Welcome back to my summer binge of J. Michael Straczynski’s 2007 “Thor” Omnibus. Wanting to delve deeper into the stories of Marvel’s God of Thunder, I found this book at my LCS and decided to give it a go.
Written by J. Michael Straczynski"Thor" #1 Cover
Penciled by Oliver Copiel
Inked by Mark Morales
Colored by Laura Martin
Lettered by Chris Eliopoulos
Picking up where we last left off, Mjolnir has crashed to Earth and under observation by the U.S. government. The Fantastic Four fought off Doctor Doom and his Doombots, who tried to lift the Thunder God’s mighty weapon and ultimately failed. We get a glimpse of Dr. Donald Blake, a character that hadn’t been in the comics since the beginning of Walt Simonson’s seminal run.
Donald Blake served as Thor’s secret identity, a handicapped doctor who is imbued with the powers of Thor after chancing upon his hammer.
Since the events of “Ragnarok,” the gods were now gone from existence, but when Odin himself is erased from existence, his spell, too is erased and Dr. Blake is given new life. This, he explains, is why he chooses to ressurect Thor. He explains that it is not for Gods to believe in men but for Men to believe in Gods.
Straczynski spends the entirety of his first issue explaining how Thor is able to return, despite the broken cycle of Ragnarok that has plagued the Asgardians. Blake tells Thor that since he’s been in the void far longer than Thor, he knows more than Thor ever could imagine. Blake explains that Thor’s friends are alive in the souls of mortals, and Thor’s new adventures begin.
Straczynski and Coipel next resurrect Asgard in all of its glory. We spend some time with the people of Broxton, Oklahoma, their way of life. As Thor and Blake take up residence in this comfy little midwestern town, the people of Broxton definitely take notice. Thor raises a chunk of land out of the Earth and rebuilds his home. I found it quite funny when a police officer tells Thor that he’s breaking the law and trespassing on private land. With all of his strength he lifts Asgard from the Earth and it now hovers a few feet above the ground. The farmer who owns the land also drops by and Thor pays him quite nicely for the land. At night in the empty halls of Asgard, Thor vows to find his friends, now hidden within mortal souls, and promises to awaken them.
One of the best scenes so far comes in the third issue. These series began after “Civil War,” after team Stark uses a clone of Thor. Thor is not too pleased to hear of this to say the least. While going through New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (it’s very easy to date this comic and it’s certainly a product of its time.) Thor confronts Iron Man and tells him there would be a reckoning. It’s very cool to see Thor kind of sticking it to Tony for the shitty things that had transpired during that time. After Tony gets his ass handed to him, Thor tells him he no longer is holding back, an incredibly cool moment. Afterall Tony is a mere mortal, and he’s Thor, God of Thunder. After his skirmish with Iron Man, Thor finds the soul of Heimdall and awakens the god who sees all.
Our final issue spends some time with Dr. Blake in a war-torn Arfrican nation. Blake, a part of the Doctors Without Borders program, is there trying to help people the only way he knows how. When a group of soldiers attack, Blake uses his walking stick and summons the powers of Thor and he fights alongside three brave warriors who house the souls of the Warriors Three. He awakens them and Thor is another step closer to his goals.
I love these issues. I love the action in the art, Coipel Morales and Martin really turn in some stellar pages. The fight between Iron Man and Thor is captivating and intense and gives the sense that Thor truly no longer is holding back. Coipel and Co. are responsible for Thor’s modern look. The chainmail sleeves and pants can all be attributed to the three artists. Again, we can see where the MCU draws its inspiration from.
It’s safe to say that I enjoyed these few issues more than the previous two. Thor is back and in action. The scope Asgard is amazing. It’s beautiful and Coipel Morales and Martin really bring their A-game and Straczynski is able to tell a couple good stories that show the audience his direction for Thor moving forward. All I can say is that if the quality continues, I am in for the long haul on this run.
