Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- The Mighty Thor Vol. 10

Quick Summary

Pros: Each of the volume’s story arcs are compelling and a few of them detail some of the most exciting adventures from Thor in a while. The volume incorporates some interesting themes. The volume’s artwork looks great, especially the splash pages.

Cons: Many of the conclusions here are poorly written. There are a number of places where characters are unnecessarily fickle. Sexism surrounds many of the volume’s female characters.

Overall: This is a solid collection of Thor adventures. The stories told here have action and drama but also focus on themes that are more thought-provoking. This is not a collection without flaw, as there are noticeable places where the story falters, but it is one with plenty of positives to make up for these flaws. Readers interested in entertaining Thor stories immediately after Kirby’s departure should consider reading this volume.

Story

When Jack Kirby left the Fantastic Four series, it had an immediate, negative impact on the comic’s quality (as mentioned in ComicBookWire’s review of the volume immediately following his departure). However, this same drop in quality is not present in the Thor series. In fact, the stories immediately following Kirby’s departure are some of the best this series has seen in a while.

The Mighty Thor Vol. 10, by Stan Lee, John Buscema, and Gerry Conway, is a collection of three consistently compelling story arcs. Each of these arcs utilizes tension, action, and drama to create a narrative that is entertaining almost the whole way there. Many of the arcs also bring in themes about life, death, and love that are interesting to see. Unfortunately, the stories here also have problems with writing, especially in regards to deus ex machina endings and sexism. Overall, the volume trends positive though and makes for one of the better Thor reading experiences, from this era.

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The Mighty Thor Vol. 10 starts out strong with an instantly captivating story arc that has Thor and Odin facing off against the mysterious villain known only as “Infinity”. Early on, this villain demonstrates the ability to destroy entire worlds with ease and brainwash the minds of Asgard’s best warriors. Then, it is revealed that this enemy is actually as aspect of Odin that has been further enhanced by the power of Hela. All of these factors make it clear that this is one of the most deadly foes Thor has ever gone up against, which significantly increases the tension and suspense in this entire story. Plus, the entire arc brings up interesting themes regarding the beautiful tragedy present in raging against an unstoppable force, perhaps echoing humanity’s own eternal struggle against the inevitability of entropy.

After this has been dealt with, the volume switches to a shorter arc detailing Hela’s hunt for Thor. This is an arc that extends the previous arc’s ponderings on mortality, with Hela curiously questioning humanity’s fear of death. It also features a great moment of sacrifice from Sif (even if it does, unfortunately, fit with some rather troubling sexism present in the writing around her character).

Finally, The Mighty Thor Vol. 10 closes with an arc featuring Loki’s successful attempt to usurp the Asgardian throne. The majority of this arc is well-written and the inclusion of the Silver Surfer adds even more action and drama into the mix. It also expands upon the unique relationship between Karnilla and Balder, which I’m hoping will be further explored in future volumes.

Where the volume errors is in the same place where many volumes in the Thor series have errored, conclusions. In two of this volume’s three major story arcs, the day is saved with a deus ex machina from Odin. These happy endings often come with little set-up and dramatically reduce the impact of the arc’s conclusion.

There are also places where characters are written in ways that make them seem fickle or even ridiculous. This is most prominent in the volume’s final arc, which has Loki, Odin, and the Warriors Three starting fights and calming down at the slightest provocation.

The other significant flaw in The Mighty Thor Vol. 10 is also one of the comic’s long-running problems, sexist treatment of female characters. Sif is mostly written as a lovesick princess agonizing over Thor’s life. Outside of this role, she is written as the trophy over which Thor and Loki fight. Even Karnilla and Hela, who have significant moments to express their independent power, often refer to vaguely defined “weaknesses” present in women. For any modern reader, this sexism is sure to hamper enjoyment. 

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Art

The artwork in The Mighty Thor Vol. 10 sees John Buscema step in as the regular artist for the series. There are places, especially toward the beginning of the book, where facial expressions are a little over-the-top but, besides this, the artwork here is great. Buscema is able to provide a smooth transition from Kirby’s work while still managing to do plenty on his own. This volume has daring action, creative costumes, and a couple of fantastic full-page spreads. Buscema also does a great job in depicting the wonders of the cosmos in a way that ensures Asgard is still distinctly on the cosmic side of the Marvel universe. All in all, the artwork here looks nice and is sure to please most fans.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 10 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 9 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 11 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Galactus was examined by Asgard back in Thor #160-162, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 7 (Review).
• The Magog threatened Asgard back in Thor #154-157, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 7 (Review).
• The Silver Surfer has been trapped on Earth since Fantastic Four #50, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 5 (Review).