July
10
Thor #1
Creators: J. Michael Straczynski, writer; Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales, artists
Marvel, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? The Thunder God returns in a comicbook that perfectly demonstrates the downside of buying comics in the periodical format. This book is beautifully drawn and proceeds at a moderate (you could even say slow) pace as it takes great pains to show who Thor is, where he’s been since his last series ended, and why he’s just now coming back to the Marvel Universe. Beyond that, very little actually happens in this issue, leaving the experience of reading it a hollow one. Obviously, the eventual collected edition will be a different story, but this as a single issue does little to engender much excitement in Thor’s return or give the reader any idea of what to expect upcoming issues will be like or how this series may differ from the character’s previous outings. Still, it’s an exceedingly pretty comic book and looking at the pictures will suffice for fans too impatient to wait for the collection to make clear what exactly the story is about. Grade: B-
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OK, this is strictly a "reintroductory" story of sorts, forming the basis for Thor's return with more background than the previous reintroduction did. For action lovers, it's nothing like the Avengers battling the Destroyer as is what took place in Thor #1, Volume 2, so you may not enjoy this as much. My advice is to have patience with the storyline as it develops to see if the characterization makes up for the seeming lack of action.
I have to say that I'm ambivalent about the artwork on this one. I believe the same artists drew the Avengers' "Lionheart of Avalon" storyline, and I wasn't fond of how Captain America looked like a doofus. The same seems to hold true for this version of Thor on some panels. The Thor artwork I liked most was in the last story arc ("Ragnarok") of the previous volume (issues 80-85) and in the "Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill" limited series. I was hoping for the return of that group. Perhaps down the road.....
Posted by: Wheezer | July 10, 2007 at 03:43 PM