Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- The Mighty Thor Vol. 3

Quick Summary

Pros: Most of the stories here are exciting and a few have twists that make them even more compelling. The structure of the narrative is impressive for the Silver Age and still holds up today. The artwork looks great, especially when depicting the people and places of Asgard.

Cons: Some plot points are poorly written and negatively affect the story. Negatives surrounding Odin and Jane Foster’s characters are less significant but are still present.

Overall: The improvements on Thor’s adventures continue with this volume. The stories detailed here minimize some of the errors of the past while still managing to capture the same sense of excitement and wonder. They are also structured in a way that makes them more compelling and encourages the reader to keep turning the pages. Overall, this is a book that should really appeal to fans looking for examples of good Thor stories from the Silver Age.

Story

The previous volume in this series started to improve the comic by introducing more significant narrative arcs and placing more focus on Thor’s unique connection to Asgard. Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 3, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, continues with these exact same improvements. It is centered around manipulations by Loki that send Thor on a variety of different quests. The way these smaller quests are structured against a larger goal allows the volume to stay captivating and also allows it to stand out among its Silver Age peers. Along the way, a few high and low points are encountered but, in general, the high points tend to outnumber the low. In the end, this is a pretty solid showcase for the God of Thunder’s time in the Silver Age.

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The Mighty Thor Vol. 3 starts out a little slow, as the first quarter of the book is just average. The stories here are somewhat generic clashes between Thor and the various enemies wishing to challenge him. Though not necessarily bad, these stories aren’t that memorable either.

Luckily, things start to improve as the book progresses. Lee and Kirby have Loki bring Jane Foster to Asgard and trick Odin into thinking that Thor brought her, which would be a serious transgression. The rest of the volume essentially follows Thor’s attempts to clear his own name. At first, this means defeating Loki in a contest. After Loki cheats in the contest, it means searching for the hidden evidence that will prove Loki was cheating.

By structuring the narrative in this way, it allows for many quicker adventures to take place under the umbrella of one larger goal. Readers get to watch Thor and Loki’s challenge, Thor’s participation in the fighting in Vietnam, Thor’s fight against a nearly all-powerful creature from Asgard, and, finally, Thor’s insistence that Loki not be severely punished for his crimes. Meanwhile, as all of this is taking place, readers are constantly aware that if the Thunder God fails at any step then the entire journey will be for naught. This is pretty innovative for the Silver Age and allows most of the volume to stand up to modern scrutiny.

It also helps that a few of the stories along the way are highly entertaining. I, personally, really enjoyed seeing Loki forced to help keep Thor alive during his fight with the Destroyer. In addition, all of the “Tales of Asgard” stories maintain their high quality from previous volumes.

Unfortunately, there are places where the story is significantly marred by very strange writing decisions. This is most noticeable at the conclusion of the Destroyer story arc, which has the Destroyer point out Thor’s weakness, forget about the weakness, and then remember it once more over the course of a few pages. This type of conclusion feels forced and makes Thor’s victory feel less satisfying.

The Mighty Thor Vol. 3 also continues to suffer from some of the same flaws as its predecessors, though to a somewhat lesser degree this time. Odin still acts less like a wise god and more like a forgetful child than one would hope. Plus, Jane Foster’s character continues to do nothing but serve as a mechanism by which to push Thor to action. These flaws are not as glaring this time around but are still present in a few chapters.

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Art

The artwork in The Mighty Thor Vol. 3 is still delightful. Jack Kirby’s take on Thor makes the character feel as dynamic as he needs to feel. This volume also places more of a focus on the characters and locations of Asgard, which Kirby approaches with a gorgeous blend between cosmic futurism and classic Norse culture. However, the greatest visuals here are still found within the “Tales of Asgard” stories, which provide large views into some creatively remixed moments from Norse mythology. The only downside is that there are a few places where the inks appear to be a bit too heavy and slightly distort the visuals. Luckily, the majority of the volume is still alright and is sure to be a delight for most fans.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 3 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 2 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 4 (Review).

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

• A note in Journey into Mystery #112 indicates that the flashback seen in this issue occurred during the events of Avengers #3, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 1 (Review).
• In Journey Into Mystery #116, Daredevil is shown in the middle of his chase after Namor from Daredevil #7, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 1.
• In Journey Into Mystery #116, events from Fantastic Four #38, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 4 (Review), are also shown.
• In Journey into Mystery #120, the Avengers lineup has changed. This change took place in Avengers #16, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 2 (Review).