Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- The Mighty Thor Vol. 15

Quick Summary

Pros: Two of this volume’s story arcs are exciting and memorable. The chapter focusing on the Warriors Three is one of the best Asgardian stories in a while. The artwork looks good and has great levels of creativity.

Cons: Many of the story arcs end up just being average. A few story arcs are below average. The changes made to Jane Foster’s character feel a bit too sudden.

Overall: This is a pretty middle-of-the-road volume all around. It has moments of genuine excitement and entertainment. However, these few highlights are mostly drowned out by a sea of mediocrity. It makes for a reading experience that is alright but not that memorable. Readers who have been reading the series thus far may enjoy aspects of this collection, but readers simply looking for the highlights from this era would be better off skipping this one.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 15, by Len Wein, has its fair share of solid moments but isn’t exactly the best representation of good storytelling from this era. The major positives here come from two exciting Thor adventures and one tremendously satisfying day in the life of the Warriors Three. However, many of the other storylines end up being either average or below-average. There are also problems and inconsistencies with how Jane Foster is written, though it is nice to see her included in the story more. Overall, this isn’t the best volume of all time but it is an alright read.

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A few of the story arcs in The Mighty Thor Vol. 15 stand out as positive and memorable. The opening chapters detail an epic journey through space and time. It is an exciting trip filled with excitement and creativity. Later on, the origin of the Norse gods and their place in the Marvel Universe is explained in an extremely enjoyable way.

However, my favorite story in this entire collection is a low-stakes adventure with the Warriors Three. Watching these gods maneuver their way through earthly problems is amusing. It allows them to show courage and honor outside of epic battles and is all the more impressive for that reason.

Unfortunately, the majority of the stories in The Mighty Thor Vol. 15 are just average. Thor’s and Jane’s trip to Costa Verde is moderately exciting but has Thor fighting against rebels in favor of supporting a clearly incompetent ruling class, which isn’t exactly a great look for the Thunder God. Meanwhile, his trips to Hela’s domain and the realm of the Trolls are almost instantly forgettable.

There are also some story arcs that are less entertaining. The build-up to the reveal behind Odin’s departure is a bit too dramatic and is generally uninteresting. Plus, Thor’s battle with the Mangog is pretty uneventful and ends in a similar way as his last battle with the creature, which is a bit disappointing.

In addition, Jane is written in a way that often feels weird. She goes from being a hesitant side character to a woman capable of physically besting her foes. Though a change like this is appreciated, it happens so suddenly that it makes all of her actions feel out of place. Plus, there are moments where it is inconsistent. One page has her topple her attacker with ease, a later one has in the same situation but leaves her unable to break free. These growing pains in her character’s progression might be necessary for future stories but are unfortunate to see right now.

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Art

The artwork in The Mighty Thor Vol. 15 continues the positive work John Buscema has exhibited since the series began. As always, his pages are detailed and well-laid out in a way that makes the series a joy to read. This volume even contains some of Buscema’s best work. The opening story arc gives opportunities to view creative sights in the Marvel cosmos and the closing Annual chapter gives opportunities to showcase earthbound treasures. In general, this collection looks good and is full of creativity.

The only noticeable problem here is that Tony DeZuniga’s inks aren’t a great pair for John Buscema’s pencils. They look a bit too heavy and accent characters in ways that don’t always look the best. This leads to places where faces look sunk in and expressions aren’t as normal. It is not a huge problem but it is a small departure from the quality of previous volumes.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 15 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 14 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 16 (Review).

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

• Jane and Thor’s relationship ended back in Thor #136, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 5 (Review). 
• Zarrko appeared back in Thor #86, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1 (Review); in Thor #101-102, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 2 (Review); and in Marvel Team-Up #9-11, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1. 
• The Mangog was defeated back in Thor #198, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 11 (Review).
• Thor fought Harokin back in Thor #129-133, collected across Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 4 (Review) and Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 5 (Review). 
  • Harokin asked Thor to lead Valhalla back in Thor #154, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 7 (Review).  
• A note in Thor #252 states that the backup story from this issue occurs immediately after “Death Comes to Thor” in Journey Into Mystery #102, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 2 (Review).