Rating: 
Summary: Proto-Thor, but worth it
Review: This is an interesting time for the character Thor just as it was in the embryonic Marvel Universe. He is dressed like the Thor we know, he carries the hammer and has the basic mythos of the character, but he is far from the Thor who would be appearing in just a few years; like the Hulk, Thor would evolve greatly in the comic pages. We don't get to read Lee's pseudo-Shakespearian dialouge and Kirby's art only graces seven stories (plus two magnificent "Tales of Asgard"), still, for a comic fan with a sense of history, reading these stories is like finding a rough version of "To Kill a Mockingbird." You know that there is potential here, it is just waiting to be found.And you will see glimmers of that potential. Amidst the requiste (for Marvel at that time) Thor vs. the evil Communist stories and Thor vs. mythological characters stories, we get the seminal appearances of the Lava Men, Mr. Hyde and the Cobra. Not only do these stories introduce antagonists that have returned to the pages of Marvel comics today, we get to read Stan Lee as he grafts his popular "soap opera" formula onto the title for the first time and it is a marked improvement. As an aside, one of the things that struck me about the stories after Lee & Kirby's initial run on the character, is that Thor comes off like Superman, maybe not DC's Superman, but Superman nonetheless, perhaps as viewed through the Archie/Radio Comics of the time. For an interesting, and entertaining, version of Thor, buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: An enjoyable look at the early Thor.
Review: This was a trip down memory lane that was well worth the price. By far I enjoyed the stories drawn by Jack Kirby - his artwork is awesome! The stories are so basic and simplistic that one only has to browse the narration, no deep reading needed here. But I knew what to expect when I bought this book so I was not disapointed. Basic stories, good Kirby art (on most of the stories), and an enjoyable trip to the beginings of "The Mighty Thor"!
Rating:
Summary: Marvel Masterworks Thor - Journey Into Mystery
Review: Thor was once Marvel's answer to Superman. We've come a long way since those early days when all Thor had to worry about was his secret identity and marrying Jane Foster. This volume contains the first 18 Thor stories, with artwork by Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Joe Sinnott, and others. It also contains the first appearences of Loki, Mr Hyde, Cobra, and Radioactive Man. The artwork appears to be touched up somewhat by computers but this doesn't detract from the original artwork. All in all, an entertaining volume but I would greatly appreciate it if they reproduce some of Kirby's later work on Thor, particularly his stories featuring the Destroyer, the Living Planet, Galactus, etc. Kirby's style became mindblowing and the stories took on epic proportions; they fully deserve the Masterworks treatment.
Rating:
Summary: King Kirby Lives
Review: Without a doubt, Jack Kirby's artwork is some of the most inventive in the superhero genre of comics. His bold lines and expressive figures are pop art in the purest sense. This volume which includes all the early Thor appearances are printed nicely in a hardcover edition. My one complaint is that somehow, the new, improved computer coloring seems somehow a little too slick, too polished. There's something about the bold, flat colors of vintage comics that added to their appeal. But it's nice to have these comics collected in a bookshelf edition and hopefully Marvel will continue to bring back the rest of the volumes.
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