Thor: The Mighty Avenger #2 – Review

By Roger Langridge (writer), Chris Samnee (artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist)

The Story: Jane Foster extends a hand of friendship to her mythic savior while Hyde stalks the city, hell-bent on finishing what he started.

The Good: I’m perplexed and delighted by the sheer existence of this comic! Charming, thoughtful, light-hearted, and strangely tragic, it’s fast becoming the definitive origin of Asgard’s favorite son for a new generation of readers, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Dealing with characters that, in many cases, are over forty years old like Thor is, I think it’s natural to want to dust these characters off and reintroduce them to legions of new readers, and this comic is doing a quality job of that. With the impending movie fast approaching, movie fans and new comic readers alike are going to want to know more about Thor’s origins, and what better way to do that than with a comic like this that invites new readers and rewards them with friendly, approachable artwork and likable, well-defined characters? Told largely through the perspective of Jane Foster, Langridge’s story is effective in casting Thor as a truly alien being, lost in the tides of humanity’s filth, yet struggling to once again know the beauty of a life he can barely remember. I read Langridge’s story and fully believe that this god has been cast down against his will or understanding and forced to endure an existence amongst a form of life that he barely comprehends, much less appreciates. I’ve always believed that the more alien and otherworldly a writer can portray Thor, the more enjoyable the god of thunder is to read, and in this department Langridge excels. He is aided in his vision by the stellar artwork of Chris Samnee, whose bold, simple style is fast becoming one of my favorite comic experiences this year. Samnee’s art has the rare quality of toning down the inherently epic qualities of a Thor comic and emphasizing the quest for humanity that Thor has struggled to understand ever since Kirby and the Liebers brought him to life in ’62. This theme was most poignantly expressed for me on the last page when a disgruntled Thor wonders what wonders Earth possibly has to offer him, and a knowing Jane is fully ready to share them with him. I see what this book is trying to achieve, and I sincerely like it.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger #1 – Review

By Roger Langridge (writer), Chris Samnee (artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist)

The Story: Jane Foster, curator of the Norse department of the Bergen War Memorial Museum, finds her life taking a turn for the weird when she runs into a homeless man with a powerful, mythic secret.

The Good: What an interesting, charming comic! What Christopher Nolan did for DC in the movie Batman Begins, I feel like Roger Langridge has done for Thor with this comic. It’s a relaunch of the franchise and a reimagining of the character that stays true to the classic origins of Thor while placing his story in a more contemporary setting. And the best part by far is that it doesn’t require you to have any working knowledge of Thor continuity to appreciate it. You can come to this comic cold turkey and get the jist well enough to want to come back for the next issue. I applaud Langridge’s decision to write this comic from Jane Foster’s perspective; I hate to say it but I’d never appreciated her as a serious character until I’d read this issue, and now I’d genuinely love to know more about her provided Langridge was writing her. Also, it’s interesting to read about Thor from the perspective of one of his supporting cast. Thor’s very presence in our world seems more… I dunno, alien when viewed through her eyes. And yet, his humanity seems more poignant from Foster’s perspective. I think the most amusing and touching moment came early on when Thor was being restrained by the security guards and grinned amicably when Jane asked him to drop his walking stick. In a way, this comic seems to be less about Thor than about how he is viewed by Humanity, and I rather like that. Samnee’s art is a delight to look at; light-hearted and animated, it reminds me of Bruce Timm’s work on the Batman animated series, and I mean that in an incredibly good way. If and when the action picks up on this book, this is definitely the kind of comic that I would be happy to share with younger readers, and one that I think they would enjoy.

Captain America: Who Will Wield the Shield? One Shot – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Butch Guice & Luke Ross (artists), Dean White (colorist)

Although we’ll never know whose bright idea it was to release this one shot before the last issue of ‘Reborn’, I suppose I should thank them nonetheless for saving me the $3.99 to find out how that story ends, since this comic has proven itself to be a thoughtful epilogue to the fairly convoluted story of Captain America’s return to mainstream Marvel continuity. In fact, I’ll take it a step farther and go so far as to suggest that if you’ve never picked up one issue of ‘Reborn’, you will be able to read, understand, and enjoy the hell out of this particular comic. I know I did.

We are often told that it’s the journey, or the plot, of a story that is more important than its final destination, and yet this comic has inexplicably proven the reverse to be true by making the aftermath of ‘Captain America Reborn’ for more meaningful than the main storyline. Here, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, friends and comrades in arms through the ages, come together to confront the elephant in the room and decide who should go on bearing the mantle of Captain America. Where Brubaker truly excels in this simple tale is by making you question who you want to see continue wielding the shield. Keep in mind that we’ve been following Bucky for over two years now and have grown to respect him and his motivations for carrying on in Rogers’ name; we’ve developed a well-earned admiration for the former Winter Soldier, nurtured expertly through Brubaker’s storytelling, and now that admiration has been put to the test in the only way that makes sense, by pitting it against the only man who has any right to take the shield back from Barnes.

And no, I’m sure as shit will NOT tell you how this ends, so stop asking.