The Mighty Thor Omnibus, Vol. 2

The Mighty Thor Omnibus

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

A masterpiece of immortal action, cosmic scope, and boundless drama, Stan and Jack's Thor collaborations mark a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe - and that's no small accomplishment coming from the imaginations of the most celebrated creators in comics! This second Omnibus edition brings you milestone stories including the first appearances of Ego the Living Planet, Ulik the Troll and the Wrecker; battles with the Absorbing Man, the Destroyer and the Super-Skrull; adventures into Pluto's underworld and atop the High Evolutionary's Wundagore Mountain; the debut of Lady Sif as Thor's love interest; and classic tales featuring Thor and Hercules. Backed up by "Tales of Asgard" and featuring each issue's original letter's page, it's an extravaganza on an Asgardian scale! Collecting: Journey Into Mystery (1952) 121-125, Thor (1966) 126-152, Thor Annual (1966) 2, Not Brand Echh (1967) 3

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

753 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1968

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee and Kirby really hit their collective stride with this volume, blending Norse mythology, action and drama, along with some cosmic craziness that was pure Marvel back in the day. These stories still hold up pretty well today, far better than those of the first Thor omnibus. I'm not the biggest fan of inker Vince Colletta, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of this volume. Well worth a look.

[Kyle Burley · Rating 4 out of 5]

On art alone, I would give this collection of vintage Thor stories 5 stars or more but, it must be said, Stan Lee's scripts don't age all that well. It's not just that they're hokey (that's actually kind of fun) but also, over expository, with way to much repetitive dialogue. Also, even allowing for the time, he writes women abominably. The female characters, even the warrior Sif, are, babbling, timorous ninnies, entirely defined by their relationship to the hero
All that aside, these are still great comics, filled with exactly the kind of imagination and excitement that made Marvel comics into the pop cultural force it is today. Jack Kirby's staggering talent is firing on all cylinders, and even with some mediocre inking, this represents some of his best mid-sixties output. Juvenile and naïve as these stories can be, Jack Kirby makes them essential reading for anyone interested in the history of comics and sequential art.

[Remxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 10 issues are formulaic and dull, and Colletta’s inking is sloppy. But in issue #131 Thor goes “cosmic” and Kirby’s imagination and art kick into high gear. Incredible concepts and characters are introduced (Ego, the High Evolutionary). Kirby goal seems to be to astonish you at every page turn with his compositions, layouts and designs. This is Epic on more than one level. My favorite issue and the most emo story of the bunch is when Thor takes Jane Foster to Asgard where Odin tries to make her into an immortal. The third part of the book dips again, but just a little. But the art, man the art.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

I know there are die-hard Thor fans out there, but I'm not one of them. Kirby is great as always, the stories are for the most part fun but man does Lee's dialogue schtick get tiresome for me. So while there are tons of neat ideas to be found in here, all of them will be fleshed out better when Kirby jumps to DC and does the New Gods.

That said, I still enjoyed it. What is here is goofy fun and taken in small bursts (I read this thing off and on for a year) it's not the worst comic ever created, I simply never connected with or became invested in it like I have other 60s silver age titles.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book features what could be considered the second generation of Stan and Jack's work on Thor. There are some gems here: the Hercules saga and the introduction of Ego the Living Planet are the standouts for me. Kirby's art is incredible, as always. However, the over-written silver age style and repetitive formula of punch-the-bad-guy-harder get a bit wearing. All in all, the look back into Marvel history, the light-hearted but imaginative adventures, and the nostalgia of the collection is worth the ride.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are not my favorite of the 60's comics. I liked it better when we saw more of Thor's life as Don Blake, and even though the drama with Jane was cliche I felt more invested. I don't really buy the relationship between Thor and Sif, and it feels like they were too conveniently thrown together, it's also annoying how Sif is never allowed to actually fight, despite her insistence that she is capable and her desire to protect those she loves. (Period typical sexism, but still. annoying).

[Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirby is King. It’s almost worth buying just to look at.

[Al McCarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

In one issue, inked by Bill Everett, we are teased by what could have been. The rest of the volume we are tortured by Colletta’s execrable inking.

[Kirby Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at their best! Well, maybe they're near-best. It's hard to top that Fantastic Four run of the mid- to late-60s.