Thor Visionaries - Walt Simonson, Vol. 1 (v. 1, Bk. 1) [Paperback]

Walt Simonson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Thor was always one of the toughest assignments at Marvel. Producing the adventures of the Norse thunder god was an intimidating task; making the travails of Asgardian heroes interesting to a comic book audience was a staggering chore. It didn't help that any creator who leant his skills to the title would inevitably draw comparisons to the Wagnerian power of the character's initial artist, comics legend Jack Kirby. Defying convention, writer-artist Walt Simonson threw all preconceived notions out the window and over a two-and-a-half-year span produced epic adventure that held an ever-growing readership in thrall.

Simonson wove a complex series of adventures that shuttled mercilessly from the golden spires of fabled Asgard to the streets of New York City to the farthest stars in the Universe. The entire pantheon of the Aesir was completely reimagined through Simonson's powerful images, becoming both more contemporary while retaining their regal, mythic trappings.

Now Marvel presents the finest work of this visionary creator in this collection. Close your eyes and allow yourself to enter a world of rock trolls and frost giants, fire demons and trickster gods. Walt Simonson will take you into this fantastic world and make seem as real as your own.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785107584
• ISBN-13: 978-0785107583
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #594,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Definitive Thor Run Begins Here, December 6, 2002

By 

Daniel V. Reilly (Upstate New York, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thor Visionaries - Walt Simonson, Vol. 1 (v. 1, Bk. 1) (Paperback)

The early '80's were a very exciting time to be a comic-book fan. Frank Miller on Daredevil, John Byrne on Fantastic Four, Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson on Ka-Zar....But when Walter Simonson quietly took over The Mighty Thor with issue #337, he took the character and brought him to the forefront of the comics industry, and the fans sat up and took notice. (I vividly remember that first issue of Thor being THE hot topic during the 6th-grade lunch period the day after it was released. Copies were being passed around and oohed and aahed over like they were gold nuggets.) I bought Thor Visionaries mostly out of nostalgia; I didn't think the stories could possibly hold up almost twenty years later.

I was wrong.

Not only do they still hold up, they were even better than I remembered them! The stories virtually crackle with energy, and when read together, I was better able to appreciate Simonson's intricate & meticulous plotting. (And his art ain't too hard on the eyes, either!)

Under a gorgeous new Walt Simonson cover are his first twelve issues, which starts the Surtur story-arc, and introduces Beta-Ray Bill, the noble alien who bests Thor in combat and does the heretofore impossible: Lifts Thor's hammer, effectively BECOMING Thor! We also get a great battle (Or two!) with Fafnir, and finish off with Thor's attempt to stop Malekith The Dark Elf from opening the Casket of Ancient Winters, which could plunge Earth into a new ice-age. Unfortunately, the book ends with a rip-roaring cliffhanger, and while there are more Simonson issues yet to be reprinted, Marvel hasn't made any plans for a second volume of Thor Visionaries, so there's no telling when Walt's Surtur epic will see the light of day in collected form.

The writing and art in this volume is amazing. Simonson's Thor resonates deeply in ways he never has before (Or since); I especially enjoyed the scenes between Thor and his Father, Odin. As another reviewer mentioned, two pages in the first chapter are printed out of order, and that kind of stuff drives me nuts. For a book of this price to not be perfect is inexcusable. It often seems like reprint books are just slapped together, and that's just sad. Considering the fact that they often contain some of the most important stories, they should be labors of love, not a slapped-together afterthought. In addition to the new cover, Simonson contributes a new introduction that explains the genesis of the Surtur storyline; It's cool to learn how he made his dream a reality.

Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson is a MUST-READ for any comic fan. Lets hope Marvel gets on the ball and gives us Volume Two sooner rather than later!

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars thumbs up for story & art, thumbs down for collection, November 16, 2001

By 

Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thor Visionaries - Walt Simonson, Vol. 1 (v. 1, Bk. 1) (Paperback)

When this book was announced, you could feel the excitement in comic shops everywhere. Finally, Walter Simonson's classic run could be enjoyed in all its glory! I grew up with these stories, and there has never been a doubt in my mind that Simonson is the only person, after Lee and Kirby, who should be allowed to touch the god of thunder. Simonson has a true love for the characters, as well as their Norse mythology roots, and it is this love that made his run the best ever on Thor. He started the whole thing off with an unprecedented shake-up in the form of Beta Ray Bill, and the whole thing amazingly got better and better after that. This collection, however, does not give Simonson's work the treatment it deserves. In short, the book did not turn out well. The printing quality varies wildly, giving crystal clear story pages, but blurred issue covers. What happened? Even worse is that 2 pages are printed in reverse order! Now maybe some can forgive it, but when presenting exceptional work such as this, especially at this price, misprints are unacceptable. So, be warned - it's a poor presentation of quality work, and Marvel should be flogged for dumping this this on the fans who have been patiently waiting for this overdue collection. Marvel had better get its act together on any subsequent volumes.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Thor!!, January 19, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thor Visionaries - Walt Simonson, Vol. 1 (v. 1, Bk. 1) (Paperback)

This was my introduction to "The Mighty Thor." I had read several positive reviews and thought I'd try it myself. The story was fascinating. Walt Simonson obviously had loads of background on Norse Mythology before beginning his incredible run. My only complaint is that the story actually continues for four or five more issues when this volume ends. However, it is not difficult to find those today for the price of a current comic in any comic book store. If you like Thor or think you might like it, this is a good place to start!