Aaron Thor

Original Sin: Thor and Loki 5.2-5.5

I’m still not a fan of Angela retconned as Thor’s sister.  (How did she make it to the Marvel universe again?)  It’s completely random and makes no sense.  But if you’re going to do it, you could do far worse than Jason Aaron and Al Ewing’s effort here.  Secret tenth realm populated by cutthroat mercenary flying amazons?  Sure, I'm in.  

Hard to argue...

I’ve already expressed my appreciation for Angela over in Guardians, and this sets her up for her solo title.  (Written by Marguerite Bennett.  Still been meaning to check it out…)  Loki does some nice scheming, fitting in quite well with the double crossing angels.  

I like funny Loki.

Thor bashes things with his hammer (“Thor smash” seems to be Aaron’s unofficial motto for his run.).  Odin returns.  

Only including this because Lee Garbett's channeling a lot of Shawn McManus and Darick Robertson here.

All in all, a fun little tie in series for an event that I had zero interest in reading.  But I’ve already gone and ebayed the missing first issue for this title.  It’s good enough to complete, and I’d buy it again.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Thor: God of Thunder 25

Aaron finishes up this series before rebooting for Lady Thor with a story anthology that doesn’t bring much to the table - Malekith’s meh origin, a tease for the return of Laufey, and a glimpse of the new Thor.  Skippable if it wasn’t part of what’s been an excellent run for Aaron.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Aaron Thor

Thor: God of Thunder 19-24

Future Thor fights Galactus over the husk of Earth.  It’s insanely awesome, with appearances by the granddaughters of Thor and All-Black the Necrosword.  Esad Ribic draws the hell out of this, with amazing colors from Ive Svorcina.    

So imposing.

Great job conveying scale.

Present Thor and Roz Solomon begin their battle against Roxxon and The Minotaur.  Broxton is destroyed in the process, and the Asgardians decide to fly their city away from Earth.  As always, corporations prove themselves to be the lowest of villains, to the point where it’s not that fun to read.  It’s too real for the escapist schemes and plots that I generally look for in comics.  

"I so wish!"  Aww.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Aaron Thor

Thor: God of Thunder 13-18

The return of Malekith as he goes on a rampage through the Nine Realms.  Thor forms the Justice League of the Nine Realms, and it’s pretty cool.  Ron Garney’s a good artist, but keeps the story from being the best it could be.  (Imagine Esad Ribic on it!)

Volstagg is taking well to his new role.

Reminds me of...

In the breather story, Thor meets, befriends, and kills a dragon.  It’s funny and surprisingly sad, with spectacular art from Das Pastoras.  There’s a very Milo Manara/European look to his style, in the best way possible.  (Looked it up, he’s from Spain.)

Meet cute.

*sniff*

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Aaron Thor

Thor 6-12

Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic somehow manage to top the previous arc with this Godbomb story, which is really just a continuation of God Butcher.  It’s basically a huge fight scene between Gorr and the three Thors, and it is EPIC.  Things move at a breathtaking pace, with exhilarating action and a number of OMG moments.  Plus, Aaron brings the humor with some lol moments.  

I love that there's a God of Bombs.

Heh.  Shark slap.

Yessss.

Heh.  Laughing hammers.

So badass.  This is out of Dragonball Z.

Issue 6 gives the origin of Gorr (maybe it would be better if Jackson Guice’s art was more impressive).  Issue 12 show us a day in the life of Thor, capped by a super sweet moment between him and the cancer-ridden Jane Foster.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good (Nice for issue 6)

Aaron Thor

Thor: God of Thunder 1-5

I have great memories of Jason Aaron’s Thor run, but I’ve never re-read it.  Things are off to a great start with God Butcher.  He’s telling three stories in parallel here, and it’s impressive that the tales of past, present, and future Thor are all exciting and suspenseful, considering the fact that we know he survives at least the first two.  

And let’s not forget Esad Ribic’s art.  Geez louise.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Simonson Thor

Thor 375-382

The end of the Walt Simonson run.  This was way more of a slog than I anticipated.  Beyond the still-brilliant opening Beta Ray Bill arc, there are only a smattering of standout issues that follow.  This batch contains one of them, the all-splash page fight against the Midgard Serpent.  Simonson is credited with the layouts, and it really shows underneath the Sal Buscema pencils.  There’s a grandeur here that’s missing from the rest of Buscema’s time on the title.

Maybe Buscema's best panel this run.  He really conveys the agony.

This whole conversation is hilarious.  Fin Fang Foom citing Custer is priceless.

Some pages from that epic fight.

I lol every time I see this.

The finale of the run is memorable as well - Thor, body smashed to literal jelly, transfers his mind to the body of the Destroyer, and smashes the underworld to smithereens until Hela restores him to his former glory.  It’s pretty sweet, as is his nonchalant punishment of Loki:

Overall, Simonson’s much vaunted Thor doesn’t hold up 35 years later.  It’s rightly considered a classic, but it’s definitely not as good as some of the other Marvel runs from that era.  (Miller’s Daredevil, Claremont’s X-Men)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No (Yes for 379-382)

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice.  (Didn’t suck for 375-378.  Pretty good for 380)

Simonson Thor, New comics

New comics!

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 6

More often than not, Tom King issues follow a similar pattern: It always takes a few pages to set up the premise, where it’s hard for me to figure out how it ties into the main thrust of the series.  It’s like warming up a cold engine, I’m not sure if it’s actually going to get started or sputter out.  Almost always, the car roars to life, and this time is no exception.  Supergirl continues to be one of the best new series I’ve read in a long, long time.  This time around, King describes the destruction of Argo City and how it affected Kara starting from a very young age.  It brings harsh details to a period of time that’s always been glossed over in the past, and it’s a harrowing story.  So top notch.

Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem 6

Mark Millar continues to kill off just about every single good guy in this universe with no hesitation.  I will very likely have to re-read this just to refresh my memory when the final volume kicks off next spring.

Batman/Catwoman 9

Sigh, Liam Sharp has got this Bill Sienkiewicz vibe going on that doesn’t suck, but just isn’t a match for the preceding Clay Mann issues.  Also, this still feels like filler.

Nightwing 87

The much-anticipated 22-page-long single-panel issue.  Bruno Redondo hits this out of the park.  The story itself is rather slight, but it’s completely understandable given the high concept.  Super fun.  

Thor 373-374

Thor helps out X-Factor during the Mutant Massacre.  Hela reveals the curse she’s laid on Thor: Brittle bones that won’t heal, plus the inability to die.  As curses go, it’s pretty good.  Sal Buscema continues to provide completely adequate art.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Hawkeye

Hawkeye

What an awesome tv series.  Definitely the most rewatchable of the lot so far.

Highlights:

Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop.  She’s a perfect fit for the MCU in every way, I can’t wait to see more of her.  But as good as she is, she’s still no match for…

Florence Pugh is back as Yelena Belova!  She’s as delightful here as she was in Black Widow, and I couldn’t get enough of her.  She’s hilarious, lethal, and nails the emotional bits when it comes to her love and grief regarding Natasha.  Her chemistry w/ Steinfeld is the best part of this show, and I hope to see much more of them in future movies.

Jeremy Renner.  So nice to see Renner get a chance to explore the depths of Clint Barton’s character, an opportunity that was largely denied him in the films.  He finally gets a few showcase action moments as well, especially in that third episode.  Speaking of which:

Bert and Bertie.  I’d never heard of this directing duo before, but they make that third episode sing in a way that brought the series alive after the somewhat lackluster first two episodes.  The car chase is one of the best action moments in MCU history.

Tracksuit Mafia.  Bro!

Kingpin: Great to see Vincent D’Onofrio back in this standout role.  But did they really kill him off after only one episode?

Echo.  I’m not as high on Alaqua Cox as everyone else seems to be, but there’s definitely potential here.  It’s probably for the best that they didn’t focus on her mimetic abilities so close to the appearance of Taskmaster in Widow, but it also takes away from one of the things that makes her awesome in the comics.  Still interested in her upcoming series.

Linda Cardellini.  So happy to see that there’s more to her than loving housewife.  Hope to see more of her moving forward.  

The LARPers.  That initial scene with them is hilarious.  

Rogers the Musical.  I mean, it’s horrible.  There’s no denying it.  But I’m also thrilled that a fully produced number exists.

All in all, a thoroughly entertaining series and my favorite of the bunch.  Time to start ranking them!

1. Hawkeye

2. Wandavision

3. Loki

4. Falcon and Winter Soldier

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: Yes

Rating: Good with flashes of Really good

Simonson Thor

Thor 367-372

Ugh, Walt Simonson stops drawing, and Sal Buscema takes over.  Buscema’s…fine.  And the gap between their art skills magnifies Simonson’s writing shortcomings as well.  These stories are random side quests (Baldur getting sidetracked on the way to his coronation, Thor meeting up with a Judge Dredd knockoff (Justice Peace.  Ugh.), and a horrendous fill in issue).  I’d totally cut these if I didn’t know better things are on the way.  (As long as my memory doesn’t fail me.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes (No for 370-372)

Rating: Fine (367-369), Disliked (370), Stupid (371-372)

Simonson Thor

Thor 361-366

Okay, way less sleepy, and not nearly as distracted by the tv this time.  High ratings for this batch today.  Coincidence?  I actually don’t know.  

Skurge’s last stand on the bridge is as epic as I remember.  Walt Simonson tells the story with the perfect mix of art and narration.

Chills

And then comes THOR FROG!!!  THOR FROG!!!  Could anyone but Simonson have come up with the idea, or executed it as well?

Thus the foes indeed.

Frog flirting!  Love his frog expressions.

AmEx?  Such an odd reference.

So cute!

So absurd.

Always loved the mirror covers.

Some other highlights:

So much energy on the page.

Totally reminded me of...

...this art by Bill Sienkiewicz

Simonson loves drawing the bottom of Loki's feet post-Thor hit.

363 is a Secret Wars II tie in, not as good.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good (362), Pretty good (361, 364-366), Nice (363)