Thor by Cates & Klein Omnibus

Thor (2020) (Collected Editions) #1-6

by Donny Cates, Nic Klein (illustrator)

The prince is now a king. The realms are at peace. All of Asgard lies before Thor, God of Thunder - but the skies above the Realm Eternal are never clear for long. The Black Winter is coming - and to triumph over this new threat, Thor must be transformed in a most unexpected way! But something is wrong with Mjolnir! What will it take to hold on to one of the most powerful weapons in the Multiverse? Plus: Thor revisits his old mortal persona, but he isn't ready for the terrifying Donald Blake that awaits! Odin makes a surprising return! Thor battles Marvel heavyweights Venom, the Hulk and Doctor Doom! And what secret history does Thanos have with Bor, father of Odin? Collecting THOR (2020) #1-35, HULK VS. THOR: BANNER OF WAR ALPHA, HULK (2021) #7-8, THANOS: DEATH NOTES, and material from THOR ANNUAL (2021) #1 and THOR ANNUAL (2023) #1.

Genres: Comics, Marvel

1048 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[DayDay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s get the elephant in the room out the way first: so this is Donny Cates run on Thor but the last few issues end with Torrun Gronnbeck writing the character. While her story felt a lil bit convoluted & all over the place at times, I did like her take on the character and history with the family. But I feel like she should’ve had her own long run on Thor to flesh it out better cause she was a cover up for Donny cause he left the book cause his life started life-ing. That took a star away for my rating because Torrun’s writing conflicted with Donny’s. But I still liked her take, and would love to see her do a full run.

Now as far as it getting a 4/5 rating from me, Donny in my opinion was cooking on Thor. So many big ideas, while adding that emotion behind the family issues is amazing. Thor is king but not really enjoying it. Donny’s writing always felt exciting to me and these stories were no different. Even making Thor this big cosmic character or as I call it “Dragon Ball Z Thor” was amazing to see. The writing felt like a lil kid grabbed some toys and created these type of stories in his head. The threats in this book was exciting from The Black Winter, to Donald Blake was crazyyyyy. And I also loved that Donny kept emphasizing that Gaea is Thor’s mother, cause that’s something I didn’t agree with from the Phoenix in Aaron’s run.

Nic Klein’s artwork matched the epic atmosphere of this run sooooooo well cause it is a dark story. There were alot of references to past Thor runs too. And the Banner of War storyline ? Aka THOR VS HULK ?!?! Was soooo fun. If you enjoy anime, you’ll love it. So powerful, fun and ridiculous. I didn’t get my full closure with Donny cates Thor, I really enjoyed it.

[Kyle Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth it alone for the first storyline. That being an epic fight with Galactus and the Black Winter; Thor gaining the power cosmic, first as Galactus' herald, but secondly from killing Galactus and absorbing the power in retribution for Galactus' atrocities but also to defeat the Black Winter; all culminating in the awesome splash page of Thor's vision for the future with Thanos wielding an all new infinity stone as well as a zombie army. And that's just the first 5-6 issues.
This leads to the Donald Blake story line, which again, is intense and awesome; Blake's realization of what he is and what he does to the fairytale world he was living in is very dark, as he tears his way through Asgard and Earth.
After his defeat, we find out Mjolnir has disappeared, and the God of Hammers storyline continues. Learning that Mjolnir has essentially infused with the spirit of the Mangog, it has torn it's way through the realms and Thor must stop it and it only comes to down to Odin sacrificing himself, imbuing Thor with the Odin force completely. After Mjolnir is defeated in an epic shot of Thor smashing the hammer, we actually see that Odin's spirit has taken up residence in the hammer after Thor's sister Angela made him a new one.
And after all the heavy hearted fantasy slaughter and drama, we get the Banner of War storyline, which is just a big popcorn beat em up event featuring Hulk and Thor and a bunch of world breaking fun and insanity.
Frankly, the conclusion of the book was slightly lackluster to me, especially compared to how much fun the first 3/4 is. However, there are a bunch of cool moments with Dr. Doom, Thanos, and this mystery new black infinity stone. All in all, a definite must read, and a definite will read again!

[Jared Vanderkolk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a Thor comic that I didn't like.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really thought the beginning of this was great and it looked like it was setting up an epic story. Unfortunately it kind of fizzles out shortly after the first arc. The art, however, is stunning all the way through.

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was both a thrilling ride and a major letdown. Donny Cates is an outstanding writer, and for the majority of his run, he delivered issue after issue that raised the stakes and built toward what should have been an epic, climactic finale. From the Galactus storyline to the Mjolnir arc, each chapter layered onto the last, creating a mythic saga worthy of the God of Thunder. Nic Klein’s artwork elevated the storytelling further, bringing Cates’ vision to life with stunning visuals. I tore through those issues with genuine excitement.
Unfortunately, the final stretch unraveled everything. Cates wasn’t involved in the last five issues, and the shift in quality is immediately noticeable. While this isn’t meant to disparage the fill-in writer—who may excel elsewhere—this conclusion was a massive misstep. What should have been the explosive payoff to Thor’s 30-issue journey, especially the confrontation with the Thanos from his visions, was brushed aside for an underwhelming and disconnected arc involving Hela. The characters felt off, the dialogue rang hollow, and crucial plot points were either ignored or rushed through off-panel. The artwork also took a noticeable dive, lacking the depth and energy Klein consistently delivered.
What’s most disappointing is that the decline in quality overshadows the brilliance of the earlier arcs. It’s a disservice not only to the story Cates carefully constructed but also to readers who invested in this journey. The annual stories that wrap up the volume are decent and offer a mild palate cleanser, but they’re not enough to redeem the mishandled finale.
I still wholeheartedly recommend the first four arcs—they're bold, exciting, and well-crafted. Just be warned: the ending doesn’t stick the landing.
Grade: B-

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

it started so strong with the first arc. so much fun.

the Blake arc was a good idea, just dont think about it.

I love coccolo's art in banner of war, fhe story wasn't great.

every arc was diminishing returns.

the Hela/black gem reveal was cool. once Laussa was introduced the time discrepancy wasnt really clear where abd when everyone was.

thanos in the past is a good continuation of cates' guardians.

[Jirka Navrátil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thor jak má být. Hvězda dolů za tu hovnařinu s Hulkem.

[Ian Plute · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5