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Thor by Walter Simonson
The Mighty Thor by Walter Simonson, Vol. 4
Few people have ever left their mark on one character quite the way Walter Simonson has. His work on the Mighty Thor swept the Norse God of Thunder to heights never before seen and rarely achieved in his wake. Spanning epic tales of heroism and treachery, love and war, Simonson's work is often considered the definitive Thor. From the majesty and mystery of fabled Asgard to the gritt y streets of New York City, Thor was never the same. That is the mark of a true visionary. This fourth volume continues the collecti on of Simonson's epic run, including the unforgettable Frog Thor storyline!
COLLECTING: Thor 364-369, 371-374
COLLECTING: Thor 364-369, 371-374
237 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2014
3 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Walter Simonson
1,264 books174 followersWalt Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' Thor from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned work Star Slammers, which he inaugurated in 1972 as a Rhode Island School of Design thesis. He has also worked on other Marvel titles such as X-Factor and Fantastic Four, on DC Comics books including Detective Comics, Manhunter, Metal Men and Orion, and on licensed properties such as Star Wars, Alien, Battlestar Galactica and Robocop vs. Terminator.
He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated as penciller on X-Factor from 1988 to 1989, and with whom he made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Thor feature film.
He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated as penciller on X-Factor from 1988 to 1989, and with whom he made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Thor feature film.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 2, 2019
Thor by Walter Simonson, Volume 4 contains issues 364-369 and 371-374 of Simonson's mighty run on Thor.
In this volume, Thor gets turned into a frog, battles trolls, hags, Kurse, Loki, Hela, Justice Peace, Zaniac, and the Marauders, and grows a beard. He also gets afflicted with a curse that gives him brittle bones but that won't really come into play until volume 5.
I'm conflicted on this collection. On one hand, Simonson continues to infuse Thor with the Norse myths of his youth. On the other hand, he only drew six issues of this volume. Also, instead of being sprawling epics like the previous three volumes, this one is mostly one or two issue storylines. I like Balder on the throne of Asgard as much as the next guy but there was a lack of Thor in too much of the book.
Sal Buscema's art is good but I was hoping for Simonson art throughout. Simonson doesn't phone it in on the writing, though. Even though the storylines aren't spectacular, he still knows how to put the words in the right order. Frog Thor is one of my favorite comic storylines ever and I also quite liked Thor mingling with his co-worker's vast brood of kids.
While this has been my least favorite volume of Thor by Walter Simonson so far, it's still good Thor. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
In this volume, Thor gets turned into a frog, battles trolls, hags, Kurse, Loki, Hela, Justice Peace, Zaniac, and the Marauders, and grows a beard. He also gets afflicted with a curse that gives him brittle bones but that won't really come into play until volume 5.
I'm conflicted on this collection. On one hand, Simonson continues to infuse Thor with the Norse myths of his youth. On the other hand, he only drew six issues of this volume. Also, instead of being sprawling epics like the previous three volumes, this one is mostly one or two issue storylines. I like Balder on the throne of Asgard as much as the next guy but there was a lack of Thor in too much of the book.
Sal Buscema's art is good but I was hoping for Simonson art throughout. Simonson doesn't phone it in on the writing, though. Even though the storylines aren't spectacular, he still knows how to put the words in the right order. Frog Thor is one of my favorite comic storylines ever and I also quite liked Thor mingling with his co-worker's vast brood of kids.
While this has been my least favorite volume of Thor by Walter Simonson so far, it's still good Thor. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
August 29, 2022
On this one, we gt the infamous arc of the Frog Thor, Asgard has a new king and we have the ending of this collection of Walter Simonson's run with the God of Thunder.
It's a good book. The arc of the Frog Thor, even with the sillyness of how he was transformed, it's a really nice story, with the war between the frogs and the rats. Then, we have some subplots that didn't follow the quality of the other books.
But, on general, it was a really good run, with it all the importance that it had back then. The Surtur war on The Mighty Thor by Walter Simonson, Vol. 2 was really a masterpiece, but the rest of the run was just a nice fantasy/super hero run. Although for me it was really hard to follow this book, not having english as my native tongue. With the shakesperian ton used for the gods, for me, it was exausting to read, with all the "hath" and the "thee". For exemple, the arc of Thug Tatcher was way easier for me to follow. But, again, it's a good run with an amazing importance for the industry.
It's a good book. The arc of the Frog Thor, even with the sillyness of how he was transformed, it's a really nice story, with the war between the frogs and the rats. Then, we have some subplots that didn't follow the quality of the other books.
But, on general, it was a really good run, with it all the importance that it had back then. The Surtur war on The Mighty Thor by Walter Simonson, Vol. 2 was really a masterpiece, but the rest of the run was just a nice fantasy/super hero run. Although for me it was really hard to follow this book, not having english as my native tongue. With the shakesperian ton used for the gods, for me, it was exausting to read, with all the "hath" and the "thee". For exemple, the arc of Thug Tatcher was way easier for me to follow. But, again, it's a good run with an amazing importance for the industry.
February 3, 2017
Warning: the two editions in GR contain completely different issues, my review is about the one without Balder: the Brave miniseries in it.
Ο Simonson συνεχίζει το έπος του Thor με το... αριστερό, καθώς ξεκινάει με το Thor... βάτραχο, σε μία μάχη μεταξύ βατράχων και ποντικιών - δηλαδή πιστός στις κλασικές αναφορές που μας έχει συνηθίσει. Μετά, λίγο ίντριγκα στην Asgard, λίγο μία απομίμηση του δικαστή Ντρεντ με τον οποίο ο ήρωας καταλήγει να συνεργάζεται, λίγο μία συμμετοχή στο crossover event ""Mutant Massacre" μας δίνουν άλλον έναν τόμο εξαιρετικής ποιότητας που δε δείχνει στιγμή τα χρονάκια του.
Ο Simonson συνεχίζει το έπος του Thor με το... αριστερό, καθώς ξεκινάει με το Thor... βάτραχο, σε μία μάχη μεταξύ βατράχων και ποντικιών - δηλαδή πιστός στις κλασικές αναφορές που μας έχει συνηθίσει. Μετά, λίγο ίντριγκα στην Asgard, λίγο μία απομίμηση του δικαστή Ντρεντ με τον οποίο ο ήρωας καταλήγει να συνεργάζεται, λίγο μία συμμετοχή στο crossover event ""Mutant Massacre" μας δίνουν άλλον έναν τόμο εξαιρετικής ποιότητας που δε δείχνει στιγμή τα χρονάκια του.
June 23, 2023
Have to admit, I didn't enjoy this collection anywhere near as much as the previous ones. Feels like Simonson's tank was running dry.
First, we're treated to only a few issues of Simonson's art, then it switches over to the competent, but nowhere near as wondrous art of Sal Buscema (also known as "the artist that can get it drawn in time if the book's running late" artist). He does all right, but every panel screams "what would Walt have drawn?"
And the storylines? They're uncharacteristically dull. Simonson needs sprawling epics. As soon as he centres on the mundane villain of the week stuff, it becomes weak stuff. Thug. Justice Peace. Zaniac. Frog Thor. All rather anticlimactic after the wonders of the first three volumes.
In fact, if I had to choose my favourite storyline here, it'd likely be Simonson's reinvention of Volstagg from fat, cowardly eating and drinking machine to caring father with hidden depths of love and empathy that Simonson has carefully built over multiple storylines.
To be honest, with fare like this, I'm kind of glad there's only one more set to go.
First, we're treated to only a few issues of Simonson's art, then it switches over to the competent, but nowhere near as wondrous art of Sal Buscema (also known as "the artist that can get it drawn in time if the book's running late" artist). He does all right, but every panel screams "what would Walt have drawn?"
And the storylines? They're uncharacteristically dull. Simonson needs sprawling epics. As soon as he centres on the mundane villain of the week stuff, it becomes weak stuff. Thug. Justice Peace. Zaniac. Frog Thor. All rather anticlimactic after the wonders of the first three volumes.
In fact, if I had to choose my favourite storyline here, it'd likely be Simonson's reinvention of Volstagg from fat, cowardly eating and drinking machine to caring father with hidden depths of love and empathy that Simonson has carefully built over multiple storylines.
To be honest, with fare like this, I'm kind of glad there's only one more set to go.
March 11, 2022
Another great volume of Simonson’s run. I love the art style and his writing is wonderfully paced with a contagious passion for Norse mythology.
The issues here ranged from epic (rescue maidens/witches in diguise), to silly (Frog Thor?), to surprisingly dark (a mother’s death makes orphans). None of them felt incredibly essential, especially compared to the first two volumes, but I still had fun and I look forward to the last volume whenever I can get my hands on it.
The issues here ranged from epic (rescue maidens/witches in diguise), to silly (Frog Thor?), to surprisingly dark (a mother’s death makes orphans). None of them felt incredibly essential, especially compared to the first two volumes, but I still had fun and I look forward to the last volume whenever I can get my hands on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2019
A good collection
April 30, 2020
Awesome artwork and a great story.
June 26, 2020
A mixed bag. Frog Thor is brilliant, Justice Peace (a Judge Dredd satire) isn't.
Other highlights are some really nice family scenes, the Loki shenanigans and Thor's friendship with Balder.
3.5
Other highlights are some really nice family scenes, the Loki shenanigans and Thor's friendship with Balder.
3.5
August 21, 2025
Another solid entry in Simonson's run. It may not have the same impact as the earlier volumes, but there's still some fun and charming adventures.
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September 18, 2019Volume four is a bit more scattershot than the previous three. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as much of what’s here is fun, compelling, and/or interesting. But jumping from one quick storyline to the next means these issues don’t have time to reach the epic heights that I love Simonson’s run for (I.e. Surtur, Hel). One thing I can say is that Simonson always keeps the focus on Thor, who goes through several physical and emotional changes here. He’s turned into a frog (!), gets a beard, has an identity crisis, time travels, sees Jane Foster again, and is physically altered by Hela. Some parts are better than others. Still, I can see how each has its place in the larger narrative, or at least how it’s possible to do many different things with Thor.
October 27, 2014
Walter Simonson knows how to handle these characters. And the run gets stronger as it goes. This fourth volume, for all that it doesn't have a massive overarcing story like the Surtur Saga from the earlier Simonson volumes, (and even though it has the potentially super-campy Thor as the bullfrog of thunder story) is fantastic. It is at least as good as the earlier volumes and in some ways even better. Thor himself is a deeper character as are the other Asgardians that Simonson so obviously loves.
This is the first era of Thor I was cognizant of as a child. I didn't, unfortunately, pick up the book at the time, other than a single issue, #376, a Crusher Creel story that is finally collected in the fifth volume of this collected series, one that I am ready to start now. I remember I loved that book, and I'm pretty sure it hasn't survived years, as it pre-dates my collector's protective care by some years. But it's the look of Thor that I most identify with. Not my favorite anymore, though I love it, but my absolute norm, the standard against which all other Thor art work has always been rated to determine whether or not a given penciler was good enough. What I didn't realize because i didn't read enough (or well enough) at the time is that this is also a story high point, and, if not my absolute norm in the way that the art work is--I'm encountering the run only now at 36 about twenty-years after that norm has been set--it is also deserving of being a measuring stick of serial storytelling quality not just for Thor, but for comics in general.
This is the first era of Thor I was cognizant of as a child. I didn't, unfortunately, pick up the book at the time, other than a single issue, #376, a Crusher Creel story that is finally collected in the fifth volume of this collected series, one that I am ready to start now. I remember I loved that book, and I'm pretty sure it hasn't survived years, as it pre-dates my collector's protective care by some years. But it's the look of Thor that I most identify with. Not my favorite anymore, though I love it, but my absolute norm, the standard against which all other Thor art work has always been rated to determine whether or not a given penciler was good enough. What I didn't realize because i didn't read enough (or well enough) at the time is that this is also a story high point, and, if not my absolute norm in the way that the art work is--I'm encountering the run only now at 36 about twenty-years after that norm has been set--it is also deserving of being a measuring stick of serial storytelling quality not just for Thor, but for comics in general.
November 7, 2014
Boring. It is kind of everything I dislike about Thor. Sure the writing isn't half bad and the art is fine enough. But I just don't care. Not about Thor. Not about Loki. Not about Asgard. Thor the Frog? Ho hum. Though when Thor came back to New York and took the kids to the zoo and then talked to his friends the frogs, that was kind of okay. Definitely not my kind of thing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews