Ultimate Thor #3

During the original Stan Lee / Jack Kirby run of The Mighty Thor, each issue included a backup story called "Tales of Asgard," focusing on stories of the Norse Gods from long ago.

It was a great way to learn some of the backstory behind the characters, and lots of fun to see young Thor and Loki in action against assorted giants and monsters.

In Ultimate Thor, we have a similar effect, as the story spills over three different eras: the Asgard of ages ago, when Thor, Loki and Balder were close friends; the Asgard of 1939 when the home of the Gods faces a devastating attack; and the modern day, when doctors are examining a man who claims to be Thor.

In the hands of writer Jonathan Hickman, we're getting a terrific story of life and death, destruction and damnation - and perhaps we'll learn why Thor ended up being analyzed in modern times.

The art by Carlos Pacheco and Dexter Vines is outstanding - they jump from quiet moments to rollicking action sequences effortlessly. They're working on a big canvas and making the most of it.

Hopefully next issue will answer the biggest question of the all: why does his hammer keep changing shapes?

So far, this has been an excellent series and a worthy successor to the Lee / Kirby work. Higher praise than that would be hard to imagine.

Grade: A-

------------------

Ultimate Thor #1

These days Marvel's in the middle of a Thor overload. But that's to be expected, since the Thunder God is starring in an upcoming feature film (which hopefully will live up to the trailer released several few weeks back).

In addition to the real Thor, we have assorted mini-series, specials, alternate reality versions and now, Ultimate Thor gets his own comic.

And let me just say up front that, as much as I like Bryan Hitch's original design for the character, the giant hammer is just too over-the-top. It's completely impractical and almost comical.

OK, now that I have that out of my system, I have to say that I enjoyed this comic quite a bit. Jonathan Hickman (who seems to be trying to take over the "I write everything at Marvel now" title from Brian Bendis) turns in an excellent script here, as we jump around in time from "Eons Ago" to 1939 and into modern times.

We see Thor and his comrades facing powerful opponents in Asgard, we see the growing menace from a familiar Nazi face, and we meet a confused guy who thinks he's Thor in today's world. Oh, and we also meet Dr. Donald Blake.

The story's just beginning, but it's already got its hooks in me, as we see characters and settings that are familiar - yet very different at the same time.

The artwork by Carlos Pacheco is outstanding. He jumps with equal ease from brutal battles to clinical discussions with a fluid and powerful style that's well suited to the roughshod ways of the Asgardians.

I've often said that Ultimate Spider-Man is a better comic than Amazing Spider-Man. It's too soon to say the same about this comic as compared to the regular (and formerly Mighty) Thor comic, but I will say this: it's on the right track.

But I still think the hammer's silly.

Grade: A-

------------------