(I’m pretty sure we and/or I have started this column frequently with this sentence, yet it bears repeating:) When Multiversity first began, the inherent point of Friday Recommendation was to talk about ongoing books we (I) enjoyed greatly. It was an (often times futile) attempt to speak about titles with a mix of objectivity and personal relation, as to convey exactly why this book was more worth buying than that book, with “that” book being any other title currently on the stands. The hope was that, in sharing a recommended book on Friday, fans could go out to find the book over the weekend and enjoy it, seeing exactly where we (or, in early cases, just I) were coming from.
Of course, when recommending something personally, it’s a bit hard to be objective. And after listing Kieron Gillen as the best writer of October 2011, screw it, objectivity be damned. Let’s talk about why I love Journey Into Mystery after the cut.
As a note, spoilers for the books first Fear Itself-related arc are discussed, so if you haven’t read it yet, the basic theme of the article is this: go buy and read Journey Into Mystery, love it, and thank me later.
Our story begins quite a few years ago when, after insistent persistance from fellow staff writer Joshua Mocle, I received a copy of Phonogram vol. 1 in trade (and in actuality, I actually wound up with two copies due to a pleasent mix-up of buying it for myself only to find that my girlfriend bought it for me as a gift). I found the book quite charming and engrossing, with the musical aspects speaking to me as a student in college working towards an audio degree and everything else speaking to me simply as a fan of comic books. This new writer whom I had never heard of before, along with this wonderful artist whom I similarly did not know, had won me over in the span of a few short pages and issues, and a lifelong fan (author’s note: I’m assuming here, really) was born.
A few short weeks later, I saw that this name “Kieron Gillen” kept popping up in strange and unexpected places. I found myself buying a Beta Ray Bill comic book, a character whose adventures I’d enjoyed a total of one time, as well as a Sabretooth one-shot and some story about Ares (not to mention a trade of some book called Suburban Glamour, which is related but unrelated). There was even this tiny little series called SWORD that you may or may not have heard of, but let me tell you, it was quite grand. Three easily recognizable characters and a bevvy of new ones for new stories? Awesome. These various stories all caught my attention on different levels, and I came to start actively seeking out more work from this Gillen person, including a second volume of Phonogram.
The reason for this is quite simple: between all of the books Gillen had wrote that I had read (I’ll admit, I still haven’t read everything — that Newuniversal issue alludes me), Gillen had filled his work with both stoic respect for the worlds these characters inhabited as well as put his own personal stamp in a notable way within the pages. Gillen doesn’t neccesarily inhabit these characters in specific ways, but you can see elements of himself (or rather, preconceived notions that I as a reader have of how Gillen views himself based on interviews, various interactions between himself and I and his Twitter account) seeping through the cracks and seams of the book. Gillen was never trying to fundamentally change everything you ever knew about Thor, but rather bring you to Thor’s worlds through his eyes. Instead of bringing the gods to man, he brought man to the gods, to borrow a phrase. Add to that a distinct voice, a sharp tongue and wit, and a penchant for just telling great stories, Gillen ending his Thor was the equivalent of a personal travesty.
But when it ended, there was clearly some room left to grow, with questions yet to answer. If Gillen’s Thor run was a poker player, then it had left the table without revealing its final hand, forever leaving the reader in the dark of just what else was left to do. However, here came the Journey Into Mystery relaunch, which was really just the continuation of Gillen’s initial Thor run with the addition of a few new elements, and it sat right back down to the table and picked up its hand, claiming, “Wait, you thought I left? Guys, I just went to the bathroom for a bit! Why do you think I left my cards right here?”
So, that takes care of the personal aspect of things. Now let’s get to the attempt to be more objective.
Gillen and Braithwaite were absolutely firing on all cylinders; Gillen was able to resolve and rectify some loose plot holes, and Braithwaite illustrated the book in an absolutely beautiful fashion, perfectly capturing the tone required for representing characters of such ancient and reverent stances. Braithwaite, after all, had worked with the extremely talented Alex Ross in the past, an artist who is known for excentuating the classic and creating the stuff of legend. By taking that know how into the pages of Journey Into Mystery, the book was looking pitch perfect. Throw in all the nice things I previously said about Kieron Gillen, and all the things I’ve yet to say, and you’ve got quite the powerhouse of a title here, and one that screams for my attention at every corner.
However, within the span of a single, perfect page, everything became abundantly clear:
The above page from the finale of this month’s issue (#631) was, without a doubt, the page that solidified my undying love of the series. Suddenly everything became rather clear; while the story itself features Loki playing tricks on characters and leading everyone down a path of his own design, the book itself in execution is Gillen and Braithwaite (or, in this specific case, Whilce Portacio) inhabiting the same role, setting us up and leading us by the nose until finally, Doom., the final trick is unveiled. It’s a quiet reference to the ever important run of one Walt Simonson on the book, but it is perhaps the most telling panel of what seperates Journey Into Mystery from The Mighty Thor, let alone any other superhero book. The influence hidden in subtext is now overt, and it only takes a brief knowledge of what Simonson did with his run to know what Gillen has planned, and just what he may do moving forward. Journey Into Mystery quickly upgraded itself from “very great comic” to “slowly building epic” with just one word.
It is perhaps a bit bold, or even a tad bit problematic, to compare a bourgening run like this to the epic behemoth that was Walter Simonson’s classic Thor run. Simonson’s run is important beyond belief, influencing both the habits of longform storytelling and the future handling of Thor. Simonson approached it with such informed understanding and care, as it inadvertantly makes most Thor runs beside it look like rather foolsih. He took Thor by the reigns and showed everyone how to work with the character, even if not everyone would listen or follow in his footsteps. It is clear, however, that Gillen did. You can tell, between the Fear Itself tie-in issues and this first issue related to the Shattered Heroes line, that Gillen has the exact same love and understanding of Thor as Simonson did, and when you put his work on Thor together with his work on Journey Into Mystery in your longboxes (as I have done), you’re given an epic story spanning 23 issues (plus a few important odds and ends from Fraction’s first arc and Fear Itself) all leading up to this single “doom”, as a chime towards the end of the beginning and the beginning of something new.
It’s impressive. It’s glorious. It’s inspired, exciting and an absolute treat for a Thor fan such as myself. As Gillen finally reveals one of the (assumedly) many cards up his sleeve, it doesn’t become too unrealistic to one day believe that the 8-pound Simonson Thor omnibus sitting on many of our shelves right now may one day be placed right next to our Gillen omnibus.
I’m an admitted Marvel fanboy at times, because I love the characters they’ve cultivated and I love their extended stories and mythology. Thor is a great part of that, as one of the central pillars of the Marvel Universe’s main heroic line-up. While he is certainly a character to have a grandiose and important history within the Marvel Universe, it excites me to no end to read stories that aren’t really implicitly about him. That is, I think, the final most impressive element of Journey Into Mystery — I’m buying a Thor title, and I’m not even reading a Thor story! (I can’t anyway; he’s “dead.”) That is Gillen’s single most clever trick between the span of all these issues; what began as a story ostensibly about Thor never truly was. Gillen’s central character is Asgard and the Nine Realms itself, the characters who make that world breathe and thrive, and Gillen’s main tool to guide us through this actual journey into mystery is the villain.
Well played, Kieron. Well played indeed.
I think it is obvious that I can’t recommend Journey Into Mystery enough. Clearly I can’t ever review the book for the site again, because if this isn’t obvious bias then I don’t know what is. It’s one of my favorite titles, and if I had my way I would probably force it into your pull. However, given that I don’t think I am allowed to do this (nor am I actually readily able to do so for each and every one of you), I can only offer the following information: check out the Thor by Kieron Gillen Ultimate Collection, featuring some fantastic art by Billy Tan, Jamie McKelvie, Nico Henrichon, Doug Braithwaite and Rich Elson, and go to your local shop to track down the issues of Journey Into Mystery (starting with #622). Pre-ordering the two hardcover collections (here and here) is also assumedly acceptable, with the understanding that you will then switch to single issues with the next issue (#632, out December 14th, just in time for Christmas).
If you can track down copies of Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter, either in single issue form or in trade, that might come in handy as well. It features Beta Ray Bill going toe-to-toe with Galactus. What more do you want?
And you know what? While you’re at it, get the Walt Simonson Thor Omnibus as well. Something tells me you’re going to need it. (At the very least, given that it weighs 8-pounds or something, it’ll make for a good weapon when the zombie apocalypse begins.)
