REVIEW: THOR #1

by Doug Mikesh

     Thor makes his return to Midgard in a subtle and contemplative way.  If you are a fan of Thor in the Avengers series, then this comic will more than likely disappoint you a bit.  If you know and love Thor from his former series, then this comic will more than likely feel just right. The series is written by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Oliver Coipel. The first issue has already sold out and a 2nd print is on the way to shelves.

Teaser Alert! (if you havent read it and plan to, you may want to stop here!)

     Thor narrates the comic with fleeting, fragmented thoughts. He thinks back to the events that lead him to the destruction of Asgard, and his own self-imposed Odinsleep, until he is awakend in the nothingness he has exiled himself to. Thor is met there by Donald Blake. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time Thor has ever come face to face with his alter ego. Donald begins to explain to Thor that all of his actions have led to this point. They have severed the tie between those who sit in shadow and the cycle of Ragnarok. Donald explains that his actions have thrust him into nothingness, where he has done nothing but watch events for all of time.  In truth, Donald Blake was created by Odin to house the soul of Thor in the first place.  He is essentially a being comprised of Odinpower.  It makes sense to me that when he returned to the source, he became the embodiment of that power, a walking manifestation of Odinpower that has deemed it time to start the Cycle again.  This wouldn’t be the first time Odinpower has taken humanoid shape and talked with Thor, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this were the case here too.
      Blake shows Thor an apocalyptic scene of earth, and tells him this is the future of Midgard unless Thor is there, at the right place, at the right time to tip the balance.  He asks Thor if he cares enough about Earth to come back to save it.  Out of this issue this is but one simple page that I fear most people will read over and not fully digest the meaning of what they are talking about.  Thor tells Blake that he doesn’t want to just come back, to start the cycle over again so that all the sacrifices his people made during the Ragnorok series be in vein.  If you never read the Ragnorok series, this might be where they loose you.  During the end of his series, Thor learned the truth of Asgard and the cycle of Ragnorok: That Asgard is made, certain events HAVE to happen and then it is destroyed, only to be reborn again a short time later to start over.  Thor learned that this is happening for the sole benefit of a group of gods called "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow".  Thor went to them and destroyed them as Asgard was destroyed itself, finally freeing his people from their endless cycle of death and rebirth. Thor now thinks that if he comes back, it will start again, but Blake reveals that by destroying the link between "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow" and Asgard, he has stopped the cycle.  Asgardians are now free to set their own destinies, to live their lives the way they want to without being guided by fate! That’s huge! Certain heroes are no longer doomed to failure, but that also means that villains aren’t either!  I can’t wait to see what a Loki that isn’t destined to fail can do!

THE RAGNEROK SAGA IS COLLECTED IN 'AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED: THOR' TPB $16.99

     Their conversation is cut short though, as Thor is attacked by demons. It is unclear if this is set up by Blake as a trial by fire, or if these demons are sent by a third party to stop Thor’s return.  Either way, Thor fights through, finding Mjolnir in the middle of the fray.  Grasping the hilt, a burst of lightning strikes and he proclaims himself "THOR! Son of Odin, God of thunder, who commands the lightning and the storm!" and showing for the first time his new costume.  

LOOK CATWALKS OF PARIS, THOR IS SHOWING OFF HIS NEW LONGJOHNS!!!

     This brief fight is all the action there is to see in this otherwise slow issue.  A fact that I am sure most pure Avengers fans will see as an odd way to bring Thor back from his long rest.  Avengers’ comics all too often use this character as dumb muscle, but in the end of the Ragnorok series they really started to show how much passion he has for his people, and the lengths to which he would go to see them set free.  With all of this accomplished, his series was ended in a dignified and contemplative way.  It is only fitting that the return was written in the fragmented style of a man waking from a dream.  The effect leaves the writing sparse, but the artwork phenomenal.  Hopefully the intention of the writer is to continue the continuity from the previous series, instead of the watered down teaser book most will see it as.  Either way it is well worth the read and more than a little fun to speculate who he has come to stop!  I can’t wait to see what happens next!