Thor, Vol. 3

Thor (2007) (Collected Editions) #3

by J. Michael Straczynski (Writer), Marko Djurdjevic (Illustrator)

Has Thor turned his back on Asgard... ? Has Asgard turned its back on Thor? After the monumental and cataclysmic events of Thor 600, the God of Thunder's life has changed completely.

Collecting: Thor 601-603, Giant Size Finale

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Fantasy, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2010

About the author

Joseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.

Reviews

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat disappointing after the first 2 volumes. Seemed rushed. Sad Straczynski didn't get to finish this story though.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty goddamn epic. This might be my favorite of the 3. Though I am confused as to what happens next as I know Michael Stacynski leaves suddenly so I guess the next volume might be a bit of a mess. Luckily, this volume does not suffer one bit.

Thor is exiled and trying his best to find Sif since she is still lost. His band of warriors is also trying to find Thor himself. While that's happening you have Loki plotting with none other than doctor fucking doom. While this is happening you have the new king being betrayed by his followers and you expect to hate him for exiling Thor but you really don't. All the moving pieces from the last volume all come to a head here in a awesome way.

Art is on point here as it really gives Thor that epic vibe. The art really gets to shine with the environments as we go from desert, to a icy area, and you get the atmosphere nailed in each scene. I love the pacing here as it feels like someone could die at any moment, and oh boy do they. The dialogue works real well and Michael nails so many characters.

Loki sudden change back to a man was a bit weird. Also, doom seems to be a bit of a fool in this one for working with him. But besides that great stuff. A 4 out of 5!

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Now I have never seen any of the thor movies. I also don't really get into the marvel books either, but after reading this book I have changed my mind about things. I really enjoyed reading this book for many reasons. I loved the writing and storyline of the book. After reading this book, I actually like thor. It definitely grab my attention and kept my attention through out the book. I liked that a lot. There was also a lot of action a long in the book too, which that is what kept the book going. I would probably read this book again. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes Thor or just wants a action type of book.

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final premiere hardcover that collects Straczynski’s run on Thor. The relaunch of this title had an interesting genesis. The concept of Thor and Asgard reincarnated in the mortal plane of Earth was originated by Neil Gaiman. He would have been the writer for the new title had his schedule permitted it. Instead, Mark Millar ran with the concept for a little while only to drop out have Straczynski scoop it up. In fairness, my least favorite writer did make it into a consistent top 20 selling title and it was fresh new take on Thor.

Straczynski’s final arc completes the return of the Asgardians to the Marvel Universe. It also had as its heart two love stories: one is Thor’s and Sif’s and the other a much maligned romance between the mortal Oklahoman Bill and the immortal Kelda. It doesn’t end well for one of the couples though. Straczynski’s final arc seems to have lost a lot of its initial snap and crackle when it was initially relaunched. It may have to do with artist Oliver Coipel skipping the story in favor of working on the Siege miniseries. The book had a lot of promise but here it ends with an Asgardian diaspora, Thor depowered and Don Blake limping again. There isn’t a chance for a blank slate to help the next writer spin his own take on Lee and Kirby’s Thor. It may be that Straczynski had further plans for the character that will no longer be explored now that he left Marvel for the competition.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting Thor Tale Asgard has ended up in the middle of Oklahoma and Thor is banished (don't ask since I don't know). In light of these events Balder is now Lord of Asgard and following Loki's advice, he enters into a negotiation with Dr. Doom about resettling the Asgardians in Latveria.

I won't spoil any more of the story but this is mostly about the Asgardians and their attempts to fit into their new home. We see the plan being hatched by Loki and Dr. Doom, but the focus is on the other Asgardians more than Thor. We see what has happened to Lady Sif (not telling) and as well as how Thor is struggling with his powers, since Mjolnir is damaged. But it is Balder, Kelda and her human bf William that really are at the center of this story. It is not bad at all.

Straczynski is a very good writer and Djurojevic is a talented artist. I will have to hunt down the issues that go before to figure out what is going on, but this was an entertaining volume- well written and well drawn. Seems like Vol 1 & 2 are in my future. I would recommend this to any Thor fan.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The infamous 'conclusion' to the JMS run on Thor. It's a shame really, he probably could have stayed for the extra 3 issues that happen between this and Siege and finished his run more PROPERLY, because it really is a great run up until this volume. And this volume itself isn't all bad, it just leaves a lot of plot threads left hanging (and by a lot I mean most of them) for the next guy to deal with. But, it is what it is.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thor fights his grandfather Bor and does something while leads him to exile and on another hand we have Loki convince Balder to shift Asgard to Latveria in the land of Dr Doom and we see he is upto something and there are some things going on with Thors hammer and we also have the unification of Sif and Thor when she returns and its a heartful moment to see and also we see the villains plan and so what will Asgardians do? And will Thor save them?

Ehh not really. The story ends on an abrupt note with no real definite conclusion but then again this maybe the new status quo that JMS was trying to settle in and I like a few moments like Thor being awesome and saving people, the love of Kelda and Bill, the machinations of Loki, the reunification of Thor and Sif and the art as usual, its one of the best part of the series and makes the experience worthwhile.

What was annoying was the conclusion which should have been but then again it must have concluded in another volume, JMS run was good showing Thor as the god king and advancing him forward as he saves his people and gets a new home and a great story for Don Blake too! Overall decent run!

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty goddamn epic. This might be my favorite of the 3. Though I am confused as to what happens next as I know Michael Stacynski leaves suddenly so I guess the next volume might be a bit of a mess. Luckily, this volume does not suffer one bit.

Thor is exiled and trying his best to find Sif since she is still lost. His band of warriors is also trying to find Thor himself. While that's happening you have Loki plotting with none other than doctor fucking doom. While this is happening you have the new king being betrayed by his followers and you expect to hate him for exiling Thor but you really don't. All the moving pieces from the last volume all come to a head here in a awesome way.

Art is on point here as it really gives Thor that epic vibe. The art really gets to shine with the environments as we go from desert, to a icy area, and you get the atmosphere nailed in each scene. I love the pacing here as it feels like someone could die at any moment, and oh boy do they. The dialogue works real well and Michael nails so many characters.

Loki sudden change back to a man was a bit weird. Also, doom seems to be a bit of a fool in this one for working with him. But besides that great stuff. A 4 out of 5!

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a let down from previous volumes. Everything seemed really rushed. The idea of the Asgardians relocating in Latveria in an uneasy partnership with Doom is a great one, if it had been given time to develop. As written, the partnership immediately dissolves, seemingly a few days after they get there. I would have much rather that it be given time to fall to pieces in a more gradual way. And then, it just... stops. The ending to this collection is really abrupt and left a lot of strings dangling, which Straczynski wasn't going to be around to tie up. I doubt the next writer was thrilled. Also puzzling: how did Loki get his true body back, and why did he warn Thor about Sif? He would never have been the wiser. And what was the artist thinking when drawing Sif's civilian wardrobe???

[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, after this volume, JMS abandoned the book because he didn't want the upcoming Siege crossover to interfere with his story. That's an asshole move on his part for many reasons, of course. Here is what he said in an interview to CBR: "I'm leery of giving it too much of a hard ending because whoever takes the book on next has to begin seguing it into the Big Event, and I don't want to accidentally cut him off at the knees by making it too much of The End, Full Stop, Everybody Go Home Now. The forward momentum of the book has to be preserved. But I do plan to tie up a lot of the loose ends that might get in the way of a new writer". What actually happened here, though, is he ended his run on a cliffhanger, without explaining a lot of things, most of all, Loki's motivation for moving Asgard to Latveria, and basically left the series for some poor sod (Kieron Gillen in this instance) to wrap up his unfinished story in just three issues before the big event hits.
Now, we all know that comic book events are generally evil editorial schemes to make a lot of money, and that very few people on the creative side enjoy participating in them. We also know that good writers don't shit on their books because of the crossovers. Just look at how masterfully Ed Brubaker handled Civil War, an event that very heavily involved Cap, whose book he was writing at the time. He actually managed to incorporate the event into his narrative, which benefitted all.
But even if JMS didn't want to take part in Siege, he could at least wrap his story in a more respectful way. But he didn't. So even though I enjoyed this volume, I cant help but be angry at the writer for dropping the series the way he did.

[William Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the end of his run on Thor, Straczynski became the premier Asgardian architect of the last 20 years or so. Not since the introduction of Beta Ray Bill during Walt Simonson's time on the book has it been so refreshed and full of life.

Here we see the Thor that I'm sure Kirby always envisioned- entangled in lore and myth and treachery and making his way in a world of men as a hero and a god. Not just one or the other. Straczynski brings Thor into a whole new light, lifting him up out of the landfill that previous writers buried him in. God, the 90's were an awful time for comics.

In this necessary reboot, Straczynski looks to undo all of the gaping hole and fouled up stories. He brings us a Loki we deserve. One who is cunning and witty and supremely deceitful. He resurrects gods from their final resting places to have them do battle once more. He gives us a Thor who doubts himself as a ruler, and still live in the shadow of Odin, now passed on into eternal battle with Surtur. On top of this, we are witness to stories worthy of old fables, of Grecian plays and Norse myths. And he does it all without a single "I say thee nay!"

As for the art, I can never thank Coipel enough for the gorgeous work he's done on this book. It is striking in it's classicism, and it's paneling is nearly perfect. It is a fantastic balance between knowing how to accurately portray action and when to tone it down and bring in all of the grim undercurrents. His eye for contrast and shadow is absolutely masterful. If Jim Lee was the idea of artistic perfection in 1994, Coipel is the same for the current age.

Writing: A
Art: A

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm disappointed. I've been looking forward to this for a while now, and it just didn't deliver the Big Bang that I thought it would.
It's not bad, it's just not awesome.
However, it does tie up some of the loose ends that were left over from the last volume. For that reason alone, it was worth the read.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3+ stars rounded up because I just enjoyed it damnit.
Rushed, yes, but worthwhile addition to the Thor canon. William the Third, well done, Volstagg boom! Blake full circle...everything old is new again, and it really flowed well for me.
JMS' masterpiece? I think this series was, as we've seen what else he's done since...

[Blindzider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is all Djurdjević's work and still pleasing to the eye. Not quite the presence of Coipel's work but still a step above average.

What's disappointing about this volume is that you get right up to the conclusion...and that's it. It's not collected in this book. I'm not sure if it is because Straczynski didn't write it, but you don't get to read the final confrontation between Hero and Villain. I'll have to do some research to find out where it is collected. But what is here is still really enjoyable and I wouldn't mind owning this Omnibus, at least for the art.

Edit: Looks like the finale of the story is collected in Thor: Latverian Prometheus by Kieron Gillen

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

As good a wrap-up of unfinished storylines as any rush job can be expected to make. What can I say? I can feel how this was pulled together artificially, and while I'd like to like it as much as the start of JMS' run, it's just not there. The glory is there for TW3, and just a little of the humour we've come to expect. There is enough malice and intrigue being played out, but somehow without the mystery of "how long can this go on?"

I'm one of the many who will miss JMS here, but will follow him to his next comic projects.

[Adam Spanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often in a trilogy you expect the second volume to be the weak one, but in this case it is the final instalment. It just does not live up to the other two volumes. It came across as stopping part way through. One assumes that was a Marvel decision because it is hard to believe that Straczynski thought "Oh yes this is where the story ends". So a recommended buy but not a patch on the other two.

[Sadaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, this was kinda underwhelming after the first two I kinda expected more, but it was fine, it answered one question that I had been wondering about so its fine

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Straczynski's final volume of Thor was an unfortunate let-down. He'd managed to capture the mythological feel of this archetypal character in the first two volumes, and set up a very serious drama with Loki and Doom poised against all of Asgard.

The execution of the story fell quite flat. Sif is revealed and rescued without drama, Loki somehow just "becomes a guy again" without any serious plot motion. The Thor/Blake dichotomy is reset to Lee/Kirby era standards... and all of it feels like feels like "sound and fury... signifying nothing."

Maybe it is because the real Asgard/Thor story was going to happen in Siege... but this book left a potentially epic storyline, as flat and dry as the Wyoming plains it took place upon.

[The Sapphic Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series keeps getting more interesting as it goes along. It's a good series for sure, with this volume being the best so far.
My problem is I'm not really feeling anything. I think, "oh, that's cool" or "ahhhh" or "there we go" but I'm not itching to see what happens next, and I don't feel much for any of the characters. For me, the writing is missing something and I can't put my finger on what that something is. I'm looking for a spark, and while this book is good, I'm not engaging with the material at the level I want to be.
Still, if you're interested, it's worth the read.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third and final volume of JMS's run on Thor, and it packs a great wallop of action, suspense, and emotion. Loki is teaming up with Dr Doom for nefarious purposes, while William the Mortal has followed the goddess Kelda Stormrider, only to find his life in danger. Meanwhile, Thor ponders his broken hammer, and learns of where he can find the Lady Sif.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, Loki is a guy again. Why? The end of this storyline left me a little unsatisfied. However, the three books were fun reading. I am glad I was able to borrow all three at one time. It made it more fun to read them consequitively.

[Joe Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

J. Michael Straczynski - writer
Marko Djurdjevic - artist

3.5/5 stars

Loki tricks Balder into moving Asgard to Latveria to "help" Dr. Doom. But who is playing whom? I don't know, but this was a pretty good Thor story. Worth a check-out at the library, if you are prone to those kind of things.

[Joe Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

J. Michael Straczynski - writer
Marko Djurdjevic - artist

"This shall not stand...This shall not stand! Get behind me!

Foul knaves...slop buckets on metal legs...imagine you that Volstagg the mighty, Volstagg the warrior -- will bow down ... to you? VOLSTAGG...BOWS...TO NO ONE! NO ONE!!!"

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reprints Thor (3) #601-603 and Thor Giant-Size Finale #1 (June 2009-January 2010). Thor finds himself exiled, Mjolnir broken, and with new clues to the location of Sif. With Loki trying to manipulate Balder into a deal with Dr. Doom, the Asgardians could find themselves leaving Oklahoma for Latveria. Thor might have to take a risky chance if he hopes to save Sif, and the love of between the human Bill and the Asgardian Kelda could turn deadly.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 3 is a Marvel Comics collection. Following Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 2, the volume wraps up Straczynski’s run and features art by Mark Djurdievic. The issues in the volume were also collected as part of the Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus.

J. Michael Straczynski is really overrated in my opinion. While Thor is always a notoriously difficult character to write. I’ve always thought Thor’s supporting cast was one of his strengths, and I do commend Straczynski for recognizing that.

The biggest problem I have with the run is the basic concept. I don’t like the Asgard in Oklahoma storyline nor am I interested in the relationship between the people in Oklahoma with the Asgardians. To really buy into this storyline, you need to accept this as an interesting story, and I cannot. A big aspect of the previous run on Thor was breaking the cycle of Ragnarok, but it seems that they are all just repeating everything anyway (including the convenient injury to Don Blake’s leg which always plagued him in the original series).

The other aspect of this collection is that is problematic is that it is Straczynski’s final storyline. The story just kind of ends. Bill (who as I mentioned above, I don’t particularly care about) died but the ending of the book feels more like a whimper instead of a bang. Straczynski was leaving Marvel for DC, and I guess his plans for Thor were part of the casualty.

I do like Mark Djurdjevic’s art for the series. I think there needs to be a real weightiness to the characters since they are gods and even characters like Doom are bigger than life. It isn’t particularly revolutionary comic book art, but it fits the story and the text.

Thor by J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 3 is an ending…I guess. It feels very unfulfilling and that is how I felt about his whole run in general. A lot of the story aspects were used for the first Thor film (which I wasn’t a big fan of as well). Kieron Gillen was left picking up the pieces after this and Thor J. Michael Straczynski—Volume 3 was followed by Thor: Latverian Prometheus.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a short volume, but a good one. Some argue that the ending of JMS's Thor run feels rushed, but I don't entirely agree. I think, in the end, that Straczynski did a good job of setting up the "new" status quo for Thor, and I think his run ended in an appropriate manner for that purpose; a classic serialized comic book non-ending. I don't love everything he did; in particular I don't have much use for Donald Blake; I think Thor having a dual identity is unnecessary, especially as Thor and Don are actually two people forced to share one life. That being said, I from what I've seen, Blake doesn't seem to appear in the Aaron or Fraction runs of Thor, so maybe Keiron Gillen addresses him, or maybe he just gets dropped. I actually have no idea, but it seems like the return of Donald Blake is JMS's baby and nobody else seems to care. But I digress. JMS left a lot of balls in the air, but that's comics: you leave some toys for the next writing team to play with and let them sort it out.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marko takes over on art duty in this volumes but he also crushes it with the pencils. Some things that I thought were just side filler stuff actually prove to not be as they all come to a head in this volume. There was a tragic death which had me like nooo not that character!! But once you see what Doom is trying to accomplish with Loki, you see how jacked up it is. Typical Doom. My real only big dislike was that JMS didn’t get to finish his story in this volume. So we have to see what someone else does with this cliffhanger.

[Terry Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll admit that I have always had a soft spot for Straczynski.

I'm an apologist for him and his sometimes hokey storytelling.

This volume, which finds itself smack dab in the middle of the Dark Reign storyline, is a perfect example of how great his work can be.

And how mystifying his decisions can also be.

This arc, which should have focused on a massive plot point involving the Asgardians, instead foregoes this to focus on: some mortal, backwards cap-wearing fry cook...saving the day?

Ugh.

[Cami L. González · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siento que crearon un clima para el final que luego se desvaneció demasiado rápido. Me gusta la aparición de otros personajes que solo conozco por las películas, pero me agradó. Amo a los amigos de Thor, son lo mejor, adoro las bromas y la forma en que se tratan. Aunque por lejos mi parte favorita fue la historia de William, me dio mucha pena.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sif storyline dragged on too long, but that might just be because we were in on Loki’s plan before Thor. It didn’t have the same amount of tension I had anticipated, and that might just have to do with the pacing. At least I’ve matched up the storylines a bit closer!

[Maythavee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It turns out that Balder the Brave wasn't totally clueless to Loki's evil scheming as I thought! Good for him! My heart broke for Bill and Kelda though. They didn't deserve any of this!!! I'm also glad that Sif was finally resurrected!