With the release of the new Hollywood THOR movie, I thought I'd dig out a handful of old Thor comic books I have. Granted, I wasn't around when this character first hit, but these mid 60s issues were given to me by my uncle. He has pretty much every issue of every Marvel character including first appearances. This will likely be a multi-part special like the Godzilla Marvel series from a few posts back. The following issues range between 1965 through 1966.
I've never been a huge THOR fan, but some of the issues are interesting as are the characters appearances in THE AVENGERS comic series. The above issue, #114, is the earliest one I have and it isn't in the greatest of shape.
Funnily enough, this new Hollywood makeover isn't the first time Thor has been seen in a movie. He featured in the TV movie THE INCREDIBLE HULK RETURNS (1988) and was played by Eric Allan Kramer, a muscular actor who also played the lead in the awful mess, QUEST FOR THE MIGHTY SWORD (1990).
Speaking of The Hulk, Thor first did battle with the big green monster in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #112, also the issue with the origin of Loki.
These string of issues here with Hercules I like quite a bit as they are more mythological in nature as opposed to being Earthbound.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
5 comments:
Those covers bring back memories. I used to own a bunch of Kirby Thors when I was an active comics collector, including many you show here. While a lot of fans don't like Vince Colleta's scratchy inks over Kirby, I actually like the artwork on these better than most of Kirby's Marvel Age stuff. It gives the figures a chiseled look that seems appropriate to the stories. I also think Kirby's covers on Thor were his most inspired for Marvel.
I agree, Sam, I like the chiseled looks as well and think it works within the context of the tales themselves, as you mentioned. I tried to sell a bunch of these, not just THOR, but the individual kept changing stipulations and I couldn't afford to have the few hundred high dollar books I have CGC certified.
Cool post, Brian! I recently found a box of what's left of my old comic collection and it brought back a lot of memories. I can't wait to go back and re-read some of them, and it even makes me want to start collecting them again, but I've been out of the loop for so long that I wouldn't even know where to start. I like to pick up a graphic novel every once in a while, though. I've always been a die-hard Marvel guy until Image came out and all of their top artists jumped ship, but strangely I've never been into THOR.
Hey, Aaron, I quit collecting sometime in the early part of the 1990s. I used to just buy comics for the hell of it and there's hundreds of them I never read. I still got all the Image comics I bought, too. That Rob Liefield drawing style got old real fast, though.
The comics I did read regularly were Dark Horse stuff (mostly all the ALIEN comics), CONAN, SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN (the B/W comic magazine), the EC comics reprints and a series of HK comics from Jademan. Those had the most amazing art in them.
Like you, I've never been big on Thor, but do like these early ones with the Hercules stories in them.
I remember buying Thor #127 on the newstand! My Dad drove a bread truck, and one of the perks of doing a ride-along was getting a few comics from the wire rack at some small mom-and-pop on his route. I think I was still in transition from Archie and Richie Rich at that point.
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