Mighty Thor returns

By ANDREW A. SMITH
Scripps Howard News Service
Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Expect a lot of storm warnings in July, when Marvel's mighty Thor returns from comic-book limbo.

Some might ask, "Where's he been?" Or, "How will he be different?" Or even, "Marvel has a character named Thor?"

To answer the last one first, a short history lesson is in order:

The mighty Thor is one of Marvel's oldest heroes, debuting in the suspense anthology "Journey Into Mystery" No. 83 in 1962. (He was preceded by the Fantastic Four, Ant-Man and Hulk, and appeared simultaneously with Spider-Man.) In the first story, lame physician Don Blake found an ancient walking stick in Norway that, when struck against the floor, turned him into the legendary Thunder God.

Well, almost. Marvel's version was slightly different than the mythological one described in the Elder Eddas. He had blonde hair, not red; he wasn't as stupid or as hot-tempered as the original; he was an Asgardian, not an Aesir; he had Asgardian buddies who never appeared in the myths (Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg); etc. But the larger picture described by Snorri Sturluson was fairly intact, complete with Frost Giants, Loki the trickster, big Daddy Odin, the Rainbow Bridge "Bifrost," and the like.

And as the series progressed into the '60s and beyond, the Thunder God took on the trappings now familiar to comics fans. He developed an archaic form of speech (Shakespearean, with thees and thous). Don Blake was revealed to be a phony identity dreamed up by Odin, to teach his headstrong son a little humility (there have been a number of other "mortal" identities since).

Thor's mother in the series is Gaea the Greek earth goddess (and not Frigga, as in the myths), which explains his affinity for our little mudball, and why he pals around with Iron Man and Captain America. Speaking of which, one of the hallmarks of "Thor" was the combination of earth-based, mythological and "cosmic" stories, mixing supervillains, foes from folklore and galactic-level, SF threats.

All of which came to an end roughly three years ago, when occurred the long-prophesied (in both myth and comic book) Ragnarok. The "Fate of the Gods" (often mistranslated as "Twilight of the Gods," perpetuated by Richard Wagner's "Die Ring des Nibelungen") killed off all the Asgardians in 2004, and Thor himself ... kinda disappeared.

And with "Thor" No. 1 shipping July 5, he's back -- in Oklahoma. How? Why? I asked editor Warren Simons, who answered obliquely, "There is a great line in the first issue that addresses Ragnarok and its role in Norse mythology: 'The cycle of Ragnarok was what happened to you, it's not who you are.'"

As to the location, there are those who argue the Vikings made it as far as Oklahoma, and left rune stones there (Google it, if you don't believe me). Which is one key difference from the old series, that the Norse Gods will be hanging out a hammer's throw from Muskogee, and interacting with "flyover land" mortals on a regular basis.

Otherwise, though, many familiar elements will be present. Simons promises the return of old favorites, including Dr. Don Blake and the Warriors Three (the aforementioned Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg). Plus, Thor will be addressing some of the events that took place in his absence, like the Superhero Registration Act that fomented Marvel's recent "Civil War," and gave us a clone of the Thunder God that went berserk. (The clone's creator, Tony "Iron Man" Stark, can expect a little thunder in his future). So the Odinson, despite his new address, will be firmly rooted in Marvel's current continuity.

"The story is natural and organic and makes perfect sense in the context of where Thor has been and is going in the Marvel Universe," Simons said. "There has been no editorial mandate to update anything in an attempt to chase sales."

One exception: Thor's outfit has been altered a bit, thanks to writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Olivier Coipel. Simons describes the new look as "warrior's garb -- something that a warrior might wear into battle."

Coipel added, "JMS wanted something closer to the 'Lord of the Rings' designs, without getting too far away from the classic costume. So I interpreted it as something not too 'superhero,' but more 'heroic fantasy.'"

But the thunder will still be there. And it's about time -- comics fans have missed our favorite Thunder God, and the Oklahoma farmers can use the rain!

(Contact Andrew Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us/)