Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 2

Comic Info

Thor (3) #8

Reprints Thor (3) #7-12 and #600 (May 2008-April 2009).  As the leader of Asgard, Thor finds ruling a kingdom and being a hero are two separate lives.  Thor also finds his life as Donald Blake has returned, and Blake finds himself reconnecting with his former love Jane Foster while searching for the missing Sif.  As Loki continues to plot against Thor and weave a web of desceat that threatens to destroy the world of the Thunder God forever!

Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 2 is a Marvel Comics superhero comic book collection.  Following Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 1, the collection features art by Olivier Coipel and Marko Djurdievic.  The story features a return to the Thor legacy (Thor (3) #600) numbering following Thor (3) #12 (January 2009).  Issues in this volume were also collected as part of Loki:  Mistress of Mischief, Thor of the Realms, Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus, and Siege Prelude among others.

I am not a huge fan of the J. Michael Straczynski run and the Gods over Oklahoma storyline.  I do admire that he tried to bring something new and different to Thor (though I feel the Lost Gods storyline had been done before…and kind of the Gods over Oklahoma after Asgard appeared over NYC), and this volume starts to have some more meat to the bone.

I like the return of Donald Blake in this volume and attempts to rein in older feeling storylines in Thor.  While Donald Blake turned out not to be a “real” person in later issues of Thor, it was always a means to humanize him…something that Thunderstrike tried too hard to do.  This is more of a happy medium with Blake being more of a separate entity, and Thor having his Thor adventures.

Thor (3) #10

Loki also provides a big question mark in the storyline.  He has always been Thor’s arch villain, but he’s also family.  This makes Thor blind to some of his actions, but it also feels like there is too much blindness at times due to the multiple attempts for Loki to poison the world around him.  I understand Thor’s reluctance to discard Loki and have him watched like a hawk (or even imprisoned), but I don’t understand other Asgardians’ acceptance of him.  People like Balder, the Warriors Three, and others close to Thor feel like they should be more suspicious and not allow Loki’s earworms to get to them.  The hidden location of Sif and his plots to topple Thor in this collection feel like they could have been ferreted out by just saying “I wonder if Loki is up to something” and looking into it…since that is always the answer to every problem in Asgard.

The collection features Thor’s reaction to the death of Captain America, the Dark Avengers who replaced the Avengers, and a set-up to the rather maligned Siege event series.  Thor always was part of the Avengers and as a solo act, he always felt a bit second tier.  J. Michael Straczynski attempts to put him front and center in this book and it does work…I just wish I liked it more.  Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 2 was followed by Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 3.

Related Links:

Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 1

Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 3