Thor in 1962
This experiment with assessing comic series annually will give me the opportunity to experience all the series that I’ve written off in the past. Of all those series, I’m most hopeful that I’ve been wrong about Thor. If it turns out that it’s heavily steeped in Norse mythology, but with a slight superhero tinge, that would be awesome.
My initial disinterest as a kid came from the antiquated language, the seeming lack of a deep rogues gallery, and a low level of interest in any manner of theology (ancient or modern). Over the past few years, the recent Thor movies have driven a moderate interest in exploring the series.
The first two movies were relatively decent, while the third was dynamite. I haven’t yet watched the fourth, but the evidence appears to show that it has more of the third movie’s DNA than the earlier films.
I’ve warmed up to the Norse mythology somewhat, and I no longer mind the antiquated language or older typeface. The movies don’t leave me too hopeful about the interesting villains, though (Loki excepted). With that said, how does the first year of the comic hold up?
So we have this Nordic god for a superhero, and who’s his first enemy? Alien rock monsters. The second? A third world communist strongman. 😣 Not a hopeful sign.
But Loki enters the picture in the third issue! Asgard also makes an appearance, as does Heimdall. But then we’re immediately drawn back into sci-fi (time traveling) and communist shenanigans to cap off the year.
I have been aware for years that Thor didn’t come about as an individual character in these early days. Instead, handicapped doctor Donald Blake tapped a cane on the ground to become Thor. There’s some sort of dual manifestation stuff going on that I’ll talk about in future posts. I don’t really have a strong opinion about this, at the moment, though Blake’s supporting cast is exceptionally weak right now- just Jane Foster. All the excitement is on the Thor side.
At least with Kirby penciling, the series looks wonderful. It’s a wonderful disappointment.
