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Classic Review: Thor Epic Collection- A Kingdom Lost

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Quick Summary

Pros: The majority of the stories here are alright and do not contain many negatives. Thor’s personal progression is interesting to see. The artwork looks nice.

Cons: The majority of the stories here are not that memorable and do not contain many positives. Most female characters are written poorly.

Overall: This is a collection that falls right in the middle when it comes to quality. The volume has a few decent stories, the focus on Thor is often interesting, and the artwork enhances the read. However, the majority of the stories do not stand out in any significant way and even have a few negatives here and there, which effectively balance out the volume’s positives. This collection may appeal to die-hard Thor fans who want to see every one of his stories but will not appeal to readers just looking for good comics from this era.

Story

Thor Epic Collection: A Kingdom Lost, mostly written by Doug Moench, Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio, is an average collection of Thor stories. These stories often fall short of being memorable but also manage to rise above being downright bad. Instead, the book’s major positive comes from the way Thor slowly evolves over the course of the collection and becomes a more understanding and introspective person. Unfortunately, an ongoing negative involving poorly written female characters mostly balances out this positive. In the end, this collection has a few interesting points to it but not enough to allow it to significantly stand out from other Thor collections out there.

(spoilers start here)

The vast majority of A Kingdom Lost is mediocre. Most stories center around a conflict between Thor and a pretty simplistic villain, which is typically resolved over the course of a chapter. Some of the stories capture some genuine excitement, like a few when Thor’s distance from Mjolnir makes it appear as if he will lose, and a few hit on some relevant social issues, particularly those touching on income inequality. However, these positive elements in a few stories are balanced out by negative elements in other stories; some stories are less exciting than others and a few of the social issues are addressed in ways that feel problematic. In general, the stories in this collection are neither good nor bad, but fall somewhere in the middle.

The biggest positive feature running through the entire volume is the progression of Thor as a character. He seems to be more successfully adapting to life on Midgard and making changes such a transition would require. He has become more reserved and thoughtful, weighing social issues in addition to fighting off supervillains. This change feels natural and is satisfying to see.

The biggest negative feature running through the entire volume is the terrible writing that seems to follow almost every one of the book’s female characters. Examples of this include: Balder’s girlfriend killing herself rather than having him marry someone he doesn’t love, Sif’s entire existence revolving around Thor, Loki’s wife’s complete subservience to Loki’s evil, and the Valkyries failure to accomplish much of anything. In addition, both female villains are centered around problems stereotypically associated with “bad” women, with jealousy and bitterness being at the forefront. The women in A Kingdom Lost are simply not written well and reading their exploits often hurts the reading process.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in A Kingdom Lost looks good and pairs well with the comic’s narrative. Keith Pollard and Chic Stone’s work, which dominates the collection, feels evocative of Jack Kirby’s work on the series. The characters are bold, the action is dynamic, and the focus of each page stands out in a way that demands attention. I enjoyed the crisp visuals found throughout the book and felt that they were a great complement to the somewhat simplistic narratives found in each chapter. It also helps that, despite the presence of other artists on this title, the art style remains consistent throughout the volume and does not experience the radical shifts which are present in other comics. In general, the visuals in this book are pleasing and help make the read a bit better overall.

Continuity

Thor Epic Collection: A Kingdom Lost continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 19.

The story here continues in Thor Epic Collection: Runequest (Review).

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

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