Avengers Disassembled: Thor [Paperback]

Michael Oeming (Author), Andrea Di Vito (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Disassembled | Publication Date: July 19, 2006

Ragnarok appears to have come for the gods of Asgard, and only Thor and his Avengers allies might be able to stave off that fate - but will the Thunder God be Asgard's savior, or the architect of its downfall? In search of new wisdom, Thor must repeat the ordeals of Odin - and the price may be too terrible for even an immortal to pay! Beset on all sides by treacherous foes from his past, the God of Thunder leads the tattered remnants of the forces of Asgard on a desperate quest, as the Realm Eternal burns. Collects Thor #80-85.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (July 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785115994
• ISBN-13: 978-0785115991
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A grand finale to the Thor series, September 15, 2005

By 

B. Leblanc (Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Avengers Disassembled: Thor (Paperback)

The mighty Thor, as a Marvel Comics character, has a 40-plus year old history. Such an icon should be treated with espect, even when sagging sales justify the cancellation of his monthly book.

A crass way to capitalize on such a cancellation would have been to produce a "let's kill the entire cast!" plot for the final issues, the way it's been done repeatedly in the past. That is, it would have been crass were we not talking about the Norse gods, whose entire life is overshadowed by the inevitability of their eventual doom during Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods. Because of that aspect, ending the series with the destruction of the gods' world actually makes sense.

The problem with Ragnarok, however, is that's it's been done to death during the book's long career. What would make this one different from the ones that preceded it, be they prophetic visions, fake ones, near-calls or genuine but not quite final?

Oeming pulls it off successfully in this collection. This book does not have quite the originality of the Kirby or Simonson runs, it manages to tell a moving story of Asgard's fall and pay homage to the 40 years of history that it puts an end to. It manages to make sense of the recurring Ragnarok events; it ties many loose ends we often didn't realize existed; it uses most of the cast with respect (albeit sparsely, as events happen rather fast). The ending is also quite amazing, unexpected, and entirely appropriate.

Never has the mystic hammer Mjolnir been depicted as such a powerful weapon (its forging caused the extinction of the dinosaurs) and never has Thor had to face such terrible choices. He manages to pull through as a tragic and heroic figure, and his passing into history is worthy of his legend.

The only problem I see with this story is that it's practically impossible to follow up. Marvel is bound to use the character again at some later date, and that will cheapen this excellent tale of Asgard's last days. But don't let that keep you from enjoying it today!

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Thor story in years, November 16, 2004

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Avengers Disassembled: Thor (Paperback)

With Brian Michael Bendis disassembling the Avengers, his Powers partner, artist Michael Avon Oeming, was given the duty of writing the final (for now anyway) storyarc for the Mighty Thor. Collecting the Ragnarok storyarc, this TPB finds Thor's home of Asgard in ruins, his sibling Gods dead and dying, and even his hammer Mjolnir has been shattered. The thunder god is pushed to his limits to save his world, even if that means he must be the architect of it's destruction to do so. Thor hasn't been this good a read in years, no lie. Not since Walter Simonsin's legendary run have I felt so compelled reading a Thor book, if (when) the book gets relaunched, I pray that Michael Avon Oeming is at the helm scripting it. The art by Andrea Divito is plain old beautiful, giving Thor a "don't mess with me" look like he's never had. It's sad, compelling, and surprisingly full of emotion. This is the best Thor has been since Simonsin, and this is an absolute must have for any and every Thor fan.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Thor saga.... EVER!, December 31, 2004

By 

Brandon R. Stumbaugh "ThunderGodling" (Grand Junction CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Avengers Disassembled: Thor (Paperback)

Wow, this book has it all, Pretty close to every character that's appeared in Thor's 40 plus years of service to the comic book community, the biggest battle Thor has ever faced (and if you've read much Thor you know thats saying ALOT) and of course Ragnarok, the untimely end of an immortal race.

Di vito's art is some of the finest I've seen in years, and Oeming should stick to writing, instead of penciling (and that is in no way a dig on his art, but an incredible compliment to his writting ability)

if you are a Thor fan this is a must read, if you are an Avenger's fan this is a must read (and I think you'll be a Thor fan afterward) and if you're just a comic fan in general it's... you guessed it, a must read (and again I believe you will be a Thor fan afterward)

Having collected the most current 300 or so isssues of Thor I can say withot a doubt this is the finest Thor story arc I've ever read.

If you've ever wanted to indtroduce anyone who's a mythology fan to comics, or Thor in particular this is the one and only way to go.