Rating: 
Summary: "He lived at home until he was thirty, worked for his father
Review: ...and his mother thought he was god!" In Spiderman, Marvel played with the idea of the hero as everyman. To bring the Superhero down to earth. In "the Mighty Thor" they elevated the superhero as mythological figure. In so doing they exploited the vulnerabilities, the "fatal flaws" of pagan heroes. In a sense "Thor" is an extrapolation on the question posed by George Carlin: "Does Superman have 'super-anxieties' as well as super-powers?" With Thor the answer is a resounding "YES"! We see the gradual evolution of the comic, moving from one-shot adventures--rather formulaically ending with Nurse Jane Foster, asking why Don Blake can't be more like Thor, and Blake replying some variation of "we can't all be heroes"--and moving away from somewhat contrived situations (How many times can Thor/Blake thoughtlessly drop his hammer/cane?) towards more 2 and three part adventures with the love triangle (quartet?) between Jane, Don/Thor, and Odin the driving theme. We see Thor gradually adopt the *faux* Elizabethan idiom we've come to know and love: from just in discourse with Odin, to when he in Asgard,
until it's all the time. While Thor will develope a gallery of stock villians (most of them stereo-typic "mad scientists"), Thor's great advesaries will be other gods, and his own internal torment. But that will come later. Interestingly enough the idea of a double is used quite frequently in the early issues. Does this reflect the tentativeness of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby over who/what Thor was supposed to be? The romance with Jane Foster is interesting is itself interesting. In issue 84 she's calle Jane *Nelson*, much later when she's mentioned she's become Foster. He relationship with Don Blake is distinctly maternal, doting over him as though he were a helpless child. Her early fantasies of Thor are likewise domestic, thinking how she would give him a haircut, press his cape, and polish his hammer (!!!!!!!!) Is it a coincidence that Jane is a *nurse* and her last name is *foster*? Or that Odin should insist of coming between them! ("Paging, Dr. Wertham, we need a Freudian on aisle 5!") These are the first 30 issues of Thor's appearance in "Journey into Mystery", by the end of the book the comic is "journey into mystery with THE MIGHTY THOR" and well on its way to becoming just simply THE MIGHTY THOR. Can't wait for Vol II!
Rating:
Summary: "He lived at home until he was thirty, worked for his father
Review: ...and his mother thought he was god!" In Spiderman, Marvel played with the idea of the hero as everyman. To bring the Superhero down to earth. In "the Mighty Thor" they elevated the superhero as mythological figure. In so doing they exploited the vulnerabilities, the "fatal flaws" of pagan heroes. In a sense "Thor" is an extrapolation on the question posed by George Carlin: "Does Superman have 'super-anxieties' as well as super-powers?" With Thor the answer is a resounding "YES"! We see the gradual evolution of the comic, moving from one-shot adventures--rather formulaically ending with Nurse Jane Foster, asking why Don Blake can't be more like Thor, and Blake replying some variation of "we can't all be heroes"--and moving away from somewhat contrived situations (How many times can Thor/Blake thoughtlessly drop his hammer/cane?) towards more 2 and three part adventures with the love triangle (quartet?) between Jane, Don/Thor, and Odin the driving theme. We see Thor gradually adopt the *faux* Elizabethan idiom we've come to know and love: from just in discourse with Odin, to when he in Asgard,
until it's all the time. While Thor will develope a gallery of stock villians (most of them stereo-typic "mad scientists"), Thor's great advesaries will be other gods, and his own internal torment. But that will come later. Interestingly enough the idea of a double is used quite frequently in the early issues. Does this reflect the tentativeness of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby over who/what Thor was supposed to be? The romance with Jane Foster is interesting is itself interesting. In issue 84 she's calle Jane *Nelson*, much later when she's mentioned she's become Foster. He relationship with Don Blake is distinctly maternal, doting over him as though he were a helpless child. Her early fantasies of Thor are likewise domestic, thinking how she would give him a haircut, press his cape, and polish his hammer (!!!!!!!!) Is it a coincidence that Jane is a *nurse* and her last name is *foster*? Or that Odin should insist of coming between them! ("Paging, Dr. Wertham, we need a Freudian on aisle 5!") These are the first 30 issues of Thor's appearance in "Journey into Mystery", by the end of the book the comic is "journey into mystery with THE MIGHTY THOR" and well on its way to becoming just simply THE MIGHTY THOR. Can't wait for Vol II!
Rating:
Summary: Essential Thor Vol 1
Review: After the first couple of pages, you don't even notice it's in black and white. The artwork is fantastic. Thor is illustrated with more realistic athletic proportions as was typical of the earlier comics. I guess it wasn't until the eighties or so that they started drawing the characters with muscles bulging down to the pinky level. The stories are very imaginative and top of the line. Of course, you'd expect that with Stan Lee at the wheel. Share it with your kids, or read it yourself to bring back those comic book memories. After reading the "Frog Thor" series (Thor 363 - 366) to my six year old son (who laughed hysterically when the frog lifted the hammer), he's requested that one Thor adventure be read each night. With over 500 pages, this comic should last about a month for the littlest comic book junkie in the family.
P.S. Don't buy a six year old a Thor hammer. Ouch, even those plastic ones really smart!!! Just kidding. Thanks, Stan.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Thor Vol 1
Review: After the first couple of pages, you don't even notice it's in black and white. The artwork is fantastic. Thor is illustrated with more realistic athletic proportions as was typical of the earlier comics. I guess it wasn't until the eighties or so that they started drawing the characters with muscles bulging down to the pinky level. The stories are very imaginative and top of the line. Of course, you'd expect that with Stan Lee at the wheel. Share it with your kids, or read it yourself to bring back those comic book memories. After reading the "Frog Thor" series (Thor 363 - 366) to my six year old son (who laughed hysterically when the frog lifted the hammer), he's requested that one Thor adventure be read each night. With over 500 pages, this comic should last about a month for the littlest comic book junkie in the family.
P.S. Don't buy a six year old a Thor hammer. Ouch, even those plastic ones really smart!!! Just kidding. Thanks, Stan.
Rating: 
Summary: The Beginnings Of A Classic Comic Book
Review: Although some of the comics in the middle of this essential tome miss the mark, it's the bookend collaborative efforts of Lee & Kirby that make this collection a must for any comics library. Now, if they'd only get around to publishing ESSENTIAL THOR VOL. 2; that's where things really get interesting...!
Rating:
Summary: ESSENTIAL THOR
Review: ESSENTIAL THOR REPRINTS JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83-112. MANY OF THE ISSUES CONTAIN THE LEGENDARY TANDEM OF STAN LEE(WRITER) AND JACK KIRBY(ARTIST). THE ADVERSARIES WHO FACE THOR ARE POWERFUL AND ENTERTAINING, SUCH AS ZARRKO, THE TOMORROW MAN. THE STORYLINES INVOLVING THOR/DR. DON BLAKE AND HIS NURSE JANE FOSTER ARE COMPELLING. ALSO, THE BACK-UP STORIES OF "TALES OF ASGARD" ARE AN ADDED TREAT. PRESENTING THE BOOK IN BLACK AND WHITE FOCUSES THE READER'S ATTENTION ON THE ART. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!
Rating:
Summary: Essential Thor worthwhile but just a prelude...
Review: Essential Thor Vol. I is worth having if for no other reason than it shows what this classic Lee/Kirby character was up to before he really built up a head of steam. Like the very first Fantastic Fours, this series started out sort of mediocre and then later developed into one of the best series of comics of all time. The Tales of Asgard secondary stories are probably the best thing about this volume - they started off strong, relying on minimalist dialogue and true Kirby power right off the bat. Looking forward to Volume II.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Thor worthwhile but just a prelude...
Review: Essential Thor Vol. I is worth having if for no other reason than it shows what this classic Lee/Kirby character was up to before he really built up a head of steam. Like the very first Fantastic Fours, this series started out sort of mediocre and then later developed into one of the best series of comics of all time. The Tales of Asgard secondary stories are probably the best thing about this volume - they started off strong, relying on minimalist dialogue and true Kirby power right off the bat. Looking forward to Volume II.
Rating:
Summary: Great anthology of a long running character
Review: I discovered THOR in the early seventies just prior to issue 200 so i missed a lot of the early stories. Thor has become my favorite since the eric masterson stories of the 90's and I have been trying to collect as many old issues as I can to catch up on all I missed. This anthology is a great addition to my collection. A wonderful collection of stories and a historical document in some ways as it is interesting to see how far the artwork and interpretation of these familiar characters has evolved. It is amazing how complicated these stories were for the time they were written and how much care went into developing this character and supporting cast at a time when comics were considered disposable entertainment. I enjoy reading these stories written by great storytellers who cared and respected their readers as much as any literary novelist...
Rating:
Summary: It's about time!!!
Review: I would first like to say that Marvel Comics should have done these reprints a long time ago. But better late than never. These inexpensive reprints are very good to own as you can read them without worrying about the condition of the comic book. And while the Marvel Masterworks are cool to own as hardbacks, they are a bit pricey for someone who just wants to read the comic books reprinted. This review really goes for all of the Essential paperbacks that marvel is putting out but this is one I have waited a long time to read because Thor has always been one of my favorite characters. If you enjoy this one then please check out the others. One more thing. For those complaining about the paper quality I would say that you can spend a few thousand dollars for the originals if you want. If so go ahead. But as for me I will enjoy these cool reading copies.
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