Thor

Kieron Gillen’s run on Journey into Mystery #622-645 is really the closest Marvel has come to telling a long form urban fantasy story about stories like Vertigo’s Sandman , and it survived multiple art shifts and even an extended crossover with the Fear Itself event. The premise of the series is ingenious as in the aftermath of the Siege event (which involved the much maligned and overused by Brian Michael Bendis character, the Sentry, finally getting thrown into the sun by Thor.), Loki has been resurrected as a child and hopes to avoid his villainous destiny.

  It was one of those moments that inspired a few eye rubs and maybe a double take or two. Not that it wasn’t slightly expected, but the magnitude could not have been foreseen. This past Valentine’s Day weekend it seemed that summer decided to come a few months earlier when Tim Miller’s Deadpool made …

Marvel used to be wary of the legacy game. Sure, the odd villain or minor hero would pass a mantle on here or there, but it’s never been a consistent move. The publisher was always more content to give characters new titles rather than give them established ones, unless it made narrative sense to do so like …

Not only does Steve Orlando’s Midnighter comic star a gay man, it tells blunt, sex-positive stories about that character. The main cast of characters in the upcoming main Avengers comic All-New, All-Different Avengers has a small minority of white dudes.
While there is still a lot of work on the road to a utopia of complete social justice, there is a trend of progressivism in some of today’s superhero comics that is impossible to ignore.

Talk about a left field choice. According to The Wrap, Marvel has tapped Flight of the Conchords and What We Do In The Shadows director Taika Waititi for Thor: Ragnarok, which is set for a 2017 release. The film will bring back Chris Hemsworth with Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston uncertain. The Wrap reports Waititi …

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In the world of superheroes, it seems that feats of physical strength and acrobatic prowess are possibly the most prevalent demonstration of super powers. One must wonder if such physical powers are a product of the time in which these comics were originally produced – the 1930s for DC’s iconic Superman and 1941 for Marvel’s super soldier, Captain America – or does this sort of hero have roots that extend deeper into literary history. Obviously, mythology is full of heroes who have superhuman strength, stamina, and agility with Thor and Hercules being the most famous in the world of comics for their huge roles in the Marvel Universe (and smaller ones in DC). However, there is a bridge, figuratively speaking, between the heroes of myth and their newer incarnations in the comic book world, and that bridge is found in the works of classical, medieval, and Renaissance literature.

Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are often associated with masculinity, aggression, and machismo but even by Heavy metal standards, the artist known as Thor (a.k.a. Jon Miki Thor) is an absolute beast.

Uncanny X-Men #210″Mutant Massacre”, a storyline running through various issues of Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor and New Mutants (as well as Thor, Power Pack and one loosely-connected issue of Daredevil) in the fall of 1986 is superhero comics’ first crossover event storyline, a style of storytelling that, following the success of “Mutant Massacre”, became a recurring device used by Marvel and DC, so much so that nowadays, these events are annual occurrences, with the entire lines of superhero comics from both companies impacted by their narrative gravity. Thus, “Mutant Massacre” represents not only a significant occurrence in the narrative of the X-Men, but for superhero comics as a whole.

On “Californication”, the Red Hot Chili Peppers observe that “destruction leads to a very rough road, but it also breeds creation”, a theory that Marvel apparently agrees with, as from the destruction of Earth-616 and Earth-1610 comes the genesis of Battleworld. Even though it’s about 30 years too late, Secret Wars is Marvel’s response to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and because of the sheer scope of the calamity at hand, this is the first time since Civil War that the actual crisis justifies a massive crossover event.

Avengers: Age of Ultron represents the zenith of Marvel Studios’ Phase 2, the culmination of all the films and television shows that represent the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the last two years. Like the first film, this superhero team up pulls out all the stops to astound, taking the audience on a thrill ride of almost unrelenting action.

Katy Rex returns to NonCompliant as we discuss the new horror tinged take on Sabrina, the surprising feminist themes of Archie vs. Predator, the latest issue of female fronted Thor, and the all ages indie slice of life comic Nutmeg. Plus a couple of PSAs about the University of Mary Washington Divest arrests and Day of Silence and a very special puppy cameo.

Doug “Dougie” Braithwaite is one of a few comics artists who can make pencils look like the beautiful strokes of a paintbrush. This skill made Braithwaite a perfect choice for DC Comics’ 2007 Justice maxiseries, which was an homage to the old Super Friends vs. Legion of Doom. He pencilled the comic while Alex Ross co-wrote and painted over his pencils. Braithwaite has …

Last summer, Marvel made the stunning announcement that Thor was getting a makeover… into a woman. The internet cried out with reactions ranging from sheer horror to total female empowerment. No one was really certain how the change was going to happen until the comics hit shelves in September. Since then, three issues have published–with …

Following a massive announcement by Warner Bros. regarding their slate of DC superhero films out through the end of the decade, Marvel, not to be outdone, released their own lineup in a press event Tuesday. Here’s the full lineup up through 2019, via Deadline: May 5, 2015 – Avengers: Age Of Ultron July 17, 2015 – Ant-Man …

 Thor #1 Written by Jason Aaron Drawn by Russell Dauterman Colors by Matthew Wilson Published by Marvel Comics Thor #1 has a cinematic feel to its writing and art that will ease new (and lapsed) fans into the status quo as well as shutting up people, who said “female Thor” was a gimmick. (They’ll probably still complain.) Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman open up the …

Ragnarok #1 opens in a suitably operatic manner as Thor and the last remaining Asgardians hold their ground against the Midgard Serpent and the world-devouring wolf Fenrir. Writer/artist Walter Simonson quotes directly from the Icelandic epic Elder Edda and shows that he can still draw gods, trolls, and elves 28 years after his run on Thor wrapped up.

When talented writers and artists sit around and discuss new comic book characters they can create, how often in their conversations is it automatically assumed that the characters they’re thinking up are automatically white males unless stated otherwise? I am not a comic book creator, so I don’t have an answer to this question. I …

Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 Writer: Al Ewing Artist: Lee Garbett Colorist: Nolan Woodard Publisher: Marvel Comics Because of his appearances in both Thor films and The Avengers as well as a prominent role in Kieron Gillen’s fan-favorite runs on Journey into Mystery and Young Avengers, Loki has gained quite the cult following. Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 (Loki #1 from here on out) appeals to fans of the …

Real Name Loki Laufeyson First Appearance Venus #6, August 1949 (historical); Journey into Mystery #85, October 1962 (modern). Powers and Abilities Loki is an accomplished sorcerer, capable of using magic to shapeshift, teleport, fly, generate energy blasts, ensorcell individuals, and more. Additionally, like most Asgardians, Loki possesses super-strength, durability, and longevity. He also has a …

Much like Grant Morrison killing Batman before one of the Christopher Nolan films came out, Marvel killed Loki before The Avengers movie debuted. Looking at the cinematic Marvel oeuvre, if there’s a character who has taken on a life of his own, it’s Loki. Tom Hiddleston’s performance of the upstart brother of Thor and ungrateful …

Sometimes, it’s the small moments in which you find joy. So it goes with Thor: The Dark World, a movie that frequently botches the big-picture details but balances out the messiness on the whole with minute gags, throwaway lines, and offhand glances that are laid-back and assured. The returning cast members have enough built-in chemistry, and the script has enough moments of genuine wit and cleverness, that Thor: The Dark World doesn’t sink despite being weighed down with an enormously, unnecessarily convoluted story.

Thor: God of Thunder Issues: 6-11 Art: Esad Ribic & Butch Guice Colour: Ive Svorcina Letter: VC’s Joe Sabino Cover(s): Esad Ribic Publisher: Marvel Comics A lot can happen in a year. Since Marvel Now! started the world has undergone some pretty spectacular changes. Apple won its major lawsuit over Samsung, George Zimmerman was preparing …

Trois Exercises d’Interpretation Directed by Cristi Puiu France, 2013 Fans of Cristi Puiu will be disappointed to find that the director’s latest film is not, in fact, the third part of his Six Stories from the Outskirts of Bucharest series. Trois Exercises d’Interpretation is a brief (albeit lengthy) cinematic diversion based on Russian writer Vladimir …