Behind The Hammer – THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #1

As the next generation of Marvel Comics kicks off this fall with Marvel NOW!, slowly we’re getting peeks here and there of what’s to come.  One of the titles that has our eyes locked on it, similar to the mighty eye of Sauron, is Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic collaborating on Thor: God of Thunder.  

Today we’re very excited to share with you not just a two page sneak peek at Esad Ribic’s pencils from Thor: God of Thunder #1, but we also have an exclusive chat with series editor Lauren Sankovitch, who pulls back the curtain on just what goes into Aaron and Ribic’s heavy metal flow for the god with the flowing locks.

iFanboy: As editor of Thor: God of Thunder – what has the working process been between yourself, Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic been? How has the development of the look of the book, and Thor himself progressed?

Lauren Sankovitch: PURE METAL MADNESS. Jason came into this whole endeavor with a very strong vision for what he wanted Thor to be and having Esad on board from the get-go helped crystallize early on that “metal” was clearly going to be a strong influence. In just the first issue, we have Vikings, big axes, bigger hair, alien worlds, a brutal future and battlin’. Lots of battlin’. “Immigrant Song” was definitely on repeat. Esad himself came to the table with a very strong vision for the three Thors and our present day Thor, while not a total departure from the recent series, clearly shares elements of his past and future selves that serve to bind them together into one hard-rockin’ whole.

iF: We’re looking at 2 pages from the first issue, what can you tell us about these pages in particular? Clearly we see Thor in action, but any other background you can provide?

LS: In page 10 we get our first taste of the alien worlds Thor will be traversing. One of the many awesome things about having Esad on the art train is his boundless imagination. Jason will give him the basic concept for a new planet or civilization of gods and Esad will turn around with some jaw-dropping behemoth of architectural impossibility. Esad’s ability to get the most out of his body language shows that even the God of Thunder himself is impressed with the spectacle. And page 17, well, that’s old-fashioned brawling, isn’t it? Can I get an amen for hand-drawn SFX?

iF: Given the premise of Jason Aaron’s story, focusing on Thor through 3 different periods, does that pose a challenge for you editorially? Or is it Aaron’s puzzle to figure out?

LS: It’s always a balancing act when you are dealing with multiple time periods in the same book. Fortunately, as I mentioned earlier, we have the might of the Ribic on our side and the not only do each of the Thors have a distinct look, their time periods themselves have a signature flavor. With a heapin’ helping of Dean White colors and voila, visually, these Thors really stand on their own. And as the cherry on top, Jason, using his magical writer chops, has given a unique shading of the Thor persona to each of these Gods of Thunder: Viking. Hero. King.

 

Feast your eyes on this exclusive preview 2 pages from Thor: God of Thunder #1 by Esad Ribic:

Comments

  1. Wow that looks great, and with dean white on colors I’m sure it will look even better when finished in really looking forward to this

  2. You had me at “PURE METAL MADNESS.”

  3. Yes! Finally bringing the Metal back to THOR!!! lol : )

  4. Looks great, I think this will be one of the best Thor run’s in awhile and there have been a few good ones these last cpl yrs, I haven’t read em all but some of each and look forward to this. I’m interested in All New X-Men, Uncanny Avengers and probably Cap in Dimension Z for the sci-fi pulp but this one looks the best.

  5. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    This Thor fan is really damn excited for this run.

  6. 000h 000h 00h 00h — Valhalla I am comiiiiiing.

    Man, I hlope this delivers. PURE METAL MADNESS!

  7. Can’t wait. Haven’t been reading Thor as of late; looks like the perfect point to jump back in.