THOR BY J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI PREM HC VOL 02

Review by: TheNextChampion

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

6
Pulls
Avg Rating: 4.7
 
Users who pulled this comic:
Users who reviewed this comic:


Size: pages
Price: 24.99

‘Where’s Geoff Johns on the list? Why isnt Scalped or Jason Aaron on the best writer or best ongoing nominations? Why the hell is JMS getting so much love!?’-ifanboy nation

That was the concensus of the majority for this website when the Eisner nominations were announced. No one could understand why major writers like Johns, or Aaron, or Brubaker, etc; didnt get nominated for major awards this year. But when everyone noticed the series ‘Thor’ got a lot of love, this series became a scapecoat to show how ‘wrong’ the judges were on the nominations. Does this recent Thor deserve all the love it’s getting, or is it really is too much praise by a certain group of people?

The way JMS writes this series is a bit puzzling to me in some ways. Unlike the Matt Fraction one-shots I reviewed earlier; this really isnt ‘epic’ in an action sort of way. What JMS does do in this book is setting up tiny little peices that will be revealed as huge revelations down the road. You will be fooled, like me, on certain aspects of the plot in this. As we see somethings from the past is not what it actually is revealed in the future. In this bit of writing that JMS writes the book perfectly. Readers will have to pay attention to anything Loki, or Balder, or anyone else says; cause it may or not be a ruse or reveal later in the series.

Other aspects of his writing, like you know the actual character developments, are almost perfect for me. Everyone is giving their moment to shine, whether it’s for dramatic or comedic effect. I think one of the big problems for me with JMS on Spider-Man was that he never could do a good balance of humor and drama. Here with Thor, Sweircynski plays up the aspect of the Gods living in the present as a great advantage. Sometimes it comes off as campy, like Thor busting Loki and Balder out of prison, or cute as in fry cook William somewhat ‘dating’ Goddess Kelda; but it’s always gets a laugh out of me when reading it. With this amount of light humor, the dramatic aspects of the story hits me more then usual. Again JMS just seems to know when to hit the right notes when it comes to the plot. Whether it’s Odin telling his son why he needs to stay dead; or practically anything with Loki it’s always fun to read. Loki for sure has become a great villain again with this series. People roll their eyes when they learn he turned the Trickster into a woman; but in all seriousness this change in sex has completely revamped the character. Tis a shame that no other writer seems to do that good of a job writing Loki for themselves.

What deserves the nomination, and a flat out win for this title is the fantastic art by Olivier Coipel. No doubt about it, he is the best artist of the year with the work he does with this book. Nothing looks out of place or bizarre when it comes to his pencils; they are all gorgeous to look at. Whether it’s a detailed background of Asgard to a look inside a local diner; no detail is overlooked. His panel layouts are also just amazing to look at overall, as it’s never confusing to read what happens next and his fights are done really well. His attention to detail is a bit hard to describe, but the best example to use is his design for Loki. Looking at her just as a figure; she looks gorgeous. He gives Loki a more seductive look at certain points in the book. But when we ever get to see Loki’s true intentions or maybe when we get a more close-up look at her; thats when the evil side of her shows. It could be some extra lines around her face to show menace or just maybe bend her back a little; it somehow makes her look evil. A simple way of showing personality in someone but it’s achieved perfectly by Coipel.

Don’t get me wrong when I started earlier with this review. I am just as puzzled as you when it comes to the omitions of the likes of Johns or Aaron for Eisners. But when I read this book and the enjoyment that I get out of the writing in this; there is just no way JMS or Thor should have their nominations replaced by other writers or titles. You can make a case for possibly other titles or creators that ‘shafted’ your favorites, but not this title. No my friends, Thor by JMS and Coipel might as well be the best Marvel title out today. The perfect blend of drama, big action, and sprinkles of light humor make it one of the most enthralling reads of the year. Heck I didnt even get to some of the best moments of the book; like Thor talking to the ghost of Steve Rogers or maybe the biggest shocking last page reveal that this trade carries.

A book like this is so written and drawn perfectly in my eyes, that the big reveal moments arent the selling points of the book. I understand if people are burned out by JMS from his earlier work, some readers here have giving the first trade a try and ultimately thought little of it. But I urge anyone to give this second volume a chance. Ignore the exchanges of JMS supporters or haters; or dont think about how someone isnt nominated for a shiny award. Read it as a fun blend of Norse mythology, epic drama, and modern sensiblities like I did. I will find it hard to believe that you didnt love reading this volume.

Story: 5 - Excellent
Art: 5 - Excellent

Comments

  1. i remain unconvinced

  2. I think JMS is trying to go the Bendis or Johns route of putting in little details that will pile up in a long run.  Now, I don’t think he’s hiding the fact as well or as delicately, but he’s trying.  I’m reading this in issues and enjoying it.  I wouldn’t give it fives, but it is still good.

  3. @YoSoyJu: You know I thought he laid them out great. That whole sequence with Loki in the past….blew my mind. I can definitely see why people might hate this Thor run or just indifferent about it. But for me it worked on all cylinders.

  4. I wasn’t saying it was poor, it’s just more noticeable.  I still enjoy reading Thor in issues.

  5. I have to agree with @TheNextChampion review of this trade. It’s turned into such a good series, with what JMS is doing utilizing Odin and Bor and the whole lineage of the Gods. I thought the Loki only issue was just brilliant.

    My only complaints, would be Djurdjevic’s art in the first two issues. It just seemed to chaotic and it was hard to read what was happening most of the time — plus his figures weren’t too great. It did look better for the #600 issue, cause it fitted well with that sequence and what was happening. Also, it became a bit irritating when Morales wasn’t inking Coipel’s art becuase it was just so noticeable. I don’t know if it was Lanning doing it, but it certainly brought the art down a knotch. 

Leave a Comment