Thor: Season One

Marvel Season One

by Matthew Sturges, Pepe Larraz (Illustrator), Lilah Sturges

Among the lofty spires of Asgard, Young Thor is the strongest, brashest and most arrogant god of all. But his giant-slashing, troll-smashing days come to an abrupt end when he's tricked by his jealous brother Loki into a foolish attack. Cast down to Earth into the crippled mortal form of Dr. Donald Blake, follow the Thunder God's journey of self-discovery and a mortal man's awakening to the power within. Revisit the fantastical origin of the Son of Odin in this new graphic novel, which thrusts the tale of Thor into the modern age with thunderous results! In this epic saga of towering frost giants, belching maidens and massive battles, one hero must decide which identity is truly his - before both of the worlds he loves are destroyed!

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

178 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2013

Reviews

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way back in days of yore when I still rode a dinosaur to school I got into superheroes mainly due to these three-packs of Marvel comic books they sold at our local grocery store. (Three comics for ninety-nine cents!) Since I could only get one of these packs per trip I had to choose carefully, but the catch was that you only knew the two comics facing out on either side of the package with one sandwiched in between that you couldn’t see. It was always a supreme disappointment to me when I’d open a pack and find an issue of The Mighty Thor in the middle.

So obviously I’ve never been the biggest Thor fan which is why I’m kind of surprised that I liked this the most out of the Season One comics so far. (Granted, this is only the fourth one I’ve read.) It does a nice job of blending some of the classic Thor origins with some of the stuff from the movies. I’d forgotten the whole thing about Thor once having a secret identity/dual personality as Dr. Donald Blake back in the day so that was kind of interesting to see again as was the modernized version of his relationship with Jane Foster.

It’s a little light on the Asgard part of things although it still has Loki being a sneaky jerk-face as usual, but overall it was fun and gave Thor a facelift without dumping the elements that would appeal to old school fans. One of my favorite parts was after Thor has become a known superhero on Earth there’s a series of panels that satirize that the kind of click-bait headlines and ads you’d see on the interwebs if there really was a god of thunder among us.

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than I expected than I expected. The writer, Matthew Sturges, merged Thor's back story from comics and the movies so that for me, it felt very familiar and very new.

Sturges kept most of Thor's backstory but added his own touches and revisions, Jane Foster is no longer Dr. Donald Blake's nurse but a partner in their clinic venture and she has a pretty strong opinion on the Blake/Thor dichotomy.

It's great that Pepe Larraz was able to do the art chores on this graphic novel. He' worked on the Thor ongoing with Matt Fraction and brought much of what Olivier Copiel redesigned regarding Asgardian visuals.

[Álvaro Velasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recuerdo leer esta misma historia cuando era chaval en los tebeos originales en blanco y negro. Esta nueva versión trata con respeto a su predecesora, a la vez que la actualiza. La parte gráfica también está muy bien.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't been the biggest fan of Marvel's quasi-cash-grab "Season One" Books. I mean I suppose it's a quick, easy way to do updated origin stories for all the new Marvel Comics fans that are appearing due to the movies, so I suppose I need to remind myself, these books aren't geared towards me. They also seem to be aimed at teens, as there's a lot of ho-hum stuff here.

The funny part is, if this is geared towards teens, then I'm not sure how many are going to get the Monty Python Dead Parrot Skit reference whilst in Norway...
I found it mildly amusing, but I got it.

Anyhow, my review, in Hulk prose:
Thor, Loki, Odin. Thor rash, headstrong, Loki trickster. Odin old.
Thor go to Earth, become puny human. Need stick to walk. Puny human fix others.
Puny human have girl human friend. Puny Human become Hammer God. Hammer God learn life lesson. Hulk no care for artwork.
Loki bad. Thor have friends. Hulk no need friends.
Thor smash. Hulk smash better.
Thor stay with puny humans. Come back God-land when want.


Pretty much. There's some good work with Don Blake, who we rarely see anymore (at least I feel like).

The best part here is the preview for Issue #1 of Jason Aaron's Thor: God of Thunder series.

unfortunately, that wasn't on the digital copy that came from the book...

Hit and miss, but lots of hitting.

I give 3 Mjolnirs.

Get this review and more at:

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a retelling of Thors origin in the modern day, and it does do that. It starts off in Asgard and shows a few adventures he had when he was younger leading up to his banishment, then it takes us into Donald Blake’s story. Eventually taking us into Thors first appearance in Journey Into Mystery 83 retelling that story of him fighting the rock giants. It shows us him making his return to Asgard and saving it during a war. The Asgard stuff is really well done and I like the art there, Larraz makes the monsters look very epic and mythical and not as fun. The earth stuff wasn’t as good though, I’ve read Thors origin and some other early Journey Into Mystery books they’re better than this not that this is bad, it just doesn’t stand out as much as those stories. There are some parts of the Don Blake Thor relationship that are strange and don’t really work as well or fit with other established Thor lore, it feels like that Sturges was setting up a run of her own, that could have dealt with this stuff. I understand that maybe as a concept Season One is meant to feel like that but it didn’t work good enough for me, not a bad retelling, but not great. Definitely a Thor origin.

[Rituraj Kashyap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another retelling of Thor's origin. The art was gorgeous in this one. I liked the way how the Fates narrated the whole story. They were really well-drawn.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok read. A retelling of Thor's origin, that felt rushed and with the dumbest reason ever for Odin to banish him, the original from the 60s was much better, and of course the Rage of Thor one was the best. Even Avengers Origins: Thor which takes from Age/Rage of Thor was solid. But this one, was mediocre at best.

[Lizz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting to see the similarities and differences to the first Thor film, though my favorite part is probably when Sif punches Loki in the face.

[Scarred Wizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book is great! Beautiful artwork by my favourite penciler Pepe Larraz! He can make any story become more interesting because of his gifted hands. I can read any story with his artwork anytime.

I always wonder how Thor could possess the mortal Donald Blake when I was reading the Thor by Michael J. Strazynski. I was confuse the whole time. Everytime Donald Blake transform into Thor, i was like "what the hell is happening here?"

And this book, with beautiful artwork, a simple and amazing story explain everything about that confusing possession of Donald Blake. I love this book! Now it all make sense. Thank you!

[Paul Eckert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was initially suspicious of a comic book called "Season One." It sounds like a branding tactic to pull in new comic book readers and excuse to retread heavily tread storylines for the sake of selling books. Well, they did succeed in one aspect - I picked up this book because I've never read any Thor, I wanted to, and the back cover summary promised a modernized retelling of Thor's origins. This is all to say that my expectations were sufficiently lowered going in.

However, I found myself enjoying the story. From what I've read, Season One more or less does justice to the original Thor origin story. The art was lively and engaging with several memorable scenes. The best part of the book was the last third, once it gets past the origin story and into timeline-leaping story about Thor and a god-killer.

It was good enough to make me want to read more of the series. It also made me want to go back and read the original Stan Lee stuff.

[Juan Guillermo Vásquez Mejía · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debe ser porque es de mis mejores personajes en cuanto a comics

[Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typically I shy away from Thor comics because I tend to be confused by them, but I actually grasped most of what was happening in this graphic novel and did enjoy reading it.

All the protagonists were easily likable and neither their seriousness nor their comicality ever felt false or forced. Multiple quotes stood out to me as having meaningful application both in the context of the comic and in our reality, and the visuals were beautiful.

Even though the events in this story may not match up perfectly with Earth-616 canon, they do give one a good understanding of Thor's world and I recommend that other people new to it should read this as well.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good parts and some questionable parts. The parts where Donald Blake is texting Jane seemed a bit forced and unnecessary.

Also, am I the only one who thinks the Fire King looks like a blazing General Grievous?

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Thor origin story that the first Thor movie should have gone off. Jane Foster is actually tolerable in the series. Natalie Portmans verison just makes you want to hang target signs on her with the words "aim here" written on them.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent book, but I felt bored reading it. The first issue of Thor: God of Thunder included at the end was more interesting than the entire origin story.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thor on the internet: I hear it is a box full of kittens I do not understand it's necessity.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the original Marvel comics, Thor was the alter ego of Dr. Donald Blake, a crippled surgeon who transformed into the Asgardian prince by tapping his cane and revealing it to be the enchanted hammer Mjolnir. In the ubiquitous MCU movies, the God Of Thunder was banished to Earth after his scheming adopted brother, Loki, made an alliance with the enemies of Asgard to claim the throne as his own. So, which Thor is the “real” one? In “Thor: Season One,” writer Matthew Sturges says both. Melding elements of both iterations, this book is the rare reboot (or remake or whatever) that honors what made previous versions great while attempting (somewhat) to forge its own way forward.

Coming off as a little bit of a “greatest hits” package, “Thor: Season One” tells the story of a brash, impulsive Thor who is betrayed by his brother and exiled to Earth, or Midgard, in Asgardian. Occupying the body of Dr. Donald Blake, who is not so much a real human as a sort of history-less shell for Thor to occupy, he is able to regain his powers, rally his fellow soldiers, and try to rescue his homeland. Jane Foster makes an appearance, as do the Warriors Three, and Frost Giants so, yeah, it’s a Thor comic. I mean, what more is there to say? It’s a well-executed book, gorgeously drawn by Pepe Larraz, but any deviations from what Thor fans have seen before is pretty minimal. That said, it’s a solid foundation and I’d love to see where Sturges and Larraz take the God Of Thunder next.

My favorite part of this comic was actually the sneak preview of “Thor: God Of Thunder, Vol. 1 - The God Butcher” included in the back of the book. From an ancient Viking empire to the distant collapse of Asgard, across the realms from Earth to far outer space, this collaboration between writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribic finds Thor trying to track down an entity that has the ability to viciously murder immortal gods. It’s a fresh, thrilling, and epic story; everything that I wish “Thor: Season One” was more of. I definitely need to find that book.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thor: Season One is one of the best introductory points for Thor. It's a retelling of his origin story, blending some of the original comics origin with each character's more recent characterization. It matches what you expect from Thor's character when you think about his MCU appearances, as well as his personality in recent comics compared to how he started out way back in the 60s.

Pepe Larraz has some great artwork here, seeing the explosive lightning blasts and hordes of fantasy villains from across Thor's mythos. When Thor finally reappears it's in a shower of lightning and in the proceeding pages you can see him reconnecting with the energy flow of the universe. It's beautiful and I love the big action scenes of the characters flying through combat.

What I love most is Lilah Sturges' handles on the character voices. They're all distinct with their own motivations, each one feeling like the best of what they could be. Odin is a caring father, though he is blind to his own wrongdoings. Sif is loving and kind, but not afraid to fight back. Loki is manipulative, but there's a lingering timidness behind his grandstanding. Jane Foster is brave, but completely out of her element. And Thor/Donald Blake? Constantly struggling with who he's supposed to be- the doctor, the prince, the hero? He keeps making mistakes, but always in attempts to be good. And by the end of the story he's going to have to choose who he fights for and what he is going to commit to- which is no easy task.

All in all it's a great origin story for Thor with a better handle on the characters than most in-continuity series. It's a great introduction to the character for people who want to like Thor but aren't sure which comic to start with.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 stars

A surprisingly subtle and compelling modern retelling of Thor's origin story. Nice, clean artwork and character design that compromises between realistic art and a more stylized "comic book" style.

SPOILERS FOLLOW!

It shows a bit more of the relationship between Thor and Loki before Thor is banished. (I wanted to cry when Thor went rushing off to Jotunheim because he thought Loki was in danger.) There's also some more interaction between Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three while Thor is gone, which made me sad. If they'd accepted Loki earlier the way they did when Thor was gone, maybe Loki wouldn't have gone down the path he had. His reasons for "going bad" remain a little contrived, but are presented in a more compelling and reasonable manner than some other versions.

We also see more of the relationship between Jane and Thor on Earth. There's more struggle between Thor and his Earth "persona" of Dr. Donald Blake, which sets them more as separate personalities or souls sharing a body and vying for control. This was an interesting take, and Blake's skills as a doctor even play a key role in the story.

Worth a read for fans of Thor and Loki and a good introduction to the characters for newcomers!

[Klinta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like Thor and obviously I shouldn't have read this book, because I disliked it a lot. The story is very similar to one of the Thor films I've seen, yet it was a lot less likeable.

The main storyline was of Thor having two personalities and living both lives trying to be a good friend to both his Asgardians and Earthens. I hated this premise it was dull, boring and seemed stretched out.

I wasn't fan of the art either and when the Norse bits were narrated the font sometimes made it hard to read for me.

So, yeah, I thought that knowing and reading about the beginnings of Thor will make me like him, but obviously no. Sad.

[Bill Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of the God of Thunder. One aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the story of Thor's alter ego, Dr. Donald Blake. If you are a fan of the recent Thor or Avengers movies, you may not realize he had an alter ego. I remember that he did when I used to read comics as a kid. So that was interesting, his internal battle over which was his 'real' persona. Also a special nod to the awesome powerful hammer Mjolnir. I never knew the hammers name until the last few years. Only the Mighty Thor is worthy to wield it. Even the incredible Hulk in the first Avengers movie couldn't lift it.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matthew Sturges retells the Thor origin story for the Marvel Season One line and its.....okay. While there are some changes to the original but its been retold so many times I think the changes have to be severe for the book to stand out. The point of these Season One books is lost on me. If its to tie into the movies, they actually are origin stories so, yeah. Sturges' Loki is fun and his full-on deviousness is on display. The Midgard scenes with Jane Foster were very hokey. A letdown for sure. The art by Larraz was very well done. Overall, decent but nothing remotely new.

[Sanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was way better than I expected and it reminded me so much of the first Thor movie. Sure, there is no Darcy, and Jane is a surgeon, but the main plot stays the same: Loki betrays Asgard in a very similar way he does in the movie, Thor is banished to Earth because of his impulsive behaviour (in his defence, he thought he was saving Loki), and in the end he leaves Asgard and returns back to Earth to be with Jane.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid introduction to the character of Thor. This may be my favorite Season One book that I've read so far. Based on what I know of early Thor, this was pretty faithful. I even liked the little nod to Stan Lee writing the dialogue like he's trying to be Shakespearean. The first issue of The God Butcher was also really interesting and made me want to continue reading. Great artwork there.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so another one down. This time it's a little better than many of the other entries.
It keeps its focus on Thor stepping into his role. Yes, it's very similar to the movie with some key differences. The dialogue is very Thor like.

There's some changes that are different from the movie. For instance, Jane is a doctor rather than a scientist. Lady Sif seems interested in Loki. You meet "Donald Blake."

The art work is good. Very clearly defined style.

[Rix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this comic in a trash pile outside someone's house and was like 'no way are you throwing away a perfectly good comic'. It starts off much the same as the first Thor film but diverts when he gets to Earth and I have no idea what actual Thor fans think of it (I have never read a Thor comic before) but I really enjoyed it. Not only that, I thought the arc teased at the end of this looked really cool......catch me reading more Thor in future I guess

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10


This is my first comic read so I don’t know how this compares! But as a big marvel fan for some time, it was a fun read

It has many parallels with the MCU origin story but still had many welcome differences, specifically regarding Thor’s time on Earth.

As it’s my first comic I can’t really add too much as I don’t know what to judge it on!

[Sleepseeker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been a Thor fan, but after reading Jason Aaron's Thor and the War of the Realms event, I wanted to read a modern Thor origin story.

I liked it. It was a quick read with a short backstory on the Thor/Don merging and the beginning of their relationship with Jane.

The art was great. Overall an enjoyable read.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been binge-reading the Season One editions in the last few weeks and 'Thor' is my favorite thus far. (Still on the list - Avengers, Iron Man, and Spider-Man.) In fact, I think the 2011 movie - which I found mediocre - should've used a screenplay based on the 'SO' version of the origin story.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

worth it for the loki shenanigans and pretty art. i liked the scenes we got of loki/w3+ sif and jotun!loki obviously. would have liked some more thor/loki of even thor/w3 + sif interactions over jane/earth stuff, seems like i'm destined to dislike every version of jane foster that exists.