Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- The Mighty Thor Vol. 1
Quick Summary
Pros: The “Tales of Asgard” stories are all solid and contain great artwork, even from a modern perspective. The entire volume is a unique reading experience from a historical standpoint.
Cons: Many of the stories and a lot of the artwork ends up just being average. Some aspects of the storytelling feel very dated.
Overall: This volume has its positive features but does not hold up quite as well as some other Silver Age stories. The major draw here ends up being the volume’s importance to the history of comics and a few chapters that still hold up on their own. However, outside these positives, many of the chapters here are pretty unremarkable. Readers who want to see Thor’s comic origins should check this volume out but those looking for a great story all around might not enjoy this as much.
Story
Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1, by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Robert Bernstein, recounts the origins of Thor and his first adventures in the Marvel Universe. These adventures are interesting to see from a historical standpoint, as they give readers a chance to see how this character and his world have evolved over time. In addition, a few of the stories here are rather enjoyable to read, particularly those flashing back to the history behind Thor and Asgard. However, the rest of the stories are more generic and fail to rise above mediocrity. These lackluster stories are then further complicated by some dated views on science and women. In the end, this collection shines from its historical importance rather than its narrative prowess.
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The most obvious positives in The Mighty Thor Vol. 1 come from the volume’s obvious place in history. This entire comic details the origins of Thor’s place in the Marvel Universe and are historical for that reason. There are also many storytelling devices introduced here that will play a part in his story for dozens of years, such as his connection to Don Blake and his complex relationship with Jane Foster. Witnessing the origin point for all of this was satisfying for me, as a fan, and is something I’m sure will be satisfying to other fans as well.
Aside from this, the most significant and consistent positives in The Mighty Thor Vol. 1 come from the “Tales of Asgard” series. These chapters detail the exploits of Asgardians in the distant past, highlighting things like the Norse creation myth and Thor’s days as a youth. Each chapter is a satisfying trip that helps develop the larger mythos surrounding Marvel’s take on these mythological beings.
Unfortunately, the storytelling in the rest of the volume is pretty average at best. Most chapters revolve around a simple premise that has Thor swinging his hammer at a foe until they are defeated or managing to catch a break by switching to Don Blake at convenient times. The enemies are also pretty generic and most of them even end up relying on powers that feel a bit too similar. Things start to pick up again when Stan Lee takes over scripting duties and begins crafting larger background narratives, including one that introduces tension between Thor and his father, but it isn’t quite enough to save the volume as a whole.
In addition, The Mighty Thor Vol. 1 suffers from the ravages of time. Numerous chapters have Thor challenged or assisted by some sort of fringe science that, with modern knowledge, would clearly not work. Even worse, the book’s only female character is little more than a caricature of an actual woman. Jane Foster’s only desire is to get married and her only thoughts are on the men in her life. While I’m sure these aspects of the text were appreciated at the time they were written, they definitely feel dated today.
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Art
The majority of the artwork in The Mighty Thor Vol. 1, like the story, ends up being average at best. Various artists provide visuals throughout the volume and only a few of them manage to stand out. Most are able to utilize compelling structures and successfully tell the story but fail to take full advantage of the creative potential that is inherent in Thor’s adventures. Even Jack Kirby’s pencils on the first few chapters are marred by some lackluster inks, which make these chapters shine less than they should.
However, also like the story, the standout artistic moments all come from the “Tales of Asgard” chapters. These chapters have Jack Kirby providing beautiful and creative interpretations of the origins behind the Norse Gods. He even utilizes larger panels than normal in order to tell these stories, giving readers an even better look at the visuals. The only downside here is that these chapters comprise a minority of the collection.
Continuity
Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1 is the first volume in the Thor series. Most of the characters are introduced here and no prior knowledge of them is necessary in order to understand this story.
The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 2 (Review).