| It can’t always be
raging as I mentioned before. Sometimes you have to
count your blessings in spite of the major misgivings of
the comic book world. And there has been one misgiving
that cannot go unnoticed.
Thor: The Mighty Avenger has
been canceled. Let it sit in.
Most of you, I’m sure,
aren’t even reading this book, and that’s a shame. It’s
the same shame that comes up every time I think about
all of my most recent favorite comics that have been
canceled.
Nextwave, Unknown
Soldier, Captain
Britain and
MI-13, The Mighty, Cable/Deadpool (thank god Deadpool is
popular now), Nova/Guardians of the Galaxy, Ghost Rider,
She-Hulk, Incredible Hercules, Madman.
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And now
Thor: The Mighty Avenger.
I’m so mad I
want to scream. Written by Roger Langridge,
who has so recently done amazing stuff with
the Muppets comics, and drawn by Chris
Samnee, who just so happens to be one of my
favorite comic artists of all time and just
recently did killer work on Serenity The
Shepherd’s Tale, this book consistently
brings both the funny and the engaging and
the exciting to a character who can
seriously be rather boring.
When Thor is
steeped in Shakespearean dialogue and big
adventures, it gets a bit eh. I don’t seem
to care so much about the big Thor
adventures. I want the self-contained. The
fun. The exciting. The stuff that makes me
feel like a young boy reading Greek and
Roman and Norse Mythology and wishing that
it was real and wishing that somehow I could
become a part of these stories.
That’s Thor:
The Mighty Avenger.
It isn’t
connected to any big books. It’s an all ages
book that most people think is aimed at
little kids. But it isn’t. It’s aimed at
everyone. Everyone who enjoys a fun time and
enjoys reading their comics for sheer
personal enjoyment and not because they’re
stuck mired in the latest major comic
crossover involving zombies or zombie
superheroes or vampires or aliens. |
This book is aimed at
you, dear reader, and I’m afraid it might be too late to
save it. If you look at issue 4’s cover, you will see,
quite literally, one of the best comic book covers in
the history of comics, period.
Thor getting bear-hugged
by Volstagg. The simplicity of the image means nothing.
Stark white background. Thor getting bear-hugged by
Volstagg.
We’ve probably even seen
the image before in prior comics, but the faces are what
sells it. And give Samnee credit, the man can freaking
draw. Like none other. I’ve said it before and I will
say it again, if he draws a book, no matter what it is,
I’ll be there. He could draw the Further Adventures of
Airwolf and I’d buy it. Even if it was 5.99 and a weekly
comic, I’d buy it.
But we won’t stop at just
the cover.
| This comic
has included appearances by Namor (in a
fantastic turn on the usual way he is shown
in comics, his skin is a tinged blue, he is
angry but NOT ridiculous, and he’s actually
a hero, I love it!), Captain Britain and the
Warriors Three (in issue 4, probably the
best single issue of any comic all year,
just for the fight and the way the Warriors
egg Thor on to kick Britain’s ass), soon to
be Fin Fang Foom, Hank Pym and Janet Van
Dyne in their best appearance in YEARS, and
Hyde.
It’s amazing. It’s simply put the best comic
book that no one is reading. And I’m
severely depressed that it is ending soon.
So if you love great comics, if you love fun
done-in-one stories, buy this book. Hell,
I’ve bought all the single issues, I’ll be
buying the trades, and the poster. I have so
many sketches from Chris, it might be
bordering on the insane at this point, but I
love this book so much, I want you all to
buy it and give it a chance.
Just one. Buy
the first 2 issues in the Double Rainbow
reprint and you’ll be hooked. It’s
spectacular. And that’s my first bit of
thanks this Thanksgiving. A hearty thank you
to the creative team that brought this book
to us for its short life. Chris, Roger,
Nate, Matthew, Rus, and the rest of the gang
at Marvel Comics, thank you so very much for
putting out a consistently exciting and
engaging comic for this reader of 20 years. |
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You’ve done a service to
the comic creating community and to those who wish to
take part and make a living out of it. Showing us that
it doesn’t have to be an event comic to be the best
comic in the universe. Showing us that even something
supposedly aimed toward kids can still be the best comic
on the stands.
Take a bow. You’ve earned
it.
What else can I be
thankful for this Thanksgiving season? Now that I’ve
gotten the raging out of the way, I can be thankful that
comics, as a medium, still exist. Every year, people
come back and say that comics are dead, the medium is
non-existent, and that we should all grow up.
But the escapism still
exists. We’re all still here. And we are invading your
culture every step of the way.
I mean, look at 2011.
Green Hornet, Cowboys and
Aliens, Green Lantern, Captain America, and Thor all hit
theaters, among god knows what others. Maybe Dylan Dog
will finally get released. Walking Dead is one of the
top TV shows in the US. Priest is coming out (though it
looks stupid). X-Men First Class is supposed to. Maybe
the new Conan.
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We’re on
your T-shirts. We’re in your rap music.
We’re infiltrating every aspect of your
world and coming to you live from your iPad.
There is nothing you can do about it. And
comics are not dead. Far from it.
If they keep
killing the greatest ones out there, they
might start losing readers like it’s going
out of style, but so long as ideas are
attempted, the readers will be there.
And I give
thanks for that. That something that used to
be so taboo is now something I can get
tattoos of and people accept it. They see my
Madman bolt and think it’s cool. Not geeky,
not stupid, but cool. I’m still giving
thanks that Amazing Spider-man is still
really good. I’m still giving thanks that my
local comic shop is in business and doing
well. |
I’m giving thanks that
I’ve started writing comics and have found some success,
slowly but surely building to hopefully something
amazing. I’m thankful for my friend Jai Nitz and his
continued success with Tron and Green Hornet comics and
his upcoming success with Bring the Thunder. And that
Phil Hester is taking over Wonder Woman. That brings me
so much joy that I might actually buy a Wonder Woman
book for myself for the first time in forever (I bought
one issue for my wife when Jodi Picoult wrote like 5
issues and she hated it).
I’m thankful for quick
graphic novel turnarounds, even though they are killing
single issue comic reading. I’m thankful for the Clone
Saga TPBs Marvel has put out compiling the entire story,
no matter how stupid large chunks of it are. I’m a Ben
Reilly fan and a Nate Grey fan, so when either one of
them are in a comic, it’s a guaranteed buy. And I’m
thankful for my readers, no matter how few they may be.
It’s nice to be back. It’s nice to also not always have
to be so angry.
Happy Thanksgiving
everyone. Back next week with more rage!
And one final thought:
SAVE THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER!! |
