Back in 2010, Chris Samnee and Roger Langridge embarked on a task to give a new spin on Thor. Younger, brasher, and part of a Marvel universe that’s slightly different from the 616, the series spanned eight issues with an added Free Comic Book Day adventure. Titled Thor: The Mighty Avenger, the series did then what more recent adaptations like My Adventures With Superman have achieved. As a new take, the creators could explore the characters as they saw fit while introducing new readers to a more youthful blank slate of the characters. They succeeded and maybe even improved upon Thor and other characters.
This modern retelling of Thor is so good it could easily be adapted into an animated series. Thor is brash and trying to make sense of his new place in Midgard. The book opens with an immediate change for Jane Foster. She works at a museum of ancient history and soon learns she’s taking over the department. This immediately connects her to Thor, who breaks into attempting to acquire Mjolnir. I could easily see kids and teens loving this work and it also comes in a smaller digest size for smaller hands.
Very quickly, he’s saving her life, and they bond in a youthful romantic way. They’re inseparable throughout the series as Thor introduces her to superheroes, saves her from supervillains, and learns a lot from Jane. She’s no damsel, and she’s one of the best elements of the series.
Another fantastic element is Samnee’s art, which is iconic today, but this is some of his earlier work. It’s just as charming as his most recent work with fun visual throwbacks like how Thor’s hammer looks when he swings it in the air. Costume designs are fabulous, from Thor’s half helmet to Iron Man being a bit more hulking and slapped-together looking. Subtleties like Namor being a bit skinny and weak looking or how Captain America appears to be wearing a chest plate helps separate this world from the main universe.
I really love the new design on Iron Man.
Credit: Marvel
My biggest gripe is only in the dialogue, which can sometimes run a bit long. Word balloons can fill a page, slowing down the action and pace quite a bit. It’s not a huge hindrance, but it does slow down the overall energetic and youthful feel of the story.
As far as the story, this book is incredibly endearing. More often than not, adventures end with characters smiling and happy they made it out okay. The story’s secret weapon is that Thor wants to do what is right and good for all, not just for himself. His selflessness may not be apparent on the surface–he’s usually yelling and running around without thinking–but at the end of the day, Jane and others realize his superpower is his heart.
It helps there’s a good mix of adversaries to defeat. The series opens with a battle involving Hyde, an often underused character. Next up is Loki, then an adventure with the Warriors Three getting Thor into trouble, and even Fin Fang Foom gets to tussle with Thor. It’s honestly upsetting to think about how many more adventures Thor could have gone on if the series continued, so I recommend not thinking about that at all and just enjoying what we get here!
Thor: The Mighty Avenger is a delight, with a keen sense of style with its visuals and a big endearing heart underneath. This may not be in canon, but the stories are valuable and a real treat.
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