Classic Review: Thor Epic Collection- Runequest

Quick Summary

Pros: The majority of the stories here are alright and do not contain many negatives. The personal stories surrounding a number of characters are progressed in interesting ways. The artwork looks nice. 

Cons: The majority of the stories here are not that memorable and only a few stick out in a significantly positive way.

Overall: This is a mostly average collection of Thor stories. Though these stories rarely downright disappoint, they also rarely impress. The collection does manage to offer a unique look at how some characters grow and change during this era but this might not be enough for most fans. This collection may appeal to readers already invested in this series and looking to see how it progresses but may not appeal to new readers looking to jump in right here.

Story

Thor Epic Collection: Runequest, by Doug Moench and Alan Zelenetz, is similar to its predecessor (Review) in that it collects a number of decidedly average Thor stories. The stories here aren’t bad and rarely contain tales that are completely unappealing. On the flip side of this issue though, is the fact that only a few manage to feel memorable while the majority fail to stand out at all. Instead, the collection’s main draw comes from the character progression surrounding Thor, Sif, and Jane Foster. However, even the appeal of this character development is likely to be limited to fans who have followed these character’s progression throughout this era, not new fans jumping in at this point. In this way, this collection is a bit hard to recommend for the majority of readers.

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As mentioned above, Runequest contains a variety of stories that mostly end up just being average. The opening arc introduces a “menagerie” of new characters, who’s presence initially adds a unique twist to Thor’s life but ends up failing to do anything interesting with the group and essentially erases their existence within a few chapters. This cycle is repeated later when a major insurrection in Asgard, offering the potential for plenty of excitement, is stopped when Loki makes an uncharacteristically unselfish move. It feels like every time the story starts to offer something major it ends up not panning out.

Luckily, there are a few exceptions to this trend. The chapter pitting Thor against the personifications of fear and desire was easily the highpoint for this collection. In addition, Jane Foster’s wedding issue was one of the more wholesome moments in the recent history of the series. The problem is that these exceptions do not come often enough.

Instead, the main draw in Runequest comes from the way the volume advances the current character progression of Thor, Sif, and Jane Foster. Thor is forced to deal with conflicting romantic loyalties and, by the end of the collection, his position on Earth appears to be in a more significant state of jeopardy. Sif realizes that she does not love Midgard and that her love for Thor is not progressing in the way she had hoped. Finally, Jane Foster returns to the land of the living, rather than being relegated to a state of limbo within Sif’s psyche. The majority of these changes are subtle and unfold in a way that feels natural and works well within the context of the series.

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Art

Like the story, the quality of the artwork in Runequest ends up being pretty similar to the quality of the artwork in the previous volume (Review). Unlike the story, this ends up being a good thing. The visuals in this collection, dominated by work from Alan Kupperberg, are bold and bright. They help emphasize the volume’s fight scenes and allow the action to come across as crisp and clean. In general, the visuals here also feel like a successful callback to Jack Kirby’s work on the comic, specifically in a few of the later chapters from Mark Bright. The only downside is that there are a few places where close shots of characters’ faces end up looking a bit odd. Other than this though, the art in this book looks nice and is an asset to the collection.

Continuity

Thor Epic Collection: Runequest continues the story from Thor Epic Collection: A Kingdom Lost (Review).

The story here continues in Thor by Walt Simonson Vol. 1 (Review).

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

• Wasp learned Thor’s secret identity in Avengers #220, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 13 (Review).
• Gravitron’s past is shown across Avengers #158-159, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 16 (Review) and Marvel Two-In-One Annual #4. 
• Darkoth’s history with Doctor Doom is detailed in Fantastic Four #143, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 14 (Review). He died in Fantastic Four #193-194, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 18.
• The Scarlet Scarab originally showed up in Invaders #23 and #25, collected in Invaders Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 2.
• Sif and Jane Foster merged bodies in Thor #236, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 14 (Review).
• Jane Foster fell ill in Thor #231, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 14 (Review).
• Jane Foster was given immortality and tested on Asgard in Thor #136, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 5 (Review). 
• Doctor Strange recently dealt with Dracula in Doctor Strange #59. He would go on to fight Dracula again in Doctor Strange #60.
• Dracula recently encountered Storm in X-Men #159, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 7.