Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- The Mighty Thor Vol. 8
Quick Summary
Pros: The book’s first half details several exciting and interesting stories. The artwork looks great and helps make the story more intense. Many of the concepts introduced here are significant to the history of Marvel Comics.
Cons: Conclusions come about far too rapidly, especially in the volume’s second half.
Overall: This is a collection with a lot going for it but also a decent amount holding it back. The first half of the book details a variety of captivating stories with characters that are instantly entertaining and concepts that will go on to shake the core of Marvel Comics. However, the book’s second half is pretty lackluster and is only somewhat saved by some gorgeous artwork. If readers are willing to accept this volume’s second half, they will find some great stories within this book.
Story
The Mighty Thor Vol. 8, by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, starts incredibly strong but tapers off toward the end. In the beginning, it tells stories that are fun and exciting on both Earth and in the cosmos. These stories are also important from a historical standpoint, especially to characters like Adam Warlock and Galactus. However, as the book approaches the end, the stories feel more rushed and a few conclusions seem to come out of nowhere. This is likely due to corporate decisions made when these comics were originally published, decisions that have a significant negative impact on this book. Overall though, this is still an entertaining read that tends to have more positives than negatives
(spoilers start here)
The Mighty Thor Vol. 8 starts out alright by pitting Thor against Pluto. It is an entertaining return for this old foe and also a solid battle on Earth.
From here, Thor goes head to head with a being that would go on to be known as Adam Warlock but here is only known as Him. It is an important moment in comic history because it essentially features the first appearance of this character since Him was trapped in a cocoon the last time he was seen. It is also a unique and positive story that has the Thunder God lashing out in a way readers have never seen him lash out before. Yet, this outpouring of strength and violence is not rewarded and actually brings a lot of shame to Thor’s character. It reemphasizes Thor’s strong sense of honor and his dedication to doing what is right.
Then, The Mighty Thor Vol. 8 sets Thor on a quest to deal with Galactus, who is probably the most significant threat the Thunder God has faced. Thor meets Galactus but is willing to hear the Devourer’s story. It is another moment that shows the Asgardian preference for negotiation over senseless combat and is also an interesting story in general. Plus, since this is the first-ever telling of Galactus’s origin, it holds a significant place in comic book history as well.
However, it is around this point that The Mighty Thor Vol. 8 starts to falter. Thor’s quest to deal with Galactus does not actually have him take any action and essentially leaves the problem completely unaddressed. Immediately after this, Thor’s fight against the Thermal Man, which was set up over the course of two chapters, ends up only lasting a single chapter. Though Thor’s fight against the Wrecker and Kronin Krask are not set up as significantly, they still fly by so quickly that they feel almost inconsequential. None of these stories are necessarily bad but they are a significant departure from the elaborate arcs seen previously.
In this book’s introduction, Jon B. Cooke states that this change in pacing and lack of larger story arcs was a decree from the higher-ups at Marvel, who decided to do away with continued stories. This decree really hurts this volume and prevents it from being the epic collection it could have been.
(spoilers end here)
Art
Right from the start, it is clear that Jack Kirby did not slouch when it came to drawing The Mighty Thor Vol. 8. The very first page of this book features a striking splash page of Thor standing in front of some impressive New York City skyscrapers, further enhanced by some great inks by Vince Colletta. The following pages continue these impressive visuals by filling New York City with mystic-looking monsters and futuristic technology, which provides a visual reminder of Thor’s connection to the real world and realms of wonder.
The rest of the volume also sees some simply spectacular character work from Kirby. His take on the Nord Queen is captivating and sinister in a way that informs readers about her personality without having her say a single word. Meanwhile, Galactus is as impressive as ever and visuals from his backstory only serve to make him even more impressive. Adam Strange is given an appearance that immediately betrays his cosmic nature, yet is still grounded in humanity. Plus, I particularly enjoyed Kirby’s fresh take on Pluto, where it is clear he is testing out design concepts that would later go on to form the basis for his now-famous New Gods. In the end, the artwork throughout this collection is extremely impressive and nearly makes the book worthwhile all on its own.
Continuity
Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 8 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 7 (Review).
The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 9 (Review).
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- Pluto was last seen in Thor #127-130, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 4 (Review).
- The cocoon seen here was last seen in Fantastic Four #66-67, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 7 (Review).
- Information about Galactus was previously detailed in Fantastic Four #48-50, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 5 (Review), and then in Fantastic Four #74-77, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 8 (Review).