THOR: GOD OF THUNDER VOL. 1 - THE GOD BUTCHER (Thor: God of Thunder, 1)

"So incredibly good!" This is what I kept saying over and over as I read this delightful volume. I have always loved Thor as a Marvel character because its such a unique premise for a comic. You've got elements of superhero tale, norse mythology/fantasy, and science fiction all rolled into one, with an overall saturation of mystical wonder. Jason Arron, the man who penned this epic tale, knows this like only the best Thor writers can. Thor: God of Thunder, is by far the best series in the new "NOW!" Marvel initiative, and hammers itself into the halls of legendary Thor stories.This volume actually contains the first half of a tale revolved around a brand new villaim named Gorr, known for his penchant for butchering pantheons of gods across the cosmos over countless ages. Thor encounters and fights Gorr at various points in his lifetime. There's plenty of fantastic action, as well as a huge air of mystery and wonder as Thor tries to piece together who has committed these atrocities across the ages. The writing here contains excellent dialogue that is as refined and formal as you'd expect from Thor without being cheesy at all. The story features three very different Thors at various points in his lifetime. All are written superbly, with nice subtle differences between them. It's one thing to write a character well, but to write the same character at different points in his life is quite the feat, but Aaron pulls it off beautifully. This also allows for humorous moments when at least two of the Thors get to interact. Despite having elements of time travel and jump cuts between ages, plot devices that can easily become contrived and obnoxiously muddled, the story here contains excellent coherency and intelligence in the way it presents these various timelines in relation with each other.Seriously, the only Thor writer that I can think of that nails the epic cosmic grandeur of the Thor universe like this is  Walter Simonson . That is as big a compliment I can possibly offer to a Thor writer. Jason Aaron is amazing, and so is this story. It's epic, it's brutal, it's mysterious, it's amazing. The result is a tale that contains the best elements of the character's history, all combined into one. This isn't just an adventure either, as there's quite a bit of poignancy to the story. There's plenty of subtle and interesting commentary on various aspects of divinity and life in the universe, thankfully without being at all preachy. Seeing the inner struggles of all three different versions of Thor is interesting, and Gorr makes for a truly fascinating villain. Thor: God of Thunder, is truly a spectacular story. Bravo!You know who's equally amazing in this volume? Esad Ribic. I've always admired  Esad's work  in  the past . He has an excellent painterly style that is vibrant and lifelike, and I'd argue he is at his best in this Thor run. Not only does he get opportunities to display his penchant for mythological Frank Frazetta-esque fantasy and action, but he also gets a chance to flex his sci-fi muscles as well, with plenty of locales across the vast cosmos. The action scenes just pop out of the page and slap you across the face with their liveliness and style. The more quiet moments also contain the same level of effectiveness. His line work is perfect, and the coloring done compliments his art perfectly.All-in-all, I may have found a new team to add to my shorthand list of favorites for Thor.  Stan Lee , Walter Simonson, and  J. Michael Straczynski  are the most renowned Thor writers. Now you can add a new name to the list: Jason Aaron. Esad Ribic also continues to showcase why he's one of the best artists in the business. Like I said earlier, while reading this volume for the first time, I could not stop saying "This is so incredibly good!" The story here is about as awesome as you could ever ask for from a comic, and as a Thor story, it nails the character and his pathos perfectly, while adding quite a bit to it as well. The second volume,  Godbomb , closes the God Butcher story stupendously and should not be missed either. I guarantee that if you enjoy Thor, Marvel, good comic books, whatever, you will love this story. Buy it NOW, unravel a mystery thousands of years in the making, and learn the cosmic, mythological tale of The God Butcher and the God of Thunder who fought against him.

Amazon appears to be linking the reviews for two separate products here: "Thor: God of Thunder, Oversized HC, Vol1" and "Thor: God of Thunder, Prem HC Vol1 The God Butcher". I have both and tried to review both, but I only appear to be able to attach one review (even though they have separate listings. weird).The first collects Thor 1-11 in an oversized volume with dust jacket showing Thor battling the necroblade berserkers underneath is a painted cover with the same image as the painted cover for the Prem HC. The Prem HC collects Thor 1-5 in a standard sized volume. I tried to purchase the OHC but ended up with the Prem HC through Amazon. I ended up ordering the OHC elsewhere to avoid this listing confusion.I review the Prem HC first and then the OHC follows.Prem HC:======This volume collects Thor, God of Thunder 1-5 and has a digital copy code. Extras include 11 pages of variant covers and a Ribic Sketchbook with 5 pages of character and cover sketches as well as 8 pages of pencils. These pencils are slightly pixelized in the effect surrounding Gorr, but much less noticeably than the oversized HC version of the pages. The rest of the art extras are excellent reproductions. If you haven't tried the digital copy, the presentation is great, panel-by-panel focus with zoom capabilities. It's a great way to take reading material with you on the road.The painted Ribic cover is gorgeous. Note that Thor: God of Thunder Vol 1 Oversized Hardcover collects the God Butcher and the God Bomb Premium Hardcovers, but does not have the digital copy code that the premiums do. I'd like to see Marvel offer the digital copy with their OHC and Masterworks titles as well. Axis and AvX had digital copies and are oversized.Anyhow, back to the content of this collection: Esad Ribic and Jason Aaron have produced one of the great Thor runs. No, I'm not suggesting that their run is the equal of Kirby-Lee or Simonson, and Ribic's output cannot match the volume of John Buscema, but their issues are definitely epic and potent.From the start, the viking heritage comes through. This Thor is rough and rugged. There is intense violence but it never feels gratuitous. The writing is economical and poetic at the same time, never feeling labored, never competing with the gorgeous artwork. There's almost a murder mystery air to it, similar, in a way, to the beginning of 13th Warrior where the gruesome deaths can't be explained and sheer terror sets into even the mightiest warrior's heart.I hope that after the cinema run for Thor, that Netflix or another cable network can do a high-end series on Thor: the God Butcher.OHC:=====Issue 6 is a fill-in issue by Butch Guice. It's quite a departure from Ribic and is not a painted style, but I liked it for this flashback story, revealing Gorr's origin. This origin really gives Gorr more depth. The origin of his weapon/powers also gets revealed in this issue.With issue 7, Esad Ribic is back in action up to the conclusion of the God Bomb in #11. We're introduced to Shadrak, a very entertaining jester character slightly reminiscent of Shlagen from Omega Men #4 (the guy who lets Lobo in).We also get to meet Atli, Ellisiv, and Frigg Wodendottir for the first time.There are a couple of battles that end up being resolved off-panel and I would've liked the notion that the blade absorbed god essence as Gorr killed each deity. In that way, his power levels would've made more sense.The art is gorgeous and the writing is the most potent Thor has been in a while.Hopefully, Amazon will correct the links to make these two separate collections.

Muy buena historia ya la había leído en el pasado pero pensé que sería bueno volver a hacerlo con todo el hype de la película. Me encantó

The godbutcher creates a new event on the thunder god's history that's new, stands apart and is completely envolving.Like all things Marvel, do not mind about the timeline. Also, it does not (yet) have any connection with the rest of the world: this is a Thor tale, and a mighty one.The villain is new and is on a quest that is completely understandable, which made me wonder if we could be in a reality in which he won.It begins like a mistery tale, and unfortunatelly ends when things are starting to enter in full action gear. Buy this volume and the next one!

It's great to read superhero stories where the villain is also a hero - at least, in their own view. Absolutely recommend this!

西暦893年。まだ若く、ムジョルニアにも認められていない若き雷神ソーはヴァイキングを率いて冒険に明け暮れていた。そんなある日、ソーは何者かに殺害された神の死体を発見する。その目はとてつもない恐怖に晒され、見開かれていた…。現代。ヒーローチーム『アベンジャーズ』に所属し、神としての貫禄も身につけたソー。祈りを聞きつけ駆けつけた星の民は「この星に神はいない」と呟く。「神のいない世界など有り得ぬ」と訝しんだソーは神々の住処である神殿を訪ねるが、そこには惨たらしく虐殺された神々の死体があるのみ。その有様にソーはかつての大敵、"神殺し(GOD BUTHCER)"の気配を感じ取る…。数万年の時を経た未来。神々の王にしてアズガルド最後の老神ソーは疲弊しきった体に鞭打ち、ただ1人敵の軍勢に立ち向かう。戦の中で死に、ヴァルハラへ旅立つために…。すべての神々を憎む強敵"神殺し"に過去・現在・未来の"雷神"たちが立ち向かう贅沢なシリーズ。無謀と勇気を履き違えた若きソー、もはや自殺願望にも似た心持ちで戦う老神ソーという不安定なメンツが集う中、神としてもヒーローとして全盛期である現代ソーの活躍が救い。一枚絵としての美しさとアクションの迫力もさることながら若く傲慢なヤングソー、自信と実力を身につけた現代ソー、長年の戦いで傷つき疲れ果てた老神ソーと3人のソーたちの表情も説得力を持って描かれる、アート・ストーリーともに素晴らしい一冊。祈りを聞きつけた民の前で見せるナイスガイな笑顔はクリス・ヘムズワースのそれに勝るとも劣らない頼もしさ。次巻との前後編構成ですのでVol.2との同時購入をオススメ。

Excelente historia y diseño, llego sin problemas ni daños