| Thor | |
|---|---|
 Thor battlesHercules on the cover of the character's first self-titled issue,Thor #126 (March 1966) Art byJack Kirby andVince Colletta | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | List
|
| No. of issues | List
|
| Main characters | List of Thor (Marvel Comics) supporting characters |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | List
|
| Penciller | List
|
| Inker | List
|
| Colorists | List
|
Thor, orThe Mighty Thor, is the name of severalcomic book titles featuring the characterThor and published byMarvel Comics, beginning with the originalThor comic book series which debuted in 1966.
TheMarvel Comicssuperhero Thor debuted in thescience fiction/fantasyanthology titleJourney into Mystery #83 (cover-date August 1962), and was created by editor-plotterStan Lee, scripterLarry Lieber, and penciller-plotterJack Kirby.[1]
Subsequent stories of the 13-page feature "The Mighty Thor" continued to be plotted by Lee, and were variously scripted by Lieber or byRobert Bernstein, working under the pseudonym "R. Berns". Various artists penciled the feature, including Jack Kirby,Joe Sinnott,Don Heck, andAl Hartley. WithJourney into Mystery #101 (Feb. 1964), the series began a long and definitive run by writer and co-plotter Lee and penciler and co-plotter Kirby that lasted until the by-then-retitledThor #179 (Aug. 1970).[2][3]
The five-page featurette "Tales of Asgard" was added inJourney into Mystery #97 (Oct. 1963),[4] followed by "The Mighty Thor" becoming the dominant cover logo with issue #104 (May 1964). The feature itself expanded to 18 pages in #105, which eliminated the remaining anthological story from each issue; it was reduced to 16 pages five issues later. Comics historianLes Daniels noted that "the adventures of Thor were gradually transformed from stories about a strange-looking superhero into a spectacular saga."[5] ArtistChic Stone, who inked several early Thor stories, observed that "Kirby could just lead you through all these different worlds. The readers would follow him anywhere."[6]
Journey into Mystery was retitledThor (per theindicia, orThe Mighty Thor per most covers)[2] with issue #126 (March 1966). "Tales of Asgard" was replaced by a five-page featurette starring theInhumans from #146–152 (Nov. 1967–May 1968), after which featurettes were dropped and the Thor stories expanded to Marvel's then-standard 20-page length. Marvel filed for atrademark for "The Mighty Thor" in 1967 and theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office issued the registration in 1970.[7]
After Kirby left the title,Neal Adams penciled issues #180–181 (Sept.-Oct. 1970).[8]John Buscema then became the regular artist the following issue. Buscema continued to draw the book almost without interruption until #278 (Dec. 1978). Lee stopped scripting soon after Kirby left, and during Buscema's long stint on the book, the stories were mostly written byGerry Conway,Len Wein, orRoy Thomas. Thomas continued to write the title after Buscema's departure, working much of the time with the artistKeith Pollard; during this period Thomas integrated many elements of traditional Norse mythology into the title, with specific stories translated into comics form.[9] Following Thomas's tenure,Thor had a changing creative team.
In the mid-1970s, Marvel considered giving the character a second series as part of parent companyMagazine Management'sline of black-and-white comics magazines. A story written bySteve Englehart for the aborted project appeared inThor Annual #5 (1976).[10] A black-and-white Thor story appeared inMarvel Preview #10 (Winter 1977).[11]
Walt Simonson took over both writing and art as of #337 (Nov. 1983). His stories placed a greater emphasis on the character's mythological origins.[12] Simonson's run as writer-artist lasted until #367 (May 1986), although he continued to write – and occasionally draw – the book until issue #382 (Aug. 1987). Simonson's run, which introduced the characterBeta Ray Bill, was regarded as a popular and critical success.[13][14] Simonson's later stories were drawn bySal Buscema, who describes Simonson's stories as "very stimulating. It was a pleasure working on his plots, because they were a lot of fun to illustrate. He had a lot of great ideas, and he tookThor in a totally new direction."[15] Asked why he was leavingThor, Simonson said that he felt the series was due for a change in creative direction, and that he wanted to reduce his work load for a time.[16] After Simonson's departure, Marvel's editor-in-chief at the time,Tom DeFalco, became the writer. Working primarily with artistRon Frenz, DeFalco stayed on the book until #459 (Feb. 1993).
As a consequence of the "Heroes Reborn"crossover story arc of the 1990s, Thor was removed from mainstream Marvel continuity and with other Marvel characters re-imagined in analternate universe for one year. TheThor title reverted toJourney into Mystery with issue #503 (Nov. 1996), and ran four different, sequential features ("The Lost Gods"; "Master of Kung Fu"; "Black Widow", and "Hannibal King") before ceasing publication with #521 (June 1998).
When the character was returned to the mainstreamMarvel Universe, Thor was relaunched withThor vol. 2, #1 (July 1998).[17][18][19] As of issue #36, the title used dual numbering in a tribute to the original Thor series, and the caption box for said issue became #36 / #538 (June 2001). The title ran until issue #85 / #587, dated December 2004.Dan Jurgens wrote the first 79 issues, with Daniel Berman andMichael Avon Oeming completing the series.
The third volume debuted asThor #1 (Sept. 2007), initially written byJ. Michael Straczynski and penciled byOlivier Coipel.[20][21][22] Beginning with what would have been vol. 3, #13 (Jan. 2009), the third volume reverted to issue #600, reflecting the total number of published issues from all three volumes.[23][24][25]Kieron Gillen took over from Straczynski inThor #604 with artistsBilly Tan,Richard Elson andDougie Braithwaite,[26] with his final storyline finishing in issue #614.[27]Matt Fraction took over the series with issue #615, after having been announced as starting inThor #610[28] and #611.[29][30]
In April 2011,Thor once again reverted to its original title ofJourney into Mystery with issue #622, reuniting writer Gillen and artist Braithwaite in a series of stories starring Thor's adopted brother,Loki.[31]
In October 2014, a fourth volume ofThor by Jason Aaron and artistRussell Dauterman debuted that featured a female character (later revealed to beJane Foster) in the role of Thor after the classic hero is no longer able to wield Mjolnir. Aaron stated that "this is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is Thor. This is the Thor of the Marvel Universe. But it's unlike any Thor we've ever seen before."[32] The following October, Aaron and Dauterman signed an exclusive agreement with Marvel to continue their work together in a second volume ofThe Mighty Thor, also starring Foster.[33]
In January 2020, Thor volume #6 debuted, written byDonny Cates. This story follows Thor, as he becomes the new king of Asgard and tries to fulfill his duties as a king while fighting his destiny in an attempt to save the multiverse from an unknown threat.[34][35] After Cates had to departThor due to suffering a car accident in early 2023,Torunn Grønbekk was brought on to write the remaining issues of the series.[36]
[Stan Lee] had always been fascinated by the legends of the Norse gods and realized that he could use those tales as the basis for his new series centered on the mighty Thor...The heroic and glamorous style that...Jack Kirby [had] was perfect for Thor.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Series is named "Thor" in the imprint, but most covers have the title "The Mighty Thor".
Unfortunately, in one of those things that just happen in life, publishing plans changed andThor the Mighty was shelved.
I combined Norse mythology with 'Marvel Norse mythology' with 'Walter mythology' and put together a storyline.
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