Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- The Mighty Thor Vol. 14

Quick Summary

Pros: There are some positive moments throughout the collection. Odin’s story is consistently intriguing and entertaining. Most of the volume’s artwork looks great. 

Cons: A few of the stories are just average. A few of the stories are bad or have bad moments in them. The artwork in the opening chapters is lackluster.

Overall: Though not a downright bad collection, this is not one of the better ones. It has minor and major problems found throughout and contains story arcs that just don’t stand out. There are a few solid moments but these moments are lost under a sea of mediocrity. In the end, this collection does not have a lot of appeal but may interest readers looking for one of the first good Odin story arcs.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 14, by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, and Bill Mantlo, is an unfortunate misstep for the Thor series. Most of the stories here are either mediocre as a whole or contain flaws that make them far less enjoyable to read. This is particularly true in the collection’s confusing opening chapters and in the unfortunate treatment of Sif’s character. There are some positives here, especially during Odin’s solo story arc, but these positives are definitely in the minority.

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Unfortunately, many of the stories in The Mighty Thor Vol. 14 end up falling flat. Thor’s encounters with Loki and with the Absorbing Man feel a bit generic. Instead of reinventing a previously existing formula, they end up playing out in the same way that many of their past encounters ended up playing out. Then, later on, Thor’s battle against the Trolls has him treat the group of trolls he previously allied with as enemies. These negatives introduce mediocrity into the mix and hurt the volume.

However, other story elements end up hurting the volume even more. The opening story has a weird villain whose motivations are never really explained and a conclusion that is pretty inconclusive. In addition, Thor’s reaction to Sif’s “death” is completely underwhelming. He almost instantly moves on from someone he believed to be the love of his life and starts up a relationship with his ex-girlfriend. These are negative elements of this volume that more significantly work against its appeal.

Despite all of this, there are still some positives to be found throughout the read. The Mighty Thor Vol. 14‘s final arc is exciting and intriguing. It brings in the Egyptian gods in a way that expands Thor’s universe. In addition, Odin’s solo adventures are extremely compelling. They put one of the most powerful beings in the world in a position where he is forced to understand the universe from an entirely different point of view. The only problem with these stories is that they do not form a large part of this collection and they end up dwarfed by the rest of the volume.

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Art

Though the artwork in The Mighty Thor Vol. 14 is mostly positive, like the story, it contains a few drops in quality. The opening chapters, penciled by Rich Buckler, do not have quite the same level of detail as earlier stories. They feature plain looking city streets and characters with less vigor than normal.

Luckily, after these opening chapters, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott step in and bring the quality of the visuals back to their former glory. These artists craft characters and locations that look good on every page. They also present the happenings of this comic with a level of creativity that actually improves the story. Despite some early setbacks, the art in this collection is a positive contribution to the volume’s overall appeal.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 14 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 13 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 15 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Iron Man’s “Memory Inducer” was used back in Avengers #99, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 10 (Review).  
• The story of Thor’s relationship with Jane Foster began in Journey into Mystery #83, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 1 (Review), and continued on until Thor #136, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 5 (Review).
• A note in Thor #231 indicates that the events of Marvel Team-Up #28, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Team-Up Vol. 3, takes place sometime in the middle of this issue.
• Loki’s dealings with Dormammu from Avengers #116, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 12 (Review), are mentioned. This issue was a part of the Avengers/Defenders War.
• Pluto’s invasion from Thor #163-164 is mentioned here. These issues are collected in Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 8 (Review).
• The Absorbing Man was given his powers back in Journey Into Mystery #114, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 3 (Review).