Thor: Love and Thunder

Thanks to COVID and my being of high risk, I haven't been to the movies in a very long time. Spider-Man: No Way Home was the last thing I've seen in theaters. Despite a love of Jack Kirby, Eternals just didn't motivate me enough to go amongst the crowds for over 3 hours. And while I really wanted to see the latest Doctor Strange movie, I just didn't. Thus, when my god son asked me to go see Thor: Love and Thunder, I had many questions.

For one, will my not having seen Eternals or Multiverse of Madness, along with still not having succumbed to joining Disney+, impact how to follow the plot. The answer to that question is that it will not. Second, it's been years since I have seen the first 3 Thor films, am I going to be lost? The answer is no, not really. That's because filmmaker Taika Waititi does a very good job keeping the viewers up to date with most of what has occurred in the 11 years Thor has graced the silver screen. But that might just about be all Waititi does perfectly in Thor: Love and Thunder. 

My feelings for the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie are all over the place. There were a lot of things I liked and quite a few things I thought were moronic. If Thor: Ragnarok was introducing the corn factor to the god of thunder, then Love and Thunder topped that corn with plenty of cheese. 

How about I list off what I liked so that way I can explain my dislikes:

• The reason Mjolnir chooses Jane Foster to become the new Thor. It was a whole lot more believable and acceptable than jerk-wad and former Marvel EIC Axel Alonso's need to make Thor a woman for the sake of pissing off fans. Plus, I have enjoyed that this film moves the needle in a lot of areas not really explored by Disney/Marvel without being preachy.
• Speaking of Axel. I loved the addition of Kieron L. Dyer (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story) as the late Heimdall's son Axel. In fact, I want Marvel to either make a series about him or add him to the comics. Or both! He was such a scene stealer.
• Speaking of scene stealers, Christian Bale was fantastic as Gorr the God Butcher. He was the perfect mix of betrayed acolyte and bat-crap crazy killer. I really think Bale channeled former The Dark Knight cast mate, Heath Ledger's Joker to play the role of Gorr.
• Speaking of Gorr, I liked how this movie was a family affair. Not only did Chris Hemsworth's daughter India play Gorr's daughter; but his twin sons Tristan and Sasha represent Thor as a child during flashback scenes. Plus, brother Luke is back portraying Thor in those ridiculous theatre scenes along with Matt Damon and some other popular actors whom might surprise you!
• Finally, I loved the Easter eggs in this movie. And I loved how interconnected things were. The Guardians of the Galaxy return. Though if you are wondering where Gamora is, you probably have to wait for GOTG Vol. 3 to get your answer. Several key players from past Thor movies make cameos and there are a bunch of deities from 60 some odd years of Marvel comics history that appear. Sadly, if there was a Stan Lee image hiding somewhere in this movie, I missed it. 

Okay. I've covered the hits. Let's look at the misses.

• The film's soundtrack, which is heavy on Guns n' Roses songs, was inconsistent with the tone of the film. There's a scene that uses the instrumental ending to November Rain and while as powerful as that tune is, some of the characters used were ridiculous and it took away from the serious of that penultimate scene. 
• Now on the plus side, Dio's Rainbow in the Dark was used in the closing credits. Perfect as the rainbow bridge known as Bifrost is a main plot point in the movie. But, I don't understand how if you use all GNR songs for the movie that you don't stay consistnet and close with such a song in the end credits...
• Speaking of the credits, there was a huge missed opportunity. The actors names were blasted on the screen using fonts of popular heavy metal bands from the 80s. But to not use the AC/DC logo with the lightning bolt to represent Russell Crowe who plays the Greek god Zeus was down right criminal!
• Speaking of Russell Crowe. I felt that his over the top Greek stereotype portrayal of Zeus was absurd. I had heard that Waititi had Crowe do every scene in both a refined British accent and as buffoonish Greek speak before deciding which dialect to use. Should have gone British. Again- the goofiness sprinkled throughout the film diminishes the serious overtones.

The film ends with a promise that Thor will return (along with 2 extra end credit scenes.) I have seen reports that the pledge of more  Asgardian hi-jinx was something of a surprise to both the director and Chris Helmsworth. Even though I thought that the silliness of this film was amped up to 11 at times, I would very much want to see Thor 5, if not for the promising ending. An ending of which I would very much like to see explored in the comics. Take note Marvel. I'm willing to buy new issues of Thor off the shelf, monthly, if you created a Love and Thunder comic book! 

Finally, I have to talk about the two real stars of this film. The goats Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher. As a recnt adoptive parent of a pair of goats, I enjoyed the presence of these two CGI wonders. Thankfully, my goats don't scream. With Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher added to the MCU, I think it's time for a Holiday special with Thor and Company. Odin's riding of a sleigh driven by goats is an inspiration for Santa's reindeer transport. And since Odin is dead in the MCU (not a spoiler, BTW), I think having Thor take over would be a hoot. I might even subscribe to Disney+ just to experience it.

This wasn't the best MCU offering I've ever seen. But it sure wasn't Thor: The Dark World! Thank God!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Essential Thor, Volume 6

This collection of Thor comics proves that the 1970s is my favorite of the Marvel eras. 

The adventure begins in a battle of the myths between the Greeks and Norse as Thor challenges Hercules for the honor of a kidnapped maiden. Then thunder god teams with planet eater Galactus to take on Ego the Living Planet. A plague of fear will engulf the Big Apple leading Thor to return to the guise of Dr. Donald Blake in order to safe his long-lost forbidden love, Jane Foster. And as the pages of this massive volume draw to an end, trouble in Asgard is brewing while Thor is joined by the Warrior Three in a twisty caper through space and time!

This is the penultimate Essential Thor collection. Profits found in insanely expensive color reprints spelled the end of these black and white newsprint beauties. I rushed to my computer to place my order for volume 7 and I wait with baited breath on it's arrival. But as this run of collections is coming to an end, my wish list is about to explore with about 15 years of Thor solo comics from the 80s and early 90s (up to beginning of the Heroes Reborn era.)

A great chapter in not just Marvel history, but Thor's as well. 

Oh, and for those of you keeping score- the events of this volume takes place before Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 8. It's not required to read it this way. But it sure is fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Thor: First Thunder

Relive the first year of Thor's return to earth in this 5-issue collection from Marvel. In terms of an origin story, there's not much being rebooted. But there's not much being rehashed to where I felt that I had read this story before. 

The real crux of this story is the relationship between Donald Blake and Thor. It answers a nagging question that I have had about Thor and Blake for a very long time- where does Blake go when Thor is summoned and vice-versa? 

Donald Blake's love-affair with Jane Foster is another key element that has matured somewhat in this retelling of Thor's origin. It's not that insipid soap opera drivel that Stan and Jack did back in the 1960s. Of the many things Stan Lee could do well, writing a love story wasn't one of them...

The one thing about this book that I had trouble with was the art. Or maybe it's the inks. Heck it could be both. Tan Eng Huat (Legion: Sox of X) is the artist. I admire some of his subtle nuances, like having Donald Blake's bad leg be atrophied. But when it came to noses, the artist gives everybody the same one- a long green bean of a thing. And for some reason, Huat liked to draw faces where you can see up their nose. 

The last quarter of the book is inked by a different person other that Huat ,who for the most part does double duty. The new inker's stuff looks much cleaner and more in the style of John Bryne or Sal Buscema. I like it better as the Huat pencils which also tend to look blurry. That would be okay for action scenes, but even the static ones look out of focus.

A good story with art and inks that need polish. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Thor: Season One

Sometimes I get really lucky and I find a book that I've been wanting somewhere for a steep discount. That was the case here with Thor: Season One. My library had carried a couple of the books from this Marvel series that recounts the origins of some of it's most popular character's while giving them a modern twist and I enjoyed them.  Plus, I've really been getting into Thor a lot and he's grown into one of my favorite characters. So, to find this hardcover for less than $7- oh I had to jump on it!

   Here we learn what exactly got Thor in trouble with his father Odin, resulting in the Asgardian's exile to earth. We also see the early formations of the Warriors Three and experience Loki's discovery of his true heritage. But what really interested me in this story was the dynamic between Thor in his human persona of Dr. Donald Blake and his partner, Jane Foster.

   In this story, Jane is Don's equal. Both are doctors and together, they start a clinic right as Blake begins to uncover the truth of his past as Thor. Jane even knows Blake is Thor. Yet, every time Thor took over instead of Donald Blake, I kept hoping it would hurry up so we could get back to the good stuff. Yes, Donald Blake's ho-hum life as a crippled doctor was just that much more interesting to me and that my friends is a sign of great writing under the Marvel Comics banner.

   Matthew Sturges, whose work I've enjoyed in the pages of Vertigo's House of Mystery and Blue Beetle, is a master at back stories. He makes the person behind the capes and superpowers so engaging and so intriguing. That's exactly what Stan Lee did when he created the Marvel Universe over 50 years ago and I can tell from this book, that someone took notes and kept with the time-honored formula.

   The Season One books were all published in 2013. Now three years later and with Marvel's reboot of its entire universe for the first time ever, I doubt seriously that we'll ever see a Thor: Season Two. But this book was a masterpiece and is a classic that shouldn't be ignored. No matter how much you think you know the story of Thor, this book with art by Pepe Larraz (Star Wars: Kanan) will make the Norse gods new to you once again!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Vol. 2

Cover to Issue #6, which was also
the cover to this collection.

Thor: Mighty Avenger was an all-ages series, but I suspect it was published not just to introduce a new generation to the god of Thunder, but to give young viewers of the Thor movie a book that was less gory than the standard Thor titles.

I thought it was a great series. The art was very retro and Thor’s love story with Jane Foster wasn’t gushy, but deftly written as a metaphor for Thor finding a place on Midgard. Sadly, the book ended after only 8 issues, yet that doesn’t stop the series from incorporating some of Thor’s greatest enemies and pals. The Warriors 3, Loki, Namor, and Iron Man all make appearances in this final volume. Unfortunately the identity of the mysterious Mr. K, who kidnaps and attempts to kill Thor in the final 2 issues was never revealed.

Includes reprints of Journey Into Mystery 85-86.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.