"My hammer is tingling" - Thor Omnibus #2 comments

[Shiryu]

I'm sloowly reading through the second Thor Omnibus, collecting #121-152. There's some great stuff, some epic stuff, some funny stuff... and some truly wacky stuff. Here goes some quick summaries / comments.

#121-125

Thor battles the Absorbing Man all across New York. AM is, of course, being empowered by Loki, who was supposed to be the captive of some wizard named Ularic, but is, in fact, planning his nth attempt to conquer Asgard and get rid of his brother. Thor and Crusher slug it all out for several pages, and we are given a nice insight on Thor's battle skills. Today, he is often regarded as being merely really strong, but early issues do a good job at highlighting his speed, strategy and skillset. He has a couple of chances to defeat his foe, but hesitates, afraid that shattering AM in his glass form would kill him. It will be later revealed that Crusher can survive almost anything, but it was very in character on Thor's part to hold back. Eventually, Loki decides the time is right to take AM to Asgard, so he can help against Odin, and convinces him to cooperate with a quick magic display. Now, one has to wonder why the Absorbing Man, a creation of Loki, could stand a chance against Odin, who is far more powerful. And indeed, if that's all it would take, why not make an army of Absorbing Men? Oh well...

Crusher is indeed quite useful though, charging through the armies of Asgard. I know Thor is by far the second strongest Asgardian after Odin, but this is ridicolous... again, Loki should have created an army of Absorbing Men a lot sooner. Meanwhile, remember Jane Foster? Thor has rescued her from a hooded kidnapper, who turns out to be a photographer wanting to discover goldylocks' secret identity. He actually manages to do just that and threatens to expose Thor/Don Blake to the world, but a quick trip to the distant future, "millions of years" from now changes his mind. Apparently, Mjolnir can travel through time, an handy power it later lost because of pesky Kang, according to Wikipedia. The reporter asks Thor for one final boon: be taken to Asgard to see it for himself. Now, remember, this is a guy who kidnapped Thor's beloved Jane Foster and held her captive, so the least one would expect is a trip to the nearest asylum, but the Thunderer instead agrees, because the guy is "a brave man, a dedicated man". Hmm...

Back in Asgard, Odin struggles against the Absorbing Man a lot more than Thor did. Thor arrives and offers to help, but to no avail: Odin surrenders his scepter to Loki and Crusher. It is, of course, all a big fat lie: Odin doesn't really need his scepter, he is power himself, and the unhappy couple is sent deep in space. As the Absorbing Man says, the All Father was merely toying with them (although it didn't really look like that, one should never underestimate Odin's acting skills). Nor his being bipolar, apparently, as one moment he's proud of Thor and the next angry at him for taking the reporter to Asgard. If you were wondering, the guy was knocked unconscious early in the fight and, his camera having been smashed, couldn't take any photo of the whole thing anyway. Forlonly, he allows Thor to take him back home.

Meanwhile, some jungle savage from one of those remote Communist countries every Marvel hero had to visit once an year by contract, has got hold of a Norne Stone and is ammassing an army. Don Blake hears about it and wants to intervene, but first he has to take care of a still very shaken Jane Foster. Now, today, when I think of Jane, I see her as a smart, skilled, strong-willed, even brave young woman... but man, was she a dead weight in the early years. Thinking she is losing her mind and imagining things, she tells Don to leave, until he reveals his secret identity to her. But even this is not enough, as she asks Thor never to leave her side ever again. Talk about selfish. Thor must really see a lot in her and agrees, unaware that Odin has seen everything and is not happy. "There must be a reckoning".

Still, after some soul searching, Thor does go to battle the guy from the jungle, scoring an easy win. He takes the Norne Stone back to Asgard, where Odin has him attacked by a million warriors, Balder included. Goldylocks proves once again that Asgard's army is really just for show and fights his way back to Earth. Odin probably realizes he has been paying a monthly wage to useless warriors for a few millennia and is even less happy than before.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Jane Foster has met Hercules, who, having been introduced in an early annual, has just been sent among mortals by Zeus and is having a great time chatting up ladies, eating at posh restaurants and punching felons. Incredibly, even Herc is smitten with Jane and offers her a drink. Thor arrives to find them chatting happily and wonders what's Asgardian for cuckold, especially as Jane berates him for leaving her for "long, lonely hours. Empty, endless days". Instead of realizing he might just have dodged a bullet and celebrate, Thor decides to fight Herc over Jane.

Tales of Asgard

Thor leads a crew of Argonauts on some mission to postpone Ragnarok. Loki stages a mutiny, but Thor's side wins, thanks in large part to the efforts of Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg, making their first appearance.

So, what to say here? This is Silver Age in a nutshell, I can almost envisage Stan telling Jack "Thor fights the Absorbing Man, make up the rest". The action is top notch, fights are really well-choreographed and Thor does much more than just throwing his hammer around. Kirby is clearly having fun with the characters and backgrounds, and Colletta's inks aren't actually too bad for a change, albeit a little stiff. The main problem here is with the plots themselves, as they do not stand up to close scrutiny at all. I don't mind too much, because for the most part it's fun reading, but there are far better Thor stories out there. Odin and Jane Foster are heavily stereotyped: the former is only all-seeing when it comes to punishing Thor for one thing or another, the latter is almost unbearable and one would really had to wonder what Thor saw in her back then.

[Shiryu]

Let's go on, this time with Thor #126-130

Thor and Hercules have a titanic battle across the streets of NYC and appear equally matched. As they fight on, using everything at their disposal, we get a good view into their respective characterizations, with the far more immature and fun-loving Hercules not understanding why Thor takes everything so seriously instead of using his own powers as he pleases. Thor however feels Herc is headstrong, but not evil. Meanwhile, in Asgard, Odin has decided the right punishment: to divide Thor's strenght in half. He doesn't, however, have the heart to do it himself, so he relinquishes the Odinpower to his trusted (and never seen before) advisor: Seidring the Merciless.

Now, the first, FIRST thing everyone working online learns is you never ever give your admin password away to someone else, because then they can log you out permanently if they so wish. Odin obviously never went to IT classes and missed this lesson, as the first thing Seidring does after punishing Thor is to keep the Odinpower for himself (and why would you trust someone called "the merciless" anyway?). As a weakened Thor tries in vain to resist Herc, only to be defeated by the demigod and laughed at by the fickle crowd, Seidring takes power, freezing most Asgardians in one way or another. Thor, pondering what to do with his life now, travels to Asgard and discovers all that's happened. A battle with Seidring follows, with the latter unleashing attack after attack on a weak but resilient Thor. Why he doesn't simply take away the other half of his power, or send him across space, or do anything more effective than casting flames and water I don't know, but Thor's determination and spirit of sacrifice wins the day: he threatens to unsheath the Odinsword and put an end to the whole cosmos unless Seidring returns Odin his powers. It's a ruse, but Seidring chickens out and Odin is restored to full power, and left to hug his senseless son, "the noblest Asgardian of all".

Over the next few days, Thor slowly recovers in Asgard, tended by Balder. On Earth, we get to meet Pluto, disguised with sunglasses and a white jacket, working on a set for an Hercules movie. Hercules himself doesn't recognize him (Pluto must be wearing Clark Kent's spare glasses) and agrees to star in the film, signing a contract which turns out to bind him to rule the netherworld for all eternity. Apparently, Pluto was tired of it and wanted out... except he already is out, being on Earth, so perhaps the job comes with once-in-a-millennia week off, or something like that. Anyway, whilst Herc is trying in vain to fight his way out of the hole he has digged, a healed Thor appears for a rematch, only to end up fighting at his side having learned of what has happened. Pluto decides to play smart and goes to Zeus (who's watching a dance, of all things). Zeus can't overrule the contract, but allows for a champion to fight for Hercules... as long as one can be found. To cut a long story short, Thor ends up being that champion, as he willingly walks in the netherworld and fights horde after horde of enemies, armed with the most disparate weapons. It's a battle of quantity vs quality and a truly great one, as we are treated of several pages of archers, foot soldiers, war weapons, flame throwers and all sorts. In the end, Pluto can't stand seeing his (former) realm in tatters and gives up, tearing up the contract and freeing Herc. The Olympian is grateful: from this day forth, he and Thor will be friends.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Jane Foster has found a housemate named Tana Nile (sadly, not our long missing fellow member though). Upon discovering that Jane is a friend of Thor, Tana, who really doesn't need a house anyway and could easily move anywhere else, thinks isntead it's a good idea to send her away, so "Thor will spend time searching for her". This trick is right on page 1 of your "how to antagonize a Thunder God" book...

Tales of Asgard
Lot's of running around, but nothing really of consequence, except for the introduction of Harokin (who looks so much like Thor that the thunderer somehow dies his own hair to look like him).

Despite the silly ending, the Thor/Hercules saga is my favourite of the whole Omnibus. Herc is such a fun loving character that it's difficult not to like him, and he works greatly as a stooge for the more melodramatic Thor, taking some of his "heaviness" away. Both their own fight and the battle in the netherworld are once again very well-choreographed. I hadn't realized it in the past, but Kirby does have a knack for making clashes look varied and different, using everything that's around (terrain, object, weapons, buildings) to great effect. Stan meanwhile writes a very noble and profound Thor. It's a very different Thor from the somewhat more savage, viking-like one we are often presented now, and I would say a far more likeable one too.

Sadly, for all the good that Lee's Thor is, his Odin is a mess. He spends half his time berating or punishing his son for no real reason, and the other half praising him, only to forget it all soon after. I get that Stan is trying to transpose the father/son relationship most readers - or indeed teenagers - probably had, but it doesn't really work. At all. Especially since often his actions backfire against the whole of Asgard, putting lives in danger. Were he a real person, he would have long been deposed by the raging masses. As it is, it's hard to see Odin as a good king, let alone a good father.

[humanbelly]

Apr 24, 2014 17:18:53 GMT -5 Shiryu said:

Sadly, for all the good that Lee's Thor is, his Odin is a mess. He spends half his time berating or punishing his son for no real reason, and the other half praising him, only to forget it all soon after. I get that Stan is trying to transpose the father/son relationship most readers - or indeed teenagers - probably had, but it doesn't really work. At all. Especially since often his actions backfire against the whole of Asgard, putting lives in danger. Were he a real person, he would have long been deposed by the raging masses. As it is, it's hard to see Odin as a good king, let alone a good father.

It's this particular weakness that simply make characters like Odin and Zeus not work for me at all. I'm forever unable to get past the wall of intractible shallowness (hmm, not sure if that image works, exactly) that seems to be the foundation for these incredibly old and unimaginably powerful beings. They are perpetually far less wise or broad-minded or thoughtful than pretty much anyone on Earth who is in a position of even modest authority. Heck, I'd put myself in the hands of two of our maintenance staff guys before I'd rely on these bozos. It's too much power in the hands of beings who are too predictably fallable (as you pointed out) and seemingly incapable of ever once learning from their mistakes.

Oh, it makes me crazy. . .

Man, though-- I might pick up these Omnibi (Omnibusses??), Shir. They do sound like a great way to enjoy the Thor history that I've missed out on.

HB

[Shiryu]

I suppose Odin and co might have been patterned after the kings of old. They reached a position of supreme power because of their birth, and eventually it's gone to their heads (I've recently been reading about Henry VIII and it was a very similar story). The funny thing is how everyone keep calling Odin "the all-wise"...

Apr 24, 2014 21:20:03 GMT -5 humanbelly said:

Man, though-- I might pick up these Omnibi (Omnibusses??), Shir. They do sound like a great way to enjoy the Thor history that I've missed out on.

HB

They are indeed really really good, every story and cover has been recoloured, panels are clearer and they even print letter pages. Be aware of two caveats though
- they are massive, about 800-900 pages, so not the easiest thing to read
- their retail price is expensive. Thor's omnibus #2 was $99.99 on Amazon. You do, however, frequently find it heavily discounted, especially if you don't mind second hand (about $55 currently). I have #1 and #2, but I'm not sure I'll be getting #3 when/if it comes out.

A cheaper, easier to handle alternative would be the Epic Collection, which I'm also starting to collect. As you can see from the link, they don't print books in chronological order, but randomly, so it's good if one's interested in specific sagas.