World Famous Comics: Thor Visionaries - Walt Simonson, Vol. 1
Thor Visionaries - Walt Simonson, Vol. 1
By: Walt Simonson Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 288 Publication Date: May 01, 2001
Book Description: 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.
Definitive When it comes to Marvel's big guns, just about all their top characters are identified with having at least one definitive writer who no subsequent one has been able to top. With the X-Men, it was Chris Claremont (and later Grant Morrison), with the Fantastic Four, it's John Byrne, and with Daredevil, it's Frank Miller. With Thor though, no one has ever been able to touch the definitive take on the character that writer/artist Walter Simonson had. In these first issues collected in the beginning of Simonson's legendary run, we are treated to a Thor story and characterization that harkens back to the classic Stan Lee days while giving it a bit of a modern edge. Not to mention that this also features the introduction of fan favorite supporting character Beta Ray Bill as well as plot points that would continue to have lasting effects for quite some time, and you have the beginning of the truly essential Thor saga. Calling Simonson a visionary is saying it lightly; his take on Thor has never been close to being equalled. All in all, if you want a Thor story that is the true meaning of definitive, then look no further.
Beta Ray Bill Thor's stories are those of magic and myth. But after Walt Simonson began writing and drawing, "The Mighty Thor" comics were given so much more: drama, tragedy, science, love, laughter, tears, action, and Beta Ray Bill. The mysterious alien is among the most misunderstood and most overlooked Marvel characters of all, but is also among the most amazing and dynamic. In this collection, the story of Beta Ray Bill is told, with engaging dialogue and brilliant art, all done by Walt Simonson.
Until I Read This Book, I Never Realized How Great Thor Could Be Before getting this Trade Paperback (which reprints Thor #s 337-348) most of my familiarity with Thor came from "The Avengers" and I hadn't often encountered characters like Balder The Brave, Lorelei and Beta Ray Bill outside of "The Official Handbook To The Marvel Universe" and such. After reading the run of the book though I'm ready to hail Thor as one of Marvel's top heroes, and was surprised at how fantastic and well-developed the rest of the cast is.
The first issue reprinted begins with a mysterious prologue involving a massive, fiery, hammer-wielding monstrous figure (most readers already know who I'm talking about I'm sure; for those with relatively little knowledge of the Thor/Asgardian mythology corner of the Marvel Universe I'll refrain from using his name), going about his dark machinations "far beyond the fields we know" [in] "the core of an ancient galaxy". From there the saga gets going with a bang, with the arrival of an alien (one of the coolest looking aliens I've ever seen by the way) going by the unlikely name of Beta Ray Bill arriving in our section of space, mistaking the Mighty Thor for one of a horde of demons the alien is locked in war with, and eventually through a rapidfire chain of events Becoming an entirely NEW Thor for the Marvel Universe.
The partnership of the Thors, the machinations of the fire demon, the grandeur of Odin, various romantic angles, the last viking, often superb dialogue, ample humour, some surpringly sexy scenes (given the time the original issues were first published), the awakening of a 'dark elf' and the truly epic saga unfolding of Balder as one of Marvel's greatest 'supporting' characters are just a few of the elements in this volume that make it so essential.
There is a problem with the art. It has nothing to do with the skill of the penciller, inkers, or colorists. It's just that when the issues reprinted here were first published back in - the early to mid eighties, I believe - the printing processes, the coloring processes in particular, didn't always lend themselves to detailed, vivid artwork quite as well as what would become the norm for comic publishers a few years later. For example, in certain scenes the facial features of characters who appear small on the page because of distance or because they're full figure in a small panel or whatever, lose their distinctiveness. The book still looks great 99.5% of the time, but I feel with the talent of the artists involved it would have looked even better if there had been access to the superior art reproduction techniques back then. They did accomplish some magnificent effects with shading though.
Also be on the lookout for one of the best surprise appearances by a character in comics history, in issue 341 (Chapter 5 of this book).
9/10. Bottom line: if you're considering whether you should add this material to your library, I think the Thunder God himself says it best: "Aye, Verily."
Great Introduction to Thor!! 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!
THE Definitive Thor Run Begins Here 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!
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