Thor is one of the most veteran Marvel characters, who is experiencing a second youth on account of a cinematographic universe that has brought us back a huge number of superheroes in the last 15 years. But it was not until 2011 when it was the turn of one of the most iconic superheroes, who later appeared in several of the best-known franchises, such as The Avengers or Captain America.
Where do we start reading Thor?
If you want to get started in the history of the God of Thunder you must take into account, above all, the different eras that the character has seen from its creation in the 1960s to the present. It has been the style of the different cartoonists and writers who have been chiselling the shape of this hero who has around him a varied cast of characters that are a reference in practically all of his adventures. So let’s go with them.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
They are two of the most illustrious minds of Marvel who give life to one of the most prominent characters in Norse mythology. Jack Kirby made a first version in 1950 for DC and it wasn’t until the 1960s that he helped Stan Lee and Larry Lieber shape the character, through the 83rd issue of Journey Into Mystery of 1962 and 125 and 126 of 1966. But it will not be until number 179 of the renamed publication Thor, in 1970, when we begin to see his first problems with Loki, his adoptive brother, and even discover some of the most fearsome threats that stalk Asgard, such as Hela, the Destroyer, the Enchantress, Mangog and even Skurge, the so-called Executioner . In this age, the God of Thunder ventures to learn about the origins of Galactus. By the way, it is said that Jack Kirby never drew Odin the same twice…
Walter Simonson
With the arrival of the Knoxville the hero makes a major leap from Thor issue 337in 1983, when our protagonist acquires what some come to define as cosmic potential of the character. It is here that expeditions to the Asgardian underworld begin and we even get to see a version of the alien God of Thunder. The American took care of the character until number 382 of 1987 although before, in 1986 within volume 367, he decided to step aside to take care only of the scripts, leaving the artistic aspect in the hands of Sal Bucena.
J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel
With these two artists, Thor returns in 2007 from a traumatic reboot of his adventures, just after several years and an abrupt end in which the Avengers suffer a temporary separation and the dreaded Ragnarok occurs. These two artists had an essential role in how we know the God of Thunder today, since it is here that an update of the most relevant myths of the protagonist takes place, who travels to all corners of the world to awaken his old Asgardian comrades. , reborn and asleep who live their lives as mere mortals. In this age, Asgard has definitely settled on Earth.
The Age of the God of Thunder
It will not be until 2013, with the publication of the first volume of Thor God of Thunderwhen the character undergoes a profound transformation in the heat of the success of the movies. Artists such as the writer Esad Ribic, Russell Dauterman and many other cartoonists reach its pages. From these comics, a good part of the events narrated in the previous eras will be reviewed, revisiting and modifying both the past, the present and the future events of the already known God of Thunder (including King Thor): the tenth secret kingdom is discovered, Jane Foster is named as the new Thor and we will even see War of the Realms in 2019 to Malekith the Dark Elf planning the conquest of our planet.
