Re-reading ... J. Michael Straczynski's Thor

A little over a week ago, after having caught up on my pull list of Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Ultimate Invasion and Adventures of Superman, I was trying to make a decision as to what to read next.

FF: Full Circle, These Savage Shores, Gideon Falls Vol. 2. These and more besides were amongst the pile of comic trades I had yet to read.

However, my mood at the time pushed me in another direction, back to my shelf of already read trades and to the Thor run by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel and Marko Djurdjevic.

This run, which took place in the immediate aftermath of Marvel's original Civil War, saw the God of Thunder return after a (I think) two year absence. Brought back from the void after the events of Raganarok by Donald Blake, Thor sets about restoring Asgard and its denizens on Earth.

It's been a long time since I last read this but, after reading again now, I can remember why it still remains on my shelves nearly 20 years later.

This was a tremendous series by JMS, who seamlessly picked up the classic vibe you'd expect from Thor and made it such a compelling read.

This is a story about rebuilding your life because, with the return of alter ego Donald Blake, it really becomes about two men finding themselves in this new world, both of whom had their lives taken in some form. However, I felt that the arc evolved as it progressed, with a focus on change and consequences as we saw Thor rebuild, but attempt to make it as it was but on his terms. This us what led to repercussions.

Now, I've named the title of this post as JMS' Thor, but that's only in the interests of shortness. Make no mistake, while JMS gave us the story, Olivier Coipel and Marko Djurdjevic brought it to life. Both these artists seemed to perfectly mesh modern aesthetic with a very 'medieval' look of Asgard, heightening the epic feel. Then there is Chris Eliopoulos' lettering who does a tremendous job as he gives the Asgardians an older looking font, while maintaining the usual for the modern day 'mortals'.

If there is one gripe I have about this run it is that my copy of the first volume had been cropped incorrectly, tilting to the left and cutting some of the speech bubbles. This is annoying to say the least, but not a deal breaker.

Being the entirety of JMS' run, I'm perplexed by the ending, which feels like there was more story to tell, making me wish I'd picked it up way back when. Nonetheless, this is still an incredible run, filled with heart(s), humour and high quality visuals. I look forward to reading it's greatness again (although, maybe a shorter time than 20 years).