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Review: Thor Epic Collection- War of the Pantheons

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Quick Summary

Pros: A few stories in the volume’s first half are highly creative and fun to read. The volume’s second half centers around a thrilling story arc that recaptures the feel of very early Thor stories. The artwork is mostly positive.

Cons: Most of the volume’s first half is pretty lackluster.

Overall: This volume, for better or worse, feels like a real blast from the past. It presents several great stories that highlight imaginative looks at Thor’s life. These stories are backed by writing and art styles that feel like what was utilized when Jack Kirby was working on this series. However, the volume also contains several stories that are just lackluster and simply don’t stand out at all. Fans looking for a more modern take on a classic Thor story should consider checking this one out.

Story

Thor Epic Collection: War of the Pantheons, by Tom DeFalco is a relatively unique entry in this series with relatively unique appeal. The volume’s opening chapters are short but wonderfully creative dives into aspects of Thor’s character. Then, the volume’s second half tells an exciting story arc that recaptures some of the magic that made the Thor series great back when Jack Kirby was working on it. However, the majority of the volume’s first half is pretty forgettable and never really manages to rise above mediocrity. If fans are able to look past these lackluster stories and are interested in seeing a few that feel like “classic” Thor, then this may be the volume for them.

(spoilers start here)

War of the Pantheons starts out with a few solid chapters. The opening chapter is a flashback to the Secret Wars that provides an interesting look at the event and an equally interesting look at the Enchantress’ feelings toward Thor. Then, the following chapter provides a wonderfully creative look at a potential future for the world, one where Thor’s legend is a source of inspiration for a downtrodden people. These are unique snapshots that work well on their own but work particularly well after the climactic events of Simonson’s run on Thor.

Unfortunately, the rest of this collection’s first half does not fare quite as well. The stories after this point are pretty generic battles that all feel like lame excuses to pair Thor up with another Marvel property. This includes a thematically problematic run-in with the Celestials, an uneventful team-up with Spider-Man, and a completely forgettable encounter with Daredevil. Not all of these chapters are bad but all of them have problems that prevent them from being good, such as how the Captain America team-up gives Captain America a chance to lift Thor’s hammer but does so at a pretty unimportant moment.

Luckily, the second half of War of the Pantheons manages to recover and conclude the volume with gusto. This portion of the book details a thrilling fight between the gods of Asgard and the death god of the ancient Egyptian pantheon, Seth. The all-out war between these entities is exciting and contains plenty of moments that simply relish in pure action and tension. The resulting conflict feels incredibly evocative of Jack Kirby’s work on the series and works in a similar way. It also has several well-planned-out surprises, like the return of Odin and Surtur, that add additional importance to the story as a whole.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in War of the Pantheons is mostly positive and suits the story well. Ron Frenz’s work feels evocative of Jack Kirby’s work on some of Thor’s earliest stories, in which bombastic action and elaborate structures dominated pages. In this way, depictions of Seth’s forces and fortresses call back to the imaginative qualities this series represents. All of this gives the art a classic quality to it that works well with the classic nature of the storytelling, especially in chapters inked by Don Heck. The only downside is that there are a few places where characters end up having weirdly proportioned bodies, though this only happens a few times in a few places. Overall, the artwork in this collection looks nice and really suits the overall theme of this book.

Continuity

Thor Epic Collection: War of the Pantheons continues the story from Thor by Walt Simonson Vol. 5 (Review).

The story here continues in Thor Epic Collection: In Mortal Flesh. 

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

Previous Volume Review

All Thor Reviews

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