Thor: Spiral

Thor (1998) (Single Issues) #60-67

by Dan Jurgens

Thor is now the Lord of Asgard, and he has moved his realm to the skies above Manhattan, the better to guide and protect the whole of humanity! But if you're a devout follower of a different faith, or a believer in self-determination, Thor's increased presence on Earth may not be welcome. See how the lives of people both ordinary and extraordinary are affected by the Thunder God's presence on Earth - and not for the better!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. Jurgens had a lengthy run on the Superman comic books including The Adventures of Superman, Superman vol. 2 and Action Comics. At Marvel, Jurgens worked on series such as Captain America, The Sensational Spider-Man and was the writer on Thor for six years. He also had a brief run as writer and artist on Solar for Valiant Comics in 1995.

Reviews

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dumb earth making problems for themselves.

[Arnoldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredible look at arrogance and the abandonment of one's humanity over hubris.

[Joshua Bertram · Rating 4 out of 5]

This segment of the Dan Jurgens Thor run explores the notion of what it might mean if a real god were to intervene publicly with humanity. Spiral follows the previous book, which was also very good, in which Thor squared off with Captain America and Iron Man in what came close to World War III. This story is more self-contained; Asgard remains in the skies above New York, but there are no guest appearances. Instead, the book focuses on how humanity reacts to Thor's presence, especially the notion of what becomes of religious faith in the presence of a deity that contradicts it. Thor's self-imposed benevolent dictatorship comes as a godsend to some, enlisting him a crop of followers he does not want, and turns others against him. It is interesting to see the complex ways Jurgens has different characters react to Thor, and the way he responds. The hero does not come off entirely sympathetic through this one. The pace is excellent, as Jurgens puts the conflicts in a pressure cooker and lets them blow up in a pretty epic climax. It does end on a cliffhanger -- and a bit of a confusing one at that --, but the title of the next trade in the series, The Reigning, hints at more good stuff to come. This arc, without a true villain but with plenty of internal and philosophical conflict, seems like it would make an excellent Thor movie, one that is set on Earth but without the exiled youth angle that the first Thor film (and the older comics) followed.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This explores the impact of Thor's rule on normal people. When someone claims to be a god, religious intolerance isn't far behind. Thor can only go so far to stay in power over the Earth. A clever story that questions what is the true nature of a god. I particularly liked the way it affected normal peoples lives. A good read.