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)