THOR #3

Now, I'm going to hate adding a little sobriety to this conversation, but honestly, I think that sometimes these reviews get too lost in politics and grande analyses; so much so that we become utterly removed from the true heart and poetry of the comic book artform...or at least the promise of what it can be and sometimes (rarely) attains.

I have been away from comics for about 20 years now and was completely suckered back in because of the CIVIL WAR series. I say suckered because I bought into the tie-ins and needless companion books (having a job is a great thing if you are a comic book fan...and much better way to afford the hobby than praying to find loose change behind the couch cushions at your's and all of your friend's homes :)

The CIVIL war did a lot of things, it tied into the paranoid furor of the present day United States in the wake of 911. It tied into the dangerous and almost Orwellian nature of the Patriot "you're either with us or against us" Act, and it tied into something very very primal in every comic book fan...the secret dream of wanting to see your favourite heroes duke it out. Not that I'm a pro wrestling fan or anything, but the WWE figured this out a long time ago when they pit Hogan against the Ultimate Warrior - Hero vs. Hero sells.

But in the Civil War, it was more than the usual comic book misunderstanding where handshakes and smiles brought everything back to normal with the turn of the final page. The Civil War changed the face or marveldom all together. Peter Parker is now running against time and fate in the "One More Day" arc in Spider-Man. Captain America is dead (?) and Tony Stark is struggling to walk a moral/ethical tight-rope that has landed him in most comic fan's bad books (a wonderful plot device because his battle with alcoholism, his questionable moral choices [i.e. dating the wasp and slapping his old friend Hank Pym in the face in the process] have always left him as a far more grey area hero, unlike the likes of Thor and Captain America to whom life is simple -- honour and loyalty above all [part of the reason that these two heros are in the select group of beings to have ever held and wielded Mjolnir).

So I'm brought back to this issue of Thor. Straczynski and company have done what I consider to be comic book art and storytelling in its highest form. That being said, I've gotta be honest, it took me the first two issues to get into his new, "beefier" look (and I've gotta say, lose the skirt). But the story arc is magnificent as it send the God of Thunder across (what will hopefully be the globe and not just the US) the land in search of his lost family and Friends. Then their are the individual issue plots that work to drive the story. Straczynski and company could easily have had Asgard recreated into space ones again, but those times have changed, and how much more interesting to have it on the earth. How much more interesting to have Thor have to pay for the land. How much more clever is this as a plot contrivance that allows him to come face to face with Stark, the man who betrayed his friendship and his body.

I've got nothing but respect for you Kurt, but you seem almost determined to devalue this story and the book as a whole because of your own political leanings and not for the product itself. Let's forget politics for the moment and talk about the artwork?

The true mark of a beautifully rendered comic being the ability to understand the entire story without captions. Something that Coipel does with a finely tuned mastery far beyond his years. Not since the artwork of the late great John Buscema have I soaked up the imagery of a comic book with such joy. The light growing in the back of Thor's head as Ironman arrives is beautiful storytelling. Stark's walking around a aolemn and stone cold Thor is masterful. I could go on, but I fear Mr. Coipel might think I want a date or something :) You must be able to appreciate the rendering of the fight between Stark and one of Marvel's cornerstone heroes.

Once or twice in the history of Marvel's Thor (of which I have always been a huge fan), he has made some reference to the fact that he generally tends to hold back, and this is a point made clear in this book. Another piece of movement that takes place here that you have missed Kurt. Here are the plot movements that have taken place in this comic alone:

(a) This is the battle-hardened warrior version of Thor that we will be seeing in this series, not the sad sack 1980's Thor
(b) He knows what Stark did with his DNA and that there will be a reckoning to come.
(c) He has found at least one of his Asgardians and is no longer be alone (as Stark says "we know you're alone up in that place and we can take it if we choose") With every Asgardian that he finds, his army grows...will that have an impact on the Patriot ..uhmm, sorry, Registration Act. Will Stark, SHIELD and the US army be facing all of Asgard in the near future?

But then, maybe I'm getting a little too lost in all the intricacies. Let's go back to me as a little kid reading my THOR comics and wishing I could be that good, and that brave and that powerful. Make no mistake about it, comics moved me as a child and have some bearing on the adult I have become, my sense of morality, my notions of right vs. wrong...right down to my understanding of what we should strive to be. And a year ago, I watched IRONMAN, Mr. Fantasic, and Yellow Jacket to a lesser degree, rip one of my childhood heros apart. I couldn't say it better than Straczynski does in this issue, they defiled the memory of Thor in the act of creating the clone. They defiled his memory and betrayed his trust. Every fanboy out there, and particularly every THOR fans not only wanted, but needed to see a come-uppance for that act. And after more than a year of waiting, we finally have it.

It was a spine-tingling thing to see Coipel's rendering of THOR as he became increasingly enraged and two steps away from his warrior madness. It was awe inspiting to read Straczynski's words as they crafted the tone of his voice building almost as thunderclaps echoing his fury. The again, as a comic book fan, it was just simply great to see the Mighty THOR live up to everything that we have known he is since he entered thye Marvel universe.

Simply put, stark, with all his technology and planning, was ready for the old THOR, but this is a very different THOR and a very different problem for him and the PRO-Registration heroes to handle. Another subtle plot movement that developed in this issue.

Reread this issue Kurt. And read it this time not through a political lens, but through the eyes of a comic book fan who just wants to get lost in artwork and storytelling. Read it as a fan who just wants to be there and watch it all unfold...and I think you may see what I see. A throwback to the real heart of what always made us Marvel fans to begin with... The Grandeur of it.

I am a 38 year old professional. I have a job and a wife and responsibilities that reflelct my age and station in life. This COMIC, this single story of HERO vs HERO, brought me back to a time in my life when all I worried about was how many more cushions I would have to flip to buy the next issue...because I had to have it.

All the best

I don't think I can state it better than tiberius already stated. I loved this issue... in fact it was probably my favorite so far. I think every time Ironman gets his can kicked around it makes me a little bit happier. I think he's gotten his clock cleaned 2 and a half times now (Hulk, Thor, and Spider-man for a half).

Beyond wanting to see Ironman get his come-upance, I have loved the new Thor book. I liked Thor as a kid (now a 31 year old guy), and I used to love his battles with the Hulk, but Straczynski and co. have brought a new life to the character that is really refreshing.

Also kudos in my opinion to Straczynski for setting the story in New Orleans. I can't say I remember any comic even referencing Katrina and the devestation it caused which I think is ironic because it seemed to me that both DC and Marvel had 9/11 comic specials, but Katrina was probably more a much more devestating event in terms of death toll and the effect it had on a major metropolitan area. I think it was long overdue.

my 2 cents, with all the most sincere respect to those I disagree with in advance

I haven't even read this issue, but just reading this review and these posts, it seems whether you enjoyed it depends upon your political leanings.

Tiberius's advice to leave politics behind strikes me as hypocritical, seeing as he couldn't even leave his own political views out of his post! (Not that I necessarily disagree with you, Tiberius.)

Let's face it, how we view the world can often color how we feel about art and entertainment.

Tiberius...I was going to respond to Kurt's opposition to my review but you said it so eloquently that there is really no need. The fact is that Thor #3 made me feel good...this is the first time I can say this about a Marvel Comic in a LONG time. I'm even a bit older than you although I'd say were basically from the same generation.

Well said my friend!

Now I have to get back to work (my coffee is getting cold), but I do need to respond quickly to the Sleeper.

I didn't say "leave politics behind," I said let's forget politics for the "moment" while I chatted about the artwork.

I understand that our individual politics will always mark how we see the world, but we shouldn't engage a medium like comic books with a solely political eye. When we do that we risk missing a great deal. Something that I think occured when Kurt wrote his review.

To be clear, I despise the Patriot Act and everything it has done to the country. I am disgusted by the present REGIME and everything that it stands for...I think these kinds of views polarized against those in favour of the Bush administration is what made the CIVIL WAR series such a success. That being said, my political leanings didn't keep me from enjoying the ending of the CIVIL WAR. Everything in me wanted Stark to be imprisoned as a war Criminal and for the adminstration to back down as it did with the Mutant Registration Acts in the past. But ultimately, it was better storytelling this way. It was more powerful to usher MARVEL into a "Brave New World" rather than keep things the way they always were.

Politics run through everything we do, say and think TheSleeper, but they don't have to paint everything about what we are and how we see the world. I am a staunch liberal and a democrat, I believe in Civil Liberties and Human Rights above all else, but I could still read a comic book with a PRO-REGISTRATION slant, if it had good storytelling and artwork. The politics of the writers don't define for me what I can and cannot appreciate. At any rate, that is my rant for the day.

Cheers and have a nice day

"...but I could still read a comic book with a PRO-REGISTRATION slant, if it had good storytelling and artwork."

Easy to say, Tiberius. But it likely would be that if you were reading such a book, you'd be enjoying the experience less, and thus prone to finding more nits to pick with the story and artwork. Do you really think you could enjoy a comic book that, say, heaped effusive praise on Bush? Maybe showed Stark shaking hands with him and thanking him for his "clear moral leadership in these times of uncertainty?" Bleh.

I'm not saying it's impossible to enjoy a story that has a political slant you don't agree with...just that when you don't agree with that slant, the bar the story has to clear to be considered "good" becomes higher. The more obvious the political bent is, the higher that bar becomes.

In this case, I'd be interested to hear somebody who doesn't necessarily love the political leanings of this comic tell us why it's good.

Jeebus this is a hot topic isn't it.
And separate from the whole political bend in the review and posts I'll leave an actual comic related post. What made a BIG dent for me in this book is that Iron Man got his ass handed to him. Easily. This basically establishes an order much needed in the Marvel U. Hulk kicked the crap out of Iron Man. Thor kicked the crap out of Iron Man. Why is this important. Iron Man always seems to come up with some sort of super armor (Hulkbuster, Thorbuster) that can mythically lay a beat down on the most powerful (strength wise) heroes. Lately things are swinging back to the whole, "look, armor is great and will protect you...a little, but these superdudes are just way out of your Iron league". It is like Spiderman fighting Silver Surfer. No contest. I applaud the effort to finally correct this from Marvel. It also fits well into the story where Iron Man realizes he has no choice about Thor/Asgard. Give them what he wants or he is going to off him right there and then (hows that for political?). Now Iron Man has to figure out who and/or what he can use to drop Thor and hopefully Marvel isn't going to resort to a single piece of armor again. Iron Man has a better chance of Nuking Asgard.

Great discussion. I willl try to keep this short as I have run my mouth quite a bit on this site, on other threads, on this and related topics.

This issue of THOR is designed to pander to a certain audience. It is a simplistic turn right out of pro-wrestling...bring in the "bad guy" and let the good guy make him grovel so the audience can feel good. And if that floats your boat, great. I won't be buying a single book whose sole point is to make Tony Stark crawl.

I would have less of an issue with the CIVIL WAR and SRA storylines if the Marvel writers had the guts and skill to REALLY delve into the Pandora's Box they chose to open. Lets see the discussion of the similarities between the SRA and calls for gun control. Lets see not one Stamford, but dozens. Lets see some discussion of what "civil rights" mean in a MU where costumed vigilantes, answerable to no one, insisting they are above the law, not answerable to any civl authority (hows THAT for democracy in action, eh?) can beat you up, break into your house, gather information via threats and intimidation, and engage in wild firefights on city streets... all without such things as Miranda rights, warrants, or accountability.

Don't hold your breath. Way too complicated and challenging fo rthis crew.

Bottom line? I am buying less Marvel. This MU is a more controversial place, but not a more interestng one. To me. You may differ.

What I sense, at the core, is that a lot of us here share something that transcends politics, where-ever we fall on the political spectrum - a love of "superheroic fiction". We know all about reality, the complexitities of the real world. We aren't stupid, or detached. We turned to the MU for a celebration of something (brace for corniness) noble and inspiring. I resent the loss of all that.

So if all you want is the catharthis of watching "your hero" beat up the guy who represents those you disagree with, then line up and put your money down. That IS the marketplace at work.

I'll pass.

Shadow

Political WHAT? I think the political "potshot" that Kurt mentions is all in his mind. The issue makes no reference to the political response/non-response to Katrina... only how superheros should have prevented this devastation. If you go looking for prejudice, that's what you're going to find. I could have made Action Comics #666 into a political allegory if I chose to. I don't see it.

If you come into everything with Patriot Act glasses, that's all you're going to see.

P.S.
How many times are you going to pass, Shadow? You keep saying you won't read it but have a lot to say about it... go ahead and give it a glance. It won't hurt.

Well, we already know that Kurt doesn't like JMS, so anything written by him is an automatic dislike in Kurt's book anyway. That's been no big surprise.

Yes, occasionally JMS will take the political potshot or two. Since Civil War is essentially a political commentary on current situations in the U.S., it's no surprise that they made their way into the Thor storyline. Honestly, I viewed this issue more as JMS' way of getting around having to deal with the whole Civil War mess by getting it out of the way early so that he could tell his Thor story. Think about it. Deal with Tony now, beat him into submission so that he won't screw with Thor, and that puts Tony and the Civil War issues on the back burner.

*THAT'S* the mark of a good storyteller. To do something different then what all the other books in the Marvel lineup are doing.

What I can't understand is how Brubaker's nauseating rehash of Daredevil's life in issue #100 of Daredevil can be lauded over as finely written (when actually it's just plain lazy writing), and this issue of Thor is dumped on by the same reviewer. Especially for the lame reasons given (politics).

I'm interested in seeing where JMS is taking this incarnation of Thor and the Asgardians. Say what you will about the man's politics, but there's one thing that JMS really knows how to do and does it well; plan out a story arc in its entirety. Unlike Bendis and Brubaker.