Visionaries : Thor

Rating:
Summary: Thor Visionaries (Thor # 337-348)
Review: A definitive version of the Mighty Thor. Thor has always been a problem for Marvel. How can you deal with a character so powerful and keep his stories interesting and innovative? Simonson succeeds by producing more worthy menaces and different views of favoirte characters. His artwork is unorthodox but it conveys all of the power that Jack Kirby did. This volume collects the first half of Simonson's magnificent run on the book and stops abruptly before the Surtur storyline. I remember when these stories were originally released in comics form that comic stores had long waiting lists for these books. Simonson generated that much excitment in Thor.

This volume is probably the first of two (the second will probably contain the Surtur story and the Thor-as-frog tale). This is one of the most important runs in the history of Thor and some of the best stories of the time. Wonder if they'll get around to putting out some of the later Kirby and Buscema stories? Those were fun, too.

Rating:
Summary: THE Definitive Thor Graphic Novel
Review: If you're like me, and you enjoy mythology and comics, Thor is definatly something you'd want to check into; yet the question arises, what to get, for the Odinson's comics often fall under the weight of mediocrity. Fortunatly for all of us, under the Visionaries line, Marvel has printed 12 glorious issues from the much celebrated run of one Walter Simonson who's writing and art style basically revolutionized Thor, surpassing the original creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. You can't go wrong w/ this book, which is teeming w/ dragons and magic; and contains the orgin of Beta Ray Bill, the alien being able to lift Thor's hammer, the evil Malekith, and behind them all is the revamped fire demon Sutur, ready to unleash destruction upon Asgard. My only complaint is that this epic saga couldn't be contained in one collection . . . can't wait for the next one!!

Rating:
Summary: THE Definitive Thor Run Begins Here
Review: The early '80's were a very exciting time to be a comic-book fan. Frank Miller on Daredevil, John Byrne on Fantastic Four, Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson on Ka-Zar....But when Walter Simonson quietly took over The Mighty Thor with issue #337, he took the character and brought him to the forefront of the comics industry, and the fans sat up and took notice. (I vividly remember that first issue of Thor being THE hot topic during the 6th-grade lunch period the day after it was released. Copies were being passed around and oohed and aahed over like they were gold nuggets.) I bought Thor Visionaries mostly out of nostalgia; I didn't think the stories could possibly hold up almost twenty years later.

I was wrong.

Not only do they still hold up, they were even better than I remembered them! The stories virtually crackle with energy, and when read together, I was better able to appreciate Simonson's intricate & meticulous plotting. (And his art ain't too hard on the eyes, either!)

Under a gorgeous new Walt Simonson cover are his first twelve issues, which starts the Surtur story-arc, and introduces Beta-Ray Bill, the noble alien who bests Thor in combat and does the heretofore impossible: Lifts Thor's hammer, effectively BECOMING Thor! We also get a great battle (Or two!) with Fafnir, and finish off with Thor's attempt to stop Malekith The Dark Elf from opening the Casket of Ancient Winters, which could plunge Earth into a new ice-age. Unfortunately, the book ends with a rip-roaring cliffhanger, and while there are more Simonson issues yet to be reprinted, Marvel hasn't made any plans for a second volume of Thor Visionaries, so there's no telling when Walt's Surtur epic will see the light of day in collected form.

The writing and art in this volume is amazing. Simonson's Thor resonates deeply in ways he never has before (Or since); I especially enjoyed the scenes between Thor and his Father, Odin. As another reviewer mentioned, two pages in the first chapter are printed out of order, and that kind of stuff drives me nuts. For a book of this price to not be perfect is inexcusable. It often seems like reprint books are just slapped together, and that's just sad. Considering the fact that they often contain some of the most important stories, they should be labors of love, not a slapped-together afterthought. In addition to the new cover, Simonson contributes a new introduction that explains the genesis of the Surtur storyline; It's cool to learn how he made his dream a reality.

Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson is a MUST-READ for any comic fan. Lets hope Marvel gets on the ball and gives us Volume Two sooner rather than later!

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Thor!!
Review: This was my introduction to "The Mighty Thor." I had read several positive reviews and thought I'd try it myself. The story was fascinating. Walt Simonson obviously had loads of background on Norse Mythology before beginning his incredible run. My only complaint is that the story actually continues for four or five more issues when this volume ends. However, it is not difficult to find those today for the price of a current comic in any comic book store. If you like Thor or think you might like it, this is a good place to start!

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Thor!!
Review: This was my introduction to "The Mighty Thor." I had read several positive reviews and thought I'd try it myself. The story was fascinating. Walt Simonson obviously had loads of background on Norse Mythology before beginning his incredible run. My only complaint is that the story actually continues for four or five more issues when this volume ends. However, it is not difficult to find those today for the price of a current comic in any comic book store. If you like Thor or think you might like it, this is a good place to start!

Rating:
Summary: The High Point of the Thor stories.
Review: Walt Simonson re-invented the mythology of Thor for a modern reading audience in this first collection of stories. No other writer since has been able to keep Thor interesting to the readers.

Rating:
Summary: thumbs up for story & art, thumbs down for collection
Review: When this book was announced, you could feel the excitement in comic shops everywhere. Finally, Walter Simonson's classic run could be enjoyed in all its glory! I grew up with these stories, and there has never been a doubt in my mind that Simonson is the only person, after Lee and Kirby, who should be allowed to touch the god of thunder. Simonson has a true love for the characters, as well as their Norse mythology roots, and it is this love that made his run the best ever on Thor. He started the whole thing off with an unprecedented shake-up in the form of Beta Ray Bill, and the whole thing amazingly got better and better after that. This collection, however, does not give Simonson's work the treatment it deserves. In short, the book did not turn out well. The printing quality varies wildly, giving crystal clear story pages, but blurred issue covers. What happened? Even worse is that 2 pages are printed in reverse order! Now maybe some can forgive it, but when presenting exceptional work such as this, especially at this price, misprints are unacceptable. So, be warned - it's a poor presentation of quality work, and Marvel should be flogged for dumping this this on the fans who have been patiently waiting for this overdue collection. Marvel had better get its act together on any subsequent volumes.

Rating:
Summary: thumbs up for story & art, thumbs down for collection
Review: When this book was announced, you could feel the excitement in comic shops everywhere. Finally, Walter Simonson's classic run could be enjoyed in all its glory! I grew up with these stories, and there has never been a doubt in my mind that Simonson is the only person, after Lee and Kirby, who should be allowed to touch the god of thunder. Simonson has a true love for the characters, as well as their Norse mythology roots, and it is this love that made his run the best ever on Thor. He started the whole thing off with an unprecedented shake-up in the form of Beta Ray Bill, and the whole thing amazingly got better and better after that. This collection, however, does not give Simonson's work the treatment it deserves. In short, the book did not turn out well. The printing quality varies wildly, giving crystal clear story pages, but blurred issue covers. What happened? Even worse is that 2 pages are printed in reverse order! Now maybe some can forgive it, but when presenting exceptional work such as this, especially at this price, misprints are unacceptable. So, be warned - it's a poor presentation of quality work, and Marvel should be flogged for dumping this this on the fans who have been patiently waiting for this overdue collection. Marvel had better get its act together on any subsequent volumes.