Customer Reviews

Thor Omnibus

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

***some minor plot spoilers may follow***

J. Michael Straczynski's run on "Thor" is mostly very good, especially at reintroducing what may be one of Marvel's lesser-known supporting casts to new readers. The story begins with Thor returning from the Norse afterlife, and setting up the mythical city of Asgard outside a small town in Oklahoma. As the rest of the Norse pantheon begins to return to their former selves, we're treated to some very entertaining interactions between the gods and the townspeople as they begin attending town meetings and eating at the local diner. It's all fun stuff, so much so that it's almost a shame when the larger plot kicks in and the real story gets set in motion. What's an even bigger shame is that the story doesn't have a real ending. Since comic book characters have existed for decades and will exist for decades more this isn't really a surprise, but most of the time the writer will still resolve the details of his own story while still leaving the door open for future writers. Straczynski doesn't seem to be able to do this. I've noticed a pattern in which he'll start writing a genuinely excellent story only to abandon it completely before bringing it to a logical and satisying fruition. It's extremely annoying, and more than a little unprofessional.

However, the artwork and presentation of this volume is top-notch. Olivier Coipel and Marko Djurdevic illustrate epic battles and small character moments with amazing skill, and the quality of their work really pops on the glossy, oversized pages. Marvel always does a magnificent job of reprinting their stories into these hardcover collections, and with this one they even included two issues of Straczynski's run on "Fantastic Four" where he planted the seeds of Thor's return a couple years before relaunching the series collected here.

This is a truly comprehensive collection, even though the writer should probably work on his attention span long enough to really finish what he starts.

Thor was one of many Marvel characters that I didn't give a hang about...and then I got to read the first part of this book.
JMS brings not only a sense of cosmic grandeur to the Thor universe, but also a sense of quiet humanity. The moments of Thor's solitude, his reconciliation with his and Asgard's resurrection, contrast well with the moments of slam bang action. The humor is great, and provides relief from the heavy drama of the main plot.
All of this is well and good, but what makes the book great is one simple thing: the story of a god exploring his humanity, and coming to accept that it makes him a better man.
All of the tropes of the Thor mythology are here: Loki and his (her?) treachery, the Warriors Three, Don Blake...
If, like me, Thor was never a favorite character of yours, I urge you to check this collection out. Yes, it's a hefty price, but it is worth every penny.

This is the first Thor novel I've read and hopefully the movie will not dissapoint b/c this Thor graphic novel was fantastic. I'd read where Thor fought his grandfather months ago and wanted more, but couldnt remember an issue number or what book it might have been in. When purchasing this book and having the entire story laid out in front of me and I couldnt put it down. My only critisism would be the ending and that is probably due to the fact the writer wants you to continue following Thor, but it just kind of ended w/o much wrapping up.

I've always liked Thor as a concept for comic books. It always seemed to me to be a fascinating blend of fantastical elements, interesting culture and characters, and super hero antics. While searching for recommendations, this run by J. M. Straczynski always came up, so I decided to give it a shot. Boy am I glad I did. This omnibus is fantastic!

First off, this book is accessible to all. You don't have to be very well acquainted with the history and lore of Thor as a comic book character, and that's really nice. It essentially starts Thor's story anew after Marvel killed him off in the actual Ragnarok from the awesome Avenger's Disassembled: Thor. Wandering in some dimension of non-existence for untold years, it's time for Thor to return from the dead, and boy does he. I won't give anything away, but J.M.S knows how to spin a fascinating yarn that would seem bizarre but really comes across as powerful and poignant. Thor retains his newly acquired wisdom that he attained from Ragnarok, and is all the better as a character for it. He is quiet, meditative, pensive, and it's fantastic. All of the mainstay Thor characters return, and all are very well written.

I really can't say enough how great the writing in this volume is. There is a much more meditative, pensive depth to this run on Thor than what we've seen in the many years he has been around as a character, and that focus really does compliment this type of story (just as stories that focus on the intimate, human interest aspect of Superman are the best. These two characters are pretty much invincible after all. How do you make them interesting and relatable? Like this). To balance this seriousness and poignancy, there's a lot of warmhearted humor that rips belly laughs from me often. Some complain about this run because its pace is very slow. Well, yes, it is. In fact, the first 4-6 issues pass by without much of any action. However, I found this run to be as compelling and impossible to put down as even the most action-packed Simonson story. It's all a matter or taste, but again, I must emphasize that this is a thinking man's Thor. That isn't to say there aren't times of huge, godly balls-out action, because there is (especially later on)! However, overall, this omnibus is stately, elegant, and meditative, and it is excellent.

The art is equally good, mainly taken up by the french artist Oliver Coipel. His drawings really compliment Straczynski's writing style. It's great. In some issues, another artists fills in and it can be a little jarring since the art style is so different from Coipel's. Note I didn't say it was bad, quite the contrary in fact, but it is very different. Overall, the art, especially combined with the very dynamic coloring, is very affecting. It also can't go unmentioned how awesome the cover art to each issue is. These are reprinted without text and writing to get in the way, and they are breathtaking. Mark Djurdjevic is known for this, but he really outdid himself with these covers. They are dynamic, glorious, and each should be blown up and framed. The art in this collection, all of it, is absolutely fantastic!

Is there anything wrong with this collection? Well, it really depends on your perspective. Because Marvel wanted to drag Thor into a crossover event (something I think is usually detrimental and stupid in the world of comic books, but still an opportunity for a cash grab, so DC and Marvel go for it, of course) and Straczynski expressly stated at the beginning of his run that he wanted to keep Thor separate from crossover events like that, the ending is very rushed. You can tell the extra large, final special issue was rushed to tie up all of the complex loose ends from throughout the story and this succeeds to some extent, but it really is impossible to do when in the context of the rest of the run. In short, the omnibus is all great but the ending. In fact, the ending to the overall story of this collection is truly done with Kieron Gillen's "Latverian Prometheus," which is very well written and provides a satisfactory conclusion to JMS' story arc. There is also a part early on where Thor confronts Iron Man for a past grievance. Suffice to say, Iron Man is once again a fascist punching bag allegory, and I think he deserves more respectful treatment and thoughtfulness from the writer than that. It has been a common problem for many writers in their handling of Iron Man ever since the crossover event "Civil War" happened. No wonder Matt Fraction had to "reboot" the character.

So in short, this is one of the best Thor stories to come out in years, alongside Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee's spectacular series "Thor: The Mighty Avenger," both volumes of which I highly recommend alongside this omnibus. To me, the great Thor runs are Simonson, Straczynski/Coipel, Langridge/Samnee, and Lee/Kirby. Any fan of Thor should pick this up without hesitation. Anyone who fancies themselves a comic book fan should also pick this up immediately. It is a fantastic work with a depth and pensiveness that are rare in comic books these days, and that really makes this a gemstone collection. Buy it, soak it all in, and enjoy the thoughtful, touching story it has to offer.

I've always liked Marvel's run of Thor (these mythical stories must have something going for them to endure for so long), although he was never really compelling as a character. He always seemed more of a walking archetype (like Superman in many cases) than an actual character. JMS does a good job of infusing some real humanity into the character, rather than just repetitive set pieces and cliches. I've found this is one of the few books that actually makes me care about the character and what he's doing. The juxtaposition of Asgard and Broxton, Oklahoma leads to some great comic moments, and who doesn't love Volstagg?
Anyway, it's a great run and the collection is well put together, although it does end in a bit of a cliffhanger. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Or in this case a 5 as in stars! I was completely mesmerized by the storyline and the art all the way through this book: for me this is about as perfect as a book can be! I highly recommend this to any fan of the Mighty Thor.

This was a very cool run on Thor. Loved the way JMS wrote this. Very cool. I highly recommend it.

The story had a good start but in the end you will surely ask if there is a volume 2. Sadly there isn't (?). But nevertheless i gave this "could-have-been-a-classic-thor-run" novel a 5 star because the art is so Thorrific !! This book gave me the nudge to buy the newly released 1,200-PAGE THICK Thor Omnibus by Simonson. With the 2nd omnibus, i get to have an idea on how heavy Thor's mjolnir must be like :) !!

This has been my first comic omin-book purchase and though pricey, it is worth it. Amazing storyline, great writing and awesome graphics make this a true collection item.

Once started, I was unable to put it down.

Marvel produced in the first half of the eighties great superhero comics that remain as classics to the genre. Daredevil( Miller) Uncanny X Men (Claremont & Byrne), Fantastic Four(Byrne) and Thor ( Simonson) are excellent books that should be read by any fan of superhero comics.
Thor Omnibus is not cheap but it is a big deal.Why? Because it is 1000+ pages recolored and remastered and it never looked as good as now. If you have previous editions (and I've got four different editions, two in spanish and two original)you can see now lines that previously did not appear and the new colour gives volume where it needed.
New colour gives the book a modern (but not too modern)look that will appeal new and younger readers without annoying old ones.
Walter Simonson draws more than half of the book but Sal Buscema makes his best following Simonson designs, art style and even page composition, giving the whole story the needed sense of unity.
JMS and Coipel did a good work a couple of years ago but this is the real stepstone for the character and if you enjoyed the movie or just want to read a great story, this is your book.