Thor: Ages of Thunder

At a time when comic fans are bombarded with Iron Man tie-ins, it’s nice to see another classic Marvel character getting the treatment. In the Thor one-shot, Ages of Thunder, we get a glimpse of the Thunder God long before he became involved with the world of Man, embroiled in a romance with Jane Foster and tangled with Mister Hyde and the Cobra. In other mediums, this would be called a ‘prequel’ to the Mighty Thor. Rumors of the Thor movie have included the idea that it would be set entirely in mythological Asgard as a fantasy film. This comics could be a way to get readers used to the idea.

Written by Matt Fraction (of Iron Fist) and drawn by Iron Man’s Patrick Zircher (part 1) and newcomer Khari Evans (part 2), the comic is a collection of mythological tales of Asgard. In both, Thor whoops Frost Giants with such extreme violence that it becomes apparent that this is a very different character than the one we are familiar with. This Thor is very much a force of nature, a beast of battle and a God of few words. Most of the story is told through narration which may turn some readers off, but it is used so well that I miss the convention that used to be a quintessential part of the Marvel Comics mystique very dearly.

The pair of stories involve Asgard during a time when the race of Gods was pitted against the Frost Giants almost constantly. The set up for both tales is that Thor fells a Frost Giant in battle with a hammer blow through the skull. The killing blow is so deadly that the Giant’s falling body destroys part of Asgard’s city wall.

In the first story, a simple human promises to fix the damage to the wall in return for the Enchantress’ hand in marriage. Loki convinces wise Odin to honor the wager, demanding that the stone cutter finish the work in six months with no assistance. The task is absurdly impossible, so Odin agrees. Things get a little hairy from there as the human actually manges the monumental task, resulting in the punishment of Loki the Lord of Mischief. The second tale involves a punished Loki being offered a way out of his suffering by a Frost Giant. The only catch, you guessed it, the hand of the Enchantress in marriage. In both stories, Loki causes trouble which gets so out of hand that Thor has to intervene and remind the pantheon of Gods why he is the favored son.

It’s a fantastic comic and I’m glad I took the ‘risk’ in buying outside of my comic book collecting comfort zone. The writing is in a classic style and the mixture of art is top notch stuff. At the conclusion, there is promise for a follow up called Reign of Blood. Marvel must be unsure of the chances of success to launch a Thor ongoing spin-off, but if all the stories are as good as this one, I think they should take the chance!

Remember, this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, so be sure to stop by your local comic book store and stick up on all the great material out there (including this comic)