Art: Barry Kitson
Publisher: DC Comics
Pretty much anything even remotely connected with The Avengers these days is all about “accessibility”. Marvel is counting on the new movie to spark some interest in the comic book source material, and so they’re working hard to provide some easy jumping-on points for new readers. One of those is The Mighty Thor #12.1. Yup, it’s another Point One issue that’s supposed to be “new reader friendly”. It even has a little poster of The Avengers film with the May 4th opening date right on the cover. Subtle. So, is this a good issue for new readers interested in Thor?
I think I pretty well qualify for that category of “new readers” when it comes to Thor. He’s not a character that I’ve followed closely, I don’t know a great deal about his past or what’s been happening recently, and in truth the adventure I’m most familiar with is his recent film. I do have basic knowledge of the character, but I still think of myself as a “new reader” when it comes to Thor, and as such, I found this issue to be a bit of a mixed bag. You certainly learn a few things about Thor. You learn what others think of his character; how he’s rash and bold, given to fits of rage and tantrums. There’s also talk of how noble and heroic he is, but most of the stories focus on him getting mad and irrationally taking that anger out on the nearest target. We also see him being played for the dupe by his bother Loki.
That’s another interesting element of this issue as, again, it’s a big part of the upcoming Avengers movie (Loki is one of the main villains). Unfortunately, this part is rather confusing because all though most of the tales in here involve a full-grown Loki, at the end we find out that he’s somehow reverted back to just being a little boy. Weird. Not sure why that’s the case or what the significance of it is. There’s also lots of talk of Thor’s downfall and rise, but no real detail given on what that was.
So while there’s plenty of exposition on who Thor is for new readers to latch onto, the setting and some of the elements of the story might prove rather confusing for new readers. Obviously there’s a lot going on in the world of Thor, and this issue reads like a brief interlude that doesn’t even catch readers up on what’s been happening but rather just shares some “tales of Thor”. Not the strongest Point One issue, but not a bad read for newcomers.
Score: 4 of 7
A BIG thanks to Astro-Zombies for providing the material for this review. Learn more about them at astrozombies.com.
