Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson, Vol. 5

Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson #5

by Walter Simonson, Sal Buscema

Whom the gods would destroy they first work over pretty darn well, and deadly blows fall like rain as the thunder god runs a gauntlet set by Loki and Hela With the Absorbing Man, the gruesome Grendell, and the Midgard Serpent in his path, Thor's survival may force him to become one of his own worst enemies - namely, the Destroyer Featuring the Avengers, the Warriors Three, and X-Factor Collects Thor #375-382

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

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2008

About the author

Walt 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.

Reviews

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great end to a great run. I've loved Simonson's take on Thor for its mythical sense, and this volume is no exception. Much of the story feels like it would fit in nicely next to established mythology, particularly Thor taking on the Midgard serpent. By the end of the double-sized, 300th anniversary issue that closes the collection, Simonson has settled his ongoing storylines in a way that's satisfying and leaves room for the next writer to do good work. An enjoyable read, through all five volumes.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, so this marks the end of Walt Simonson's EPIC Thor run.
This is probably a 4-star collection on it's own, but alongside the other 4 volumes, and when you look at what Thor was when we started it...5-Stars hardly seems good enough.

Thor here is broken, exposed, vulnerable, and not going to be saved by mighty Daddy (Odin). Loki is at his manipulating best, and even Hel is against Thor.

Loki's plan is actually decent, and Thor's response to keep himself alive is actually smart...

Thor's new Armour is badass. Also, bearded Thor seems to have the brains of Odin as well as the brawn.

The supporting players get to be involved (Heimdall, Enchantress, Executioner, Sif, Hogun, Fandrall, etc.).

The interaction between Thor and Jormungandr (Midgard Serpent, who posed as Fin Fang Foom) is tremendous, both in hilarious wordplay (yes, Thor and wordplay...!) and the respect and jokes between 2 foes fated to destroy each other...When the actual throwdown takes place, Simonson is wise enough to devote a page to what some artists would try to contain in a panel. This helps expand the scope of the battle to an epic grandeur.

The final showdown does not disappoint, and fate cannot be avoided...

But Thor being a God, and this being the comic universe, death is not everlasting...but I sure would have been convinced of it were I reading it at the time.

Poor Loki...



This is a great conclusion to the Epic run, and I like where Simonson leaves Thor. He's grown as a character, and when a writer can expand a character and make it seem natural and not forced, they've done a great job. I would suggest taking the time to read the whole 5 volumes, but if not, just try one. Mighty Thor indeed.

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[Alex Sarll]

Walt Simonson's Thor run is undoubtedly the definitive take on the character but as with so many long runs, the conclusion feels like it could have come sooner. Compared to the epic sweep of what came before, the fluency with which elements of the plot were interwoven, a lot of this feels jerky, confused, like a desperate attempt to kill time (or else muddled by editorial interference). Simulacra of old enemies are produced to make Thor run a gauntlet, except one of them is for real after all. Thor, cursed with brittle bones by Hela, takes refuge in an armoured exoskeleton, which makes sense - but then runs through three different ones from different sources, which just feels repetitive. Most baffling of all, frost giants go fishing for the Midgard Serpent, except they catch Fin Fang Foom instead, except actually it turns out it was the Midgard Serpent after all, disguised in a Fin Fang Foom suit for reasons which are never made clear. True, this does at least lead in to the best issue here, the only one where Simonson provides art beyond the cover - and even if it is just layouts, the ensuing fight has a scale and excitement which the issues of pure Buscema visuals can never match. It also helps that here the slight hokeyness of the writing, which I'm sure was never so pronounced in earlier volumes, works: it feels like Norse saga when elsewhere it sometimes skews a little close to Stan Lee, or worse, Jack Kirby (weaselly journalist Chuck Cherkle of Eyewitness News has a definite Glorious Godfrey vibe). There's also the problem that the old-fashioned portrayal of a flatly villainous Loki can't help feeling thin read after Hiddleston and Gillen - although the Enchantress attains a complexity and sympathy here which I've not seen elsewhere. As for the way that outfit on the cover looks like it has really disproportionate nipple piercings, well. Despite all of which, even Simonson Thor running on fumes is still Simonson Thor, and frankly as someone who continues existing in the lingering straw death that is the 2020s, I can hardly cast the first stone when it comes to pale imitations of former glories.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much improved over the previous volume, because, I think, Simonson had an end goal here. He knew he was telling one last story, and knew where he was ending it.

The thing I enjoy about Simonson's writing, when he's on, is that he's happy to subvert your expectations. I can think of no greater example of this than the pages of dialogue between Thor and Fin Fang Foom. They are simply delightful, and crackle with fun and mischief.

Sal Buscema's art is, as always, adequate. Sal was never going to be a Great Marvel Artist. He's the Marvel artist equivalent of a meal at McDonald's: quick, gets the job done, and completely unremarkable and unmemorable.

Still, finally Simonson and Buscema left behind Midgard in this volume, and moved back to the epic storytelling that Simonson excels at. A fitting end to a mostly fantastic run.

[Μιχάλης · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last part of an epic run by Walter Simonson.

Wraps up all loose ends from the previous 4 volumes. The writing is still epic, but the (somewhat uninspired) leayout from Sal Buscema detract from the grandeur of the previous volumes.

It is an epic story though and a worthy ending to the saga.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Golden age of Thor comics. Some pivotal battles and some good schemes by Loki.

[David Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

And so concludes Walter Simonson's run as writer and oftentimes-artist. It was a great haul for Walt, beginning with the hard-to-beat saga of Beta Ray Bill waaay back in #337 and constantly upping the ante with each consecutive storyline. This collection includes issues 375-382, in which the curse of Hela, placed upon Thor in the previous volume, is felt in full: his bones are brittle, he cannot heal, and he cannot die! Thor seeks out Hela, hoping to force her to remove the curse, but when he is beset on all sides by the Wrecker, the Absorbing Man, dark elves, Grendell, an army of frost giants, Fin Fang Foom, the Midgard serpent, and his deceitful step-brother Loki, how can he hope to succeed? Well, Thor proves to be trickier than you'd think, and the final ace up his sleeve is a doozy!

Obviously, there's a lot going on in this volume, and it seems at times that Simonson can't keep up with it all. The writing isn't quite as strong as in previous volumes; in fact, at times it seems erratic. Still, as he was also illustrating X-Factor at the time, I guess I can cut him some slack. Sal Buscema's art is, as always, adequate. Sal was never going to be a Great Marvel Artist. He's the Marvel artist equivalent of a meal at McDonald's: quick, gets the job done, and completely unremarkable and unmemorable. Despite that, this is an excellent conclusion to a highly-praised run.

[Gloria Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read/Skimmed all of these volumes but this was the only one I read all the way through. Simonson has some issues with having too many plots and subplots going on at once in a way that feels like padding, especially with such dense page layouts, but when it's good, it's really good. Like, the fight against the world serpent is truly epic and I love how different it feels in just how it's composed.
NOTE! I read this Visionaries version, which is not as common as other collections of Simonson's run on Thor, because the more common printing nowadays is the recolored version which I think looks awful (as most modern recolorings of older comics do) so if you want to read even some of Simonson's Thor, do it how it was meant to be seen, with this really bold pallete

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

So ends Simonson's run on Thor. One of these days, I'm going to have to take out all five of these books and read them straight through.

Simonson does a great job building the odds against Thor - Hela curses him with brittle and unhealing bones, yet denies him the gift of death, so Thor is gradually broken down yet still left standing to take more punishment. Simonson throws some great twists into the narrative, such as Thor's final battle against the Midgard serpent and his confrontation with the Destroyer, and the plan Thor hatches to lift Hela's curse is pretty ingenius.

Great stories, terrific, explosive art from Buscema. A great conclusion to an excellent run.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the other volumes, the book suffers when Sal Buscema takes over art duties while Simonson just writes. Unfortunately, this entire volume has Buscema instead of Simonson on art, with one exception. Fortunately, that one exception is one of the most epic issues of all time. Simonson draws the hell out of Thor's fight with the Midgard Serpent. He makes the splash page after splash page battle well worth the wait. If you are not invested in the overall story arc, just skip to this issue. Overall, Buscema=two stars, Simonson=four stars, so the volume as a whole evens out to three stars.

[JediKnight26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thor by Walter Simonson, Vol 5 is an excellent collections of stories and art. I loved the story of Hela placing a curse on Thor, and of course, Loki's involement makes it interesting. The gallery of villains was amazing, the Absorbing Man being a favorite. In this collection, there are aspects of the stories which appear in the Thor movies, such as Hela, Loki, Skurge, the frost giants. It a good place to start, if you've not read many of the comics.

[Lavell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artwork: Average. Story: Excellent. The main storyline is how Thor would get his humanity back and it took a lot of power to do so. Thor stripped of healing and the breakage of many bones was a small price to pay when dealing with the mistress of Hell itself. The artwork was a little suspect but it was okay.

[ISMOTU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simonson ends his run on "The Mighty Thor" with the same grandiose majesty he brought at the beginning. Sal Buscema takes on the majority of the art duties in this volume and manages to keep the momentum going. An epic end to an epic tale.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy to say this run ended on a very high note for me. 380 in particular just left me stunned with the full pages, and then somehow the epicness sustained through to the the end of the book. Fantastic art and just perfect writing and pacing. I think this is the only Thor run I’ll ever need!

[Adam Bolner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 5 volume collection is nothing short of spectacular. The art is nostalgic and beautiful. The storylines are captivating. If you’re interested in getting into comics I cannot recommend this series highly enough!

[Tim Omstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome artwork and a great storyline. Walt Simonson did an awesome job on Thor.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is excellent. I'm sad that this is my last volume of classic Simonson Thor.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gems include “This Hallowed Armor!”, “There Were Giants!, “Mjolnir's Song!”, & “Journey into Mystery!”

[dude · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nate]

Simonson closes out his run in excellent fashion. Throughout his run, but especially In the last two volumes, he puts Thor through a lot of changes. I feel like he really gives Thor a complete, tangible arc, something that can’t be said about most superhero runs. And the great thing about it? You can easily pick this up as your first Thor comic. This was so clearly a dream project for Simonson. I’m actually impressed with how much he pulls from mythology, to the point where I question where other writers can even go with Thor. I mean, the Surtur arc alone is ridiculous. How can you top that?

This volume has a lot of memorable moments. I got chills when Thor gives his speech to the world serpent before they fight. And that fight is pretty awesome; after stepping away from pencil duties several issues prior, Simonson returns for this one and draws all splash pages, resulting in pure epicness. Now I know where Dan Jurgens took inspiration for The Death of Superman (hint: Simonson did it better). I also enjoyed the scenes with the Warriors Three and the two Earth kids, as well as the bit with Thor and Loki at the end.

Yeah, the long-winded Asgardian dialogue can be tedious to read. And exposition sometimes clogs up otherwise epic moments. But the storytelling, characterization, and full-throated embrace of mythology make for a great read. This is the first major Thor run I’ve read, and I don’t expect many others to match it.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walt Simonson's "Thor" run ends successfully, although I found myself enjoying best the pacing and energy in the early issues of his series. Still, this arc sees a lot of long-running plot threads tied together successfully, and it's a nice victory lap for one of Marvel's best offerings of the 1980s.

These issues find Thor in a bit of a pickle; thanks to a curse from Hela, he's doomed to have his bones made brittle and easily broken but never to find the release of death. Obviously, this is a problem for a character whose main pastime is hitting others with a hammer. As Thor struggles to free himself from Hela's curse, he's also dealing with a frost giant invasion, Loki's scheming to take over the throne of Asgard and, oh yeah, a showdown with the rainbow serpent that may bring about Ragnarok.

Thor takes it all in stride, though, and Simonson does a great job managing our hero's voice. Thor inhabits a different space than his peers in the Marvel Universe--he's a god, and Simonson does a good job of coming at him from an elevated perspective, capturing a hero who's been alive for thousands of years and has a warrior's ethos to boot.

He also has plenty of fun giving Thor some great lines, whether he's scorning the public who turned on him as a coward for beating an expeditious retreat ("And though the jackals cheer the winner as they have ever done since time immemorial, Thor alone knows the true meaning of this hollow victory.") and serving as his own hype man in a series of showdowns ("My father called me son. My mother called me darling. And beneath the vaults of heaven, I am Thor Odinson, the thunderer, Jormungand's fear!")

If that prose is too much, this series probably isn't for you, although Simonson does nice work making that tone seem natural and not ridiculous. There are a few shortcomings here; I thought the frost giant invasion of Asgard was played too much for laughs, and the public seemed pretty quick to turn on the Thunder God. But any series that ends with its hero trashing Hell and Loki in turn deserves its rightful acclaim.

Read digital issues.

[Paul-Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simonson's Thor is often held up as being a fantastic comics epic, and it is certainly a nice bit of forgettable fun. This volume, mostly competently drawn in the old Marvel 'house style' by Sal Buscema, is energetic and has enough small signifiers of 'progression' to make it feel like things are happening (costume changes etc), as well as some (intentionally?) amusing cod-Shakespearian dialogue about 'fabled Pittsburgh' and the like, but it's just a bit dull.

The idea of Thor being given brittle bones and immortality is sadly not take to the logical conclusion of his further adventures involving him being a skinbag of bonedust flobbing through eternity wanting to die, but I suppose that was never going to happen, no matter how many times the baddies threaten to crush his skeleton to powder. Oh, the illusion of change!

I'm sure, at the time, this was a rip-roaring piece of pumping revolutionary comics magic, but the frequently redundant dialogue and general 'old comics' feeling is just not my 'bag' these days.

Probably would have lapped it up as a kid, though. I suppose that's the intended audience of comics from this era, anyway, not sadsack 30-somethings like me.

I sort of feel this Simonson stuff should be in a 500 page black-and-white 'Essential' volume, instead, 'cos I bet it'd look a lot nicer than the modern recolouring it's had, and it'd also better reflect the disposable, pulpy nature of the stories.

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fifth and final volume of Walter Simonson's legendary run on The Mighty Thor collects issues # 375-382. It once more puts the focus on the mythic elements of Thor in the front and centre. The whole volume has the story of Hela's curse on Thor (and Loki's attempts to use it to his own advantage) as an on-going plot, while simultaneously offering us readers stories involving the Man-Beast, Wrecker, the Absorbing Man, Grendel, Iceman, frost giants, Fin Fang Foom, Jormungand the World Serpent and the Destroyer. The volume and Simonson's run ends with the giant-sized 300th anniversary issue (# 382), which ties most of Simonson's storylines together properly (the only major thing left by Simonson for others to handle being the fate of Odin – something I certainly wouldn't have minded seeing how he would have handled).

All in all, a very strong finale to a marvelous run!

[Scott Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought some of the earlier volumes in this Simonson series some of the best Thor I've read, and this is still very, good, but I can't help feeling the last volume should be climactic, and as a climax, the last story fizzled a bit. It would have worked had it resolved the Thor vs. Hela plotline and ended there, I think it was mixing in the additional relatively minor goings on in Asgard and allowing them to outlast the Thor v. Hela plotline that did it for me. Although the closing moment with Loki was very nice.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simonson's final volume. It doesn't quite go out with a bang, but it is a fun read all the same. The highlight of this volume is Thor's battle with the Midgard serpent, which was pencilled by Simonson. The Destroyer also has a great appearance. The book is well worth reading, and if you have read through volume 4, how can you not read the conclusion?

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thor has brittle bones and can't die. This can cause problems when he's fighting villains. There's some decent character moments, and great guest stars. I loved the Fing Fang Foom storyline. And the book finishes with all questions answered and does feel like a proper ending. A good read.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume closes out Simonson's run on Thor and includes the epic battle with the Midgard Serpent. While Simonson's art is sorely missed, the stories hold up well with Sal Buscema's contributions.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Walt captures the grandness and epic that is norse mythology and makes it his own. Brilliant

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

#377-379
I only read the Iceman parts.

[Johann_tor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hair-raising heroics of the glorious #380 are worth the overall rather muddled denoument of the rightly revered epic Simonson run. The new colouring really worked for me in this edition, I recommend it.