The Bill August 11, 2010

Due to circumstances beyond my control, this was a very small week for me. Now worries though, I've come prepared with a review I've been meaning to write for weeks. You ready? Well so am I, let's do it!



The Best Book You're Not Reading:

Thor: The Mighty Avenger
Writer: Roger Landgridge
Artist: Chris Samnee


Right off the bat, lemme tell you that I am in no way a Thor fan. From the weird dialogue to the crazy fantasy elements, Thor has always been a hard sell for me. That said, Thor: The Mighty Avenger is amazingly awesome.

I think what makes this version of Thor so great is how grounded it is. Not in the so-grounded-it's-normal-and-boring Straczynski way, but in the perfect-fish-out-of-water kind of way.

I think what makes the book work so well for me is Jane Foster. The defacto love interest, Jane is really the main character of the book. We follow her as she works in the Norse history wing of her museum when she meets Thor and then later when she runs in to him at the bar. Even then, it's mostly about Jane deciding to help Thor and, later, help integrate him into the modern world. It's really wonderful and is how Thor ought to be.



That's not so say the book is all lady parts and feelings, there's plenty of action between the covers. Each issue has at least one awesome brawl, especially the latest issue which is, like, all fight. It's the right balance between fights that matter, emotions, and great humor that make the book just sing.



Pulling the book together is the fantastic work from Chris Samnee. Half indie flair, half classic super-heroics, his art gives the book a personality all it's own. As good a job as Landgridge does grounding the book, it's Samnee that really makes it work. His people look like real people, not supermodels, including his superheroes. Thor might be bigger than most, but he doesn't have the muscles on muscles that a Rob Liefeld would put on him. It's a great look that really helps differentiate the book from all others on the shelves.



If you like your big superheroics grounded, but not boring, with a dash of humor than Thor: The Mighty Avenger is for you. As I see it, it's the perfect book to get someone hooked on the character before his big movie comes out in May.



All right then. Hopefully next week I'll have more books to review, but if not I'm sure I'll figure out something to talk about. I always seem to...