Thor #1 - Mobile Edition

Marvel Comics
Thor #1
By Herve St-Louis
August 24, 2007 - 23:30

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): J. Michael Straczynski
Penciller(s): Olivier Coipel
Inker(s): Mark Morales

Last time Thor starred in his own comic book, writer Michael Avon Oeming was writing the story that ended the cycle of Ragnarok that doomed the Norse gods to death and rebirth and made them disappear from reality. Of course, Thor’s disappearance could not last long and a loophole was found to bring him back. His former alter ego, Doctor Donald Blake brought him back to life and Thor is ready to serve humanity, again.

This story has some interesting existential questions such as what is the nature of gods and whether they or men exist to serve the other. Blake who had been created by Odin as a counterpart to Thor, and summarily erased, can exist, once Odin’s spell ceases to work, because the latter is no more. This is interesting discussion for the first issue of a super hero comic book. It seems that this version of Thor will aim for a more mature outlook than previous series. I’m not complaining.

As this is Straczynski writing the story, it is slow, and one can expect the reintroduction of Thor, to last for quite a few issues. Yet, it remains captivating, and the end sequence with Blake interacting with humans, promises to be interesting. As the end credits are found in the last page of the book, one can see this first issue as a prologue to the entire new Thor series.

Coipel does a good job here. His Thor is distinctive with a broken boxer’s nose. Blake looks a little different but less buffed. My favourite Thor interpretation before that was George Perez’s, but Coipel’s version is as unique and realistic. He doesn’t look pampered and like a clean-cut super hero. Instead, he displays that he is a brute, but an inspiring and good person.
Rating: 10/10