Thor: For Asgard

Rodi's Loki & Thor #2

by Robert Rodi, Simone Bianchi

Odin has left his kingdom of Asgard, putting Thor in charge of a crumbling empire. The Thunder God is faced with one trouble after another: rebelling Frost Giants, internal dissent from his fellow countrymen and a winter that has lasted for years. These trials have left Thor weary - unable, even, to lift his sacred hammer, Mjolnir. When a surprise attack damages Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge, and injures its guardian, Heimdall, Thor realizes Asgard is not only being attacked from outside, but also from within. With his kingdom on the brink of collapse, can Thor uncover and defeat the forces that conspire against him, or is the inevitability of Ragnarok upon him?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Mythology, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

152 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2013

About the author

Robert was born in Chicago in the conformist 1950s, grew up in the insurrectionist 1960s, came of age in the hedonist 1970s, and went to work in the elitist 1980s. This roller-coaster ride has left him with a distinct aversion to isms of any kind; it also gave him an ear for hypocrisy, cant, and platitudes that allowed him, in the 1990s, to become a much-lauded social satirist.

After seven acclaimed novels set in the gay milieu, Robert grew restless for new challenges — which he found in activities as wide-ranging as publishing nonfiction, writing comic books, launching a literary-criticism blog, and taking to the stage (as a spoken-word performer, jazz singer, and rock-and-roll front man).

In 2011, excited by the rise of digital e-books, he returned to his first love, publishing new fiction inspired by the work of Alfred Hitchcock. He also organized the republishing of his seminal gay novels under the banner Robert Rodi Essentials.

Robert still resides in Chicago, in a century-old Queen Anne house with his partner Jeffrey Smith and a constantly shifting number of dogs.
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German version: Robert Rodi wurde 1956 in einem Vorort von Chicago geboren. Im Alter von 22 schloss er sein Philosophie-Studium ab. Schon vorher beschäftigte er sich mit Comedy. Sein erster eigener Roman, "Fag Hag" aus dem Jahr 1991 war ein großer Erfolg. Es folgten mehrere andere komische Romane, zahlreiche Kurzgeschichten und Sketche. Robert lebt mit Partner und Hund in Chicago.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

For Asgard is for fans of Thor in...well, Asgard.
I'm not one of those fans, so this sucked Big Time for me. I've never really been into Thor's adventures on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. Running around in animal pelts, and fighting goblins (or whatever) is just not my thing. Yay for you, if that's what you enjoy.
The art could have been cool, but something was just off about it. It was distracting and weird. Almost like someone had spilled water on the pages, so that everything looked annoyingly blurry. Oh, and in one pannel, Thor had a boob. Yeah. Just one. How do you not notice that when you're drawing it?! Ugh.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

My very first Thor/Marvel comic.. this was my early Sinterklaas present to myself. I had always said that, despite loving the Marvel movies, I would not buy the comics because there are so many and they are so expensive, but then I found this adorable little comic store in town (Whoops Comics, come on, you love it already just because the name is so perfect) today that I didn't know existed and I ended up taking this little beauty home. It cost me quite a bit of money but I fell in love with the art in this series, so I brought it home with me anyway. If you're interested: the penciler was Simone Bianchi, inks & inkwash were done by Simone Bianchi & Andrea Silvestri and the color assistant was Simone Peruzzi. The art in this series is rather realistic. I especially loved the facial close-ups, which were astonishingly beautiful, and the coloring.. absolutely stunning.

Here's a picture of the comic, courtesy of WeeklyCrisis, so you can all understand what I'm talking about and why I absolutely needed this book:



The story by Robert Rodi fascinated me too. It had very little Loki, but it showed what could happen, should he succeed in taking over Asgard. Rodi also gives his perspective of what he thinks would happen if Odin left and Thor was forced to take his place. This book very much focuses on God!Thor, not so much human!Thor/Avengers!Thor. I liked it, but I would like to read the other side to the story sometime, too.

But godlike or humanlike, I must say that I loved the characterization in this, I found it fascinating. The end notes make me want to check out Rodi's other works (Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers, Thor: Loki and Astonishing Thor), just to see how it holds up. He mentioned so many interesting things about Loki, who only showed up once in flashback, which I say is cheating. Oh well. Maybe next month. I just wish it was a less expensive hobby.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Book source ~ Library

Odin is gone, Thor is in charge, and everything is going to shit.

I’ve never read a Thor comic before. Not one where he’s the main star. I was kinda lost during this. It’s not horribly written, just a bit confusing. And while I like the funky font for the speech bubbles, at times they are hard to read. I had to put on my granny glasses. The artwork is pretty good though.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art work in this graphic novel is incredible. Italian illustrator Simone Bianchi uses colour and shade to bring the characters of Asgard vividly to life. Coupled with Robert Rodi's unique take on the travails of the Thunder God, as he arrives to assume the mantle of his father, Odin, this is a captivating read. Methinks I must verily look for more in this particular story arc!

[Tuncer Haydarlar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Konu güzel düşünülmüşse de uygulamada başarısız olmuş. Önünü arkasını okusak belki tatmin edici bir seviyeye erişir ama one-shot olarak tamamlanmış hissettirmiyor. Hikaye örgüsünde herhangi bir devinim yok. Basitçe, nerede başladıysa orada bitiyor. Dolayısıyla olan her şey sonunda anlamsız kalıyor. Hikaye hiçbir şeyi sonlandırmamakla birlikte oraya ulaşana kadar herhangi bir zirve anı da yaşatmıyor. Çizimleri, panel panel değerlendirildiğinde mükemmel olsa da herhangi bir süreklilik hissi yaratmaktan uzak. Yine de Thor ve Asgard mitosunun Marveldaki tasvirleri arasında görsel olarak en tatmin edici tasarımlara burada denk geldiğimi söyleyebilirim.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simone Bianchi is one hell of an artist! The art is out of the nine worlds! However, the writing is not on par with the art. The plot is decent with Odin gone and Thor taking up his place. But Thor not being worthy enough to pick up Mjolnir, that is overdone. A lot. The ending felt anticlimactic as well. Many things are left unanswered and many paths left unvisited. There are a couple of characters explored briefly and given a sort of arc as well. But their execution felt bland.

[Colin Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was heartbreaking, seeing Thor brought to such a low point.
The paneling and layouts were breathtaking--the way they all flowed together and were actually part of the art.
The art...well, it was hit or miss. The shading and rendering was beautiful, but the anatomy got a little strange at time. And then there's Thor's striped cod piece. And the scantily clad warriors in the middle of a four-year winter.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art! I don't know who this Simone Bianchi guy is, but damn! he draws good!
Good story... always nice to see Gods get their asses handed to em.
And I guess we humans can teach Giants a thing or two... sadly.

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art here by Simone Bianchi is beautiful: detailed, painted, fantastic, yet realistic. The story, though, takes awhile to get going. Odin is gone missing from Asgard, Thor is regent, Balder is dead, and the other worlds are rebelling. Is Ragnarok coming, or is this earlier in Thor's life? I'd opt for the latter but there's no real info in the book itself. The story picks up some, then drags again, and finally comes to a sudden and unsatisfying end, leaving lots of questions still unanswered.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic art.
A darker than normal Thor story. Odin has gone walkabout, left Thor in charge, and things in Asgard are not going well. Balder has been murdered, winter will not end, all the conquered peoples are in revolt, and there is open dissent among the Asgardians. It makes for a very 'Game of Thrones' feeling story. Unfortunately the book ends without the story being done. Not sure if there was supposed to be a follow up book or if it tied back into the regular series as I have only recently started reading Thor comics.

[A.j. Garner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a huge Thor fan. I have never thought Norse mythology was too exciting compared to Greek, so maybe I am jaded.

I felt this was confusing and awkward at points. I am still not 100% about the ending. But hey, whatever. I do love Simone Bianchi’s art, as always.

[Boris Kuslitskiy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonderful artistic choices that detract from the story, leaving it scattered beyond its already disjointed plot.

[Jorge Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma história muito boa, com ação, intrigas palacianas e bastante componentes filosóficos e existencialistas. O único porém fica por conta do final aberto da história. A arte é um espetáculo à parte.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine story. The dialogue doesn’t match the art sometimes, and the art is beautiful but a bit repetitive. A lot of negative space and circles. I want to like it more than I do.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The grim and gritty tone of this series works well to express the bleakness of the state of Asgard and Thor as regent.

[BooksByDano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Thor and i like reading about him in Asgard but im not sure if this was the right place to start.

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s so nice to see a Thor comic that actually respects the mythology. Not everything is accurate, of course, but I can tell the people who worked on this did their research. Some parts were a bit slow, and I didn’t like the treatment of Tyr and Hella, but other than that it was a phenomenal story. If you’re a fan of the traditional superhero Thor, this probably isn’t for you. But if you want a gripping tale of mythological scale set entirely in Asgard and the surrounding realms, with amazing visuals and fantastic themes, definitely give this a shot.

[Peterscoggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were definitely glimmers of greatness here, but extensive caricaturization as opposed to characterization (and then what little there was, was out of step with the characters as I know them), a far too brief climb of Yggdrasil (truly a heroic feat given extreme short shrift here) followed by a whoopee cushion resolution requiring narrative assurance as to its existence, and no end to the tale in sight, all combine to make it a why-bother affair.

Bianchi's art is nice as always and different. But nonetheless, nice doesn't make me forget some obvious awkward panel transitions, confusing figure placement, and sporadic lack of narrative flow in the art. Honestly, though, some of this may be Rodi. Rodi definitely has the Thor-Asgard chops (see his Astonishing Thor), and they are on display but they could use some toning to smooth the eccentricities.

The story starts strong, despite a significant number of WTF moments throughout; but by the end, it's such a rush to finish that there is no finish and I can no longer overlook the WTF moments. Three stars is generous, and given for effort, ideas, and the shimmering greatness lurking behind the veil of slip-slop-slapdashery. I can't escape the nagging feeling that Marvel editorial contributed significantly to the failings here.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one's been getting rave reviews from the cognoscenti; and I've always loved Thor (from the comics to the Norse myths); and what with the movie coming out, I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, I found FOR ASGARD close to unreadable. Bianchi's artwork is HEAVY METAL lite (and not the glory years of HM-rather, the late '90's when it devolved to third-rate fantasy crap) and slows down the storytelling while offering few pleasure during the traffic jam. Rodi seems to have had a few good ideas here, but they were too slow coming together (issues 1-4) and then rushed to an unsatisfying conclusion with a (literally) deus-ex-machina ending in 6. I wish I had put the $$ toward the Simonson THOR OMNIBUS.

[Russell Mark Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both the writer and the artist seemed very talented and capable, but there was just too much ot "it." I tend to like art work that is simpler, refined and immaculately formed. Sometimes, excellent draftsmen don't make the best cartoonists, they get too wrapped up in the detail to move the story along. There were quite a few moments where I had to flip back and forth through the book to make sure I knew what was going on. I don't think you should ever have to do this when reading a comic. Characters are simplified for ease of reading...and the same goes for the writing. I like that Asgard gives writer's the chance to be poetic, but sometimes your left with lots of words, but little substance. Can't say I'd pick up the follow on if written and illustrated by the same team.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

El dibujo es sencillamente espectacular. Aunque, vaya a saber uno por qué, no me gustó tanto como en "Siete Soldados de la Victoria: Caballero Brillante". Supongo que porque, aunque la narrativa de Bianchi sigue siendo de lo más original y brillante, al estar en función del a historia me enganché más con aquella epopeya que con esta, y eso que méritos no le faltan. El guion de Rodi es fuerte y bien armado, aunque tanta "epiceidad" termina desdibujando un poquitín a los personajes. De todos modos es un gran laburo y espero leerme el "Loki" del guionista con Ribic ni bien pueda.

[Clayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, and I've liked other stuff that Simone Bianchi has drawn, but the story lost me pretty quickly, and I ended up skimming the second half of the book. Also, I wasn't terribly impressed by the art - there were several awkward figures (including one where Thor appears to have an exposed female breast), and the colors seemed too fuzzy and without any kind of dynamics or color contrast. So the visuals just didn't work for me on a lot of levels. Ah well, there's better Thor stories out there.

[Maria Rita Accardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastico! Una chicca che tutti gli amanti di Thor non possono lasciarsi scappare. Mi riempie di orgoglio aver scoperto fumettisti italiani così capaci come Simone Bianchi, le sue tavole sono incredibili, una più bella dell'altra. Inoltre nell'edizione completa di Thor per Asgard, le ultime pagine sono dedicate a due parti dello Sketchbook in cui possiamo ammirare vari bozzetti che lasciano senza parole. Un fumetto che mi ha stupito e meravigliato sotto diversi punti di vista. Davvero magnifico!

[Joe Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Rodi - writer
Simone Bianchi - illustrator

3/5 stars

Pretty cool story about Thor taking over for Odin and having to deal with a bucnh of crises perpetrated by a mysterious, hidden enemy. The art in this volume is really stellar; Ms. Bianchi has an lovely, watercolor-like style that fits the epicness of Thor quite well. Worth a read if you are an old-school Thor fan, or enjoyed the recent movie.

[Viridian5 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story here is more a sketch of the goings-on than an actual fleshing out. There are parts that should be epic, but we just don't have enough time to show or develop them because now we're off to the next thing. Then the storyline stops instead of concludes, with nothing settled. It felt like such a waste of time.

The art looks cool from a distance but busy and sometimes ugly up close with its mess of lines and sometimes odd angles. People don't even look like people in some cases.

[Clark Provence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Making an effort to get around to some of the comics/collected editions which have been sitting on the shelf entirely too long. This one has attractive artwork from the ever-reliable Simone Bianchi and the story gets off to a compelling start, but the back half of the series suffers from too many needless contrivances and an underwhelming conclusion.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do like the Thor books but this one was slightly boring. Asgard is in danger, and Thor commits war crimes. He needs redemption to save everybody. the art was interesting but I kept getting distracted by Thor's naked chest, it looked a lot like a woman's at times. Strange indeed.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked this better than the other Thor comic I read by Rodi.

I like Idunn.

Still bothered by Hella. Whaaaat are you not wearing?

Interesting play of politics. I liked the play of the idea of what happens when Thor tries to become his father instead of being himself.

[Mark Smiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art caught my eye, reminding me of Frank Frazetta. But Thor does not have his beard, which is wrong to have a clean shaven God of Thunder. The lettering was hard to get used to and again, things did not flow well.

[Mathew Carruthers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art was amazing, the story good, but not really typical of the average Thor title. I don't regularly read Thor, so I felt a bit lost trying to put everything into context in the greater Marvel universe. Worth a look for the art alone.