the waves. The talk of "The Wheel" reminded me of something however so I went and checked. It was in his Guardians of the Galaxy run and it was mentioned a couple of times e.g. Athena in #12 that the reason the Olympians came back the way they did after No Road Home is because " The Wheel turned - and made us as we are. Honed for a new age of war." It is also noted in that issue that Athena and Zeus would only remain trapped where they were imprisoned as long as the (then) current age lasts.

Now Ewing's treatment of the Olympians is my one big black mark against him. Was not a fan at all. So if as this issue suggests "The Wheel" has tuned again and so is a new age I wouldn't mind him taking a second shot at them. The Pantheon needs a re-vamp anyway since as of last check most where either dead, trapped or unaccounted for.

[Quill-Han-Vos]

I wonder how long it'll take Aaron's run to get the laurels it deserves...

It already has, elsewhere than here I mean (since the opinion of the CBR community can be considered a minority on that particular subject).
The MCU even made a (crapy) movie loosely based on those Aaron stories, if that's not proof of the popularity of this run I don't know what it is.

[Frontier]

I wonder how long it'll take Aaron's run to get the laurels it deserves...imho a new reader starting now would binge it and love it to bits, I feel

I think the overall consensus is Aaron's Thor run was great, though I feel like those tend to ignore a lot of the issues in said run...but a new reader probably wouldn't notice them.

[Sif]

It already has, elsewhere than here I mean (since the opinion of the CBR community can be considered a minority on that particular subject).
The MCU even made a (crapy) movie loosely based on those Aaron stories, if that's not proof of the popularity of this run I don't know what it is.

Look the minority argument again!

Thought we were beyond that, if not, well if Aaron run is so popular why the writers after Aaron, keep undoing Aaron's creative decisions? Odd, no?

Perhaps the movie was not good because of the source material, just the tone difference between the God Butcher and what followed was night and day.

[Sif]

Also don't forget about post #286, it could be the other way around.

Funny.

The most highly-acclaimed runs on Thor comics have been those written by Walt Simonson, J. Michael Straczynski and the beginning of Jason Aaron's run. Of course, the original Stan Lee and Jack Kirby run deserves an honorable mention, as they created the hero.
Article from CBR

So, is time killing that comic book media assumption that Aaron's run on Thor was amazing from start to finish, that was and is clearly contested by comic book fans/readers? Going by this article seems that way.

[Username taken]

I think the overall consensus is Aaron's Thor run was great, though I feel like those tend to ignore a lot of the issues in said run...but a new reader probably wouldn't notice them.

This.

I read every single issue of that run because it was well written and action packed.

Unfortunately a lot of it came at the expense of existing cannon and precedent. Thats why subsequent writers HAD to undo a lot of what he wrote.

A new reader picking up that run will enjoy it the way it is, older readers had big, big problems with it.

[Quill-Han-Vos]

well if Aaron run is so popular why the writers after Aaron, keep undoing Aaron's creative decisions? Odd, no?

Because as writers they want to go in another direction and that perfectly understandable (a kind of clean slate for their own fresh start). That doesn't necessarily mean they dislike what Jason Aaron did (Donny Cates is a big Aaron fan in general, and Al Ewing co-wrote The Tenth Realm & Jane Foster Valkyrie with Aaron).

For example, as soon as he became the main writer of Thor (after a string of several fill-in issues) Tom DeFalco undid many things that Simonson did before (Thor's relooking, his beard to hide his scars, Surtur new look & Odin's death among other things), even though he and Frenz liked Walter Simonson's run (deservedly so).

[Sif]

Because as writers they want to go in another direction and that perfectly understandable (a kind of clean slate for their own fresh start). That doesn't necessarily mean they dislike what Jason Aaron did (Donny Cates is a big Aaron fan in general, and Al Ewing co-wrote The Tenth Realm & Jane Foster Valkyrie with Aaron).

For example, as soon as he became the main writer of Thor (after a string of several fill-in issues) Tom DeFalco undid many things that Simonson did before (Thor's relooking, his beard to hide his scars, Surtur new look & Odin's death among other things), even though he and Frenz liked Walter Simonson's run (deservedly so).

I disagree, not wanting go through Thor heavy lore again, (since i did it before specially with the hammer), writers keep undoing Aaron's major creative decisions, because their potential was and is very limited and aimed and designed to fit Jane's story, that simple.

As for the argument they wrote that together and are friends, yeah weak, creatively Donny Cates clashed with Aaron when Aaron was forcing The Phoenix Force as Thor Mother, bringing Gaea to his table in the arc where curiously Thor kills the mother or whatever storm.

Al now is already calling Thor Gaea-Son because, yeah Phoenix Force has basically no potential for Thor unlike the Elder Goddess that is the personification of Midgard.

[juan678]

[The Cool Thatguy]

Look the minority argument again!

Thought we were beyond that, if not, well if Aaron run is so popular why the writers after Aaron, keep undoing Aaron's creative decisions? Odd, no?

Perhaps the movie was not good because of the source material, just the tone difference between the God Butcher and what followed was night and day.

The movie wasn't that great, because ultimately, Gorr isn't that great a villain.

His motivation would be considered racism if it were applied to any real people/concept, and his issues were far too abstract.

When he wrote Thor, Aaron clearly had a chip on his shoulder regarding religion and reconciling it with his own atheism, to the point that he turned Thor's character into an atheist argument.

[Quill-Han-Vos]

As for the argument they wrote that together and are friends, yeah weak, creatively Donny Cates clashed with Aaron when Aaron was forcing The Phoenix Force as Thor Mother, bringing Gaea to his table in the arc where curiously Thor kills the mother or whatever storm.

That's actually more a problem of a lack of coordination between the editors than the writers themselves (Will Moss on Thor and Tom Brevoort on Avengers in that case).
The "Aaronvengers" also ignored many things published at the same time (Iron Man 2020 & Empyre to name a few).

[Mantis-Ray]

The movie wasn't that great, because ultimately, Gorr isn't that great a villain.

His motivation would be considered racism if it were applied to any real people/concept, and his issues were far too abstract.

When he wrote Thor, Aaron clearly had a chip on his shoulder regarding religion and reconciling it with his own atheism, to the point that he turned Thor's character into an atheist argument.

In fairness Gorr was considered the best part of the movie, its just everything else was widely hated and considered poorly made, like the endless bad comedy.

[Hypestyle]

Read the new issue and loved it. Thor commanding the blizzard to just go away, Thor interacting with the people, even Thor referencing King Cnut's attempt to command the waves. The talk of "The Wheel" reminded me of something however so I went and checked. It was in his Guardians of the Galaxy run and it was mentioned a couple of times e.g. Athena in #12 that the reason the Olympians came back the way they did after No Road Home is because " The Wheel turned - and made us as we are. Honed for a new age of war." It is also noted in that issue that Athena and Zeus would only remain trapped where they were imprisoned as long as the (then) current age lasts.

Now Ewing's treatment of the Olympians is my one big black mark against him. Was not a fan at all. So if as this issue suggests "The Wheel" has tuned again and so is a new age I wouldn't mind him taking a second shot at them. The Pantheon needs a re-vamp anyway since as of last check most where either dead, trapped or unaccounted for.

what happened to the Olympians/Greek gods?