'NUFF SAID - THE MIGHTY THOR MUST READS!

This 2nd post on the graphic novels you should read for Marvel's BIG 3 (1 more to follow). If you don't know who the BIG 3 are, you will find out soon enough.  Or go see the Avengers movie.
Thor is arguably the character most responsible for the emergence of Marvel at the beginning of the 60s.  His mythological adventures in the pages of JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY as the Odinson and Donald Blake not only made that title #1 it was also written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby.  Thor would then evolve from the pages of Journey and find a home with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, when Stan and Jack put the AVENGERS book together.  As with Captain America this character has suffered through some pretty cheesy periods (70s, 90s, early 2000s) but with the help of some talented writers in J. Michael Strazynski and Matt Fraction, is back to top notch story telling.  Thor is once again a mainstream character enjoyed by males and females of all ages.  It is rumoured that fan favourite characters the Enchantress, the Executioner and Skurge will the the antagonists; as well as Loki in the sequel to the brilliant Thor movie.

01 - Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson Vol. I

Few people have ever left their mark on one character quite the way Walter Simonson has. His work on the Mighty Thor swept the Norse God of Thunder to heights never before seen and rarely achieved since and is often considered the definitive Thor.

02 - Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1

This classic volume introduces the mild-mannered Dr. Donald Blake and his amazing alter ego, Thor, the Norse God of Thunder! Through the course of these awesome adventures, the Asgardian Avenger battles everyone from the Stone Men of Saturn to the Radioactive Man to his own half-brother Loki! Collects Journey Into Mystery #83-100.

03 - Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Vol. 1

“Thor… succeeds quite well in blending fictional gods with very real conflicts…” –IGN.com Thor is back! And in a story only J. Michael Straczynski could tell! Returned to the pantheon of great Marvel heroes, the Asgardian God of Thunder is reunited with the mortal form of Dr. Don Blake. Together, they must reckon with the legacy of the mythic Norse kingdom and the awakening of its immortal heroes – but in a world that may not want them back! Collecting THOR #1-6.

04 - Thor Ages of Thunder by Matt Fraction

Thor is the favored son of Odin, a paragon of bravery, nobility and strength. From Asgard to Hel and through all realms between, Thor's titanic struggles on behalf of his beloved homeland of fellow immortals have become legend. But what happens when Thor decides to stand down? To not clean up the mess that the gods themselves create? To teach his vain brethren of fellow immortals - and even his father, Odin - that he is not one to take for granted? Ages of Thunder is a story of a god's ultimate destiny toward humility through humanity. Told by superstar writer Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man) and luxuriously rendered with bristling action tableaus by a veritable godly pantheon of artists, it is a Thor epic for the ages. Collecting THOR: AGES OF THUNDER ONE-SHOT, THOR: REIGN OF BLOOD ONE-SHOT, THOR: MAN OF WAR ONE-SHOT and THOR GOD-SIZED SPECIAL.

05 - Ultimate Thor by Jonathan Hickman

Exploding from the pages of the Ultimates, comes Ultimate Thor! Don't miss the superstar teamup of JONATHAN HICKMAN and CARLOS PACHECO as they go back to the beginning and tell the origin of Thor, Loki and the rest of Asgard! Ragnorak has descended and Asgard sits at the edge of end. What will become of Thor and the Warriors Three? And what exactly does Baron Zemo, mysterious commander for the Nazis, have to do with it all? Ultimate Comics Thor brings you the untold story of Thor's thunderous debut!

06 - Thor Tales of Asgard by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Never has Thor been more sensational than during these early tales, crafted by Marvel's greatest, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Re-live Stan and Jack's stories of the Norse Gods and Thor before he came to Earth as Don Blake. Witness as these masters breathe life into the thunder god. Read these stories as never before with all-new, modern coloring and six interlocking covers by Olivier Coipel.

LIVE IT LIKE YOU LOVE IT!

D&J COMICS

THE BZZZ - 04.18.2012

A quick look at this week's (04.18.2012) new graphic novels, new comic book #1s and crossovers. Plus, my pick of the week!

TPB = TRADE PAPERBACK
HC = HARD COVER
PREM = PREMIER

PICK OF THE WEEK

AVENGERS VS X-MEN #2 OF 12

As The Opening Shot Is Fired, The Avengers Storm The Beach Of Utopia, And The Phoenix Draws Ever Nearer To Earth! • But Which Side Will Wolverine Fight On? • And What Choice Will Hope Make That Will Change The Direction And Scope Of The Conflict Dramatically?

GRAPHIC NOVELS

HP LOVECRAFT THE DUNWICH HORROR TP

H.P. Lovecraft is known as one of the key founders of modern horror, cited as a major influence by many prominent authors, such as Stephen King. In collaboration with renowned Lovecraft historian and literary caretaker Robert Weinberg, presents the definitive Lovecraft comics updated for a 21st century audience. Adapting 'The Dunwich Horror' and 'The Hound' a new vision of Lovecraft emerges, courtesy of Joe Lansdale and company!

CROSSOVERS & TIE-INS

AVENGERS #25 AVX TIE-IN

WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #9 AVX TIE-IN

PUNISHER #10 OMEGA EFFECT PT: 2, CONTINUED FROM AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6

 “The Omega Effect”‌ Part Two! Guest Starring Spidey And Daredevil! • A Perfect Time To Try This Highly Acclaimed New Series As Frank Castle Joins In With The Meanest Team-Up You Ever Saw. • Forced To Work With Two Garishly Dressed Avengers, The Punisher Makes One Promise: “Trust No One…Hurt Everyone.”‌

LIVE IT LIKE YOU LOVE IT!

D&J COMICS

'NUFF SAID - UNDERSTANDING THE DCU AND THE NEW 52

8/31/2011 is an exciting day if you are a long time DC fan or if you have been thinking of checking out the DCU, but didn't know where to start.  The entire DCU will change with the launch of the new 52.  There has a long history of making sweeping changes to their universe going all the way back to Crisis on Infinite Earths and the recent Final Crisis/Return of Bruce Wayne and Blackest Night.  The later two events are must reads to understand the coming changes.  Comics should never stay stagnant and should have opportunites for old and new fans alike and DC has always offered that in spades.  Unlike other comic companies that just sweep their past stories under the rug, DC will include this relaunch as part of their mythology and build a dynamic story around said changes.  Now, I don't know what happens at the end of Flashpoint yet or how that changes the DCU, but I do know it will be fun in a thought provoking way. It seems people are eager to grab up the new 52 titles starting with Justice League out on the above mentioned date.  It has been reported JL by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee is now the highest selling comic in the last 15 years.  Get on board now!  With that said, there will be complicated changes that need explaining to fans of the DCU old and new alike.

To help understand what is about to happen, it would be benefical to read, in order, the changes DC has made in the past with Crisis, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis, Flash Rebirth and Blackest Night.  This is sci-fi at it's best, but with Superman, Green Lantern, Flash and Batman.  I would also strongly recommend reading Time & the Batman and Flashpoint if you can before develing into the aftermath of Flashpoint and the reprecussions filtering into the new titles.  As with all these great events (that are all interconnected) the changes will deal with time, alternate realities and the multiverse.  So here is what you need to know.

At the time of Crisis in '85 the DCU was a very convuluted place.  There was Golden Age Superman and the Justice Society of America from Earth 2.  The Shazam Family from Earth S. The Crime Synicate (evil versions of Superman etc) from Earth 3 and literally infinite realities popping up all the time.  It became impossible to keep track of who was from where.  The editors couldn't keep track, so how were we supposed to?  Crisis destroyed all that and dumped the DC multiverse into one universe.  Everything was streamlined, everybody was from Earth 1 and alot of characters disappeared as a result, but for the better.  At the time DC even toyed with resetting all their titles to #1's, but the fans said NO!  We liked the high numbers then, but now fans want #1's and we're going to get it this September.  Back to our story. The multiverse ceased to exist until the next big DC event in the Infinite Crisis storyline.  But what is the multiverse you ask?

Way back at the beginning of the universe (before the multiverse), the Guardians of the Universe from Oa (blue gnomes from the Green Lantern comics) had decided to appoint themselves protectors of everything and banished emotion from themselves.  All except one gentlemen by the name of Krona (if you've recently read War of the GL's, he was the baddie).  Krona refused to relinquish emotion and set about discovering the origins of the universe, which was forbidden.  If you have ever seen a picture in the comics of the universe there is always a hand around it.  That is Krona's hand as he used his science to reach into the beginnings of time.  Alexander Luthor did the same thing in Infinite Crisis.  Reaching into the beginnings of time, Krona accidentally created the multiverse and all the different Earths/universes that were then obliterated in Crisis billions of years later.  Superman and friends actually travel back in time during Crisis and prevent him from doing these things, thus resulting in one Earth and one universe.  Infinite Crisis brought back all these different Earths, but this time there were 52 different universes and Earths, but Earth 1 (the real DCU) was now the center and most crucial of the 52.  It is the lynch pin and if pulled out the multiverse collapses.  What needs to be understood is that all these new Earths occupy the same space in time and time actually ends and then loops a circle (this was explained in the Return of Bruce Wayne and was called the All-Over) back to the begining.  They all operate on different vibrational frequencies (if you've read Final Crisis, Superman actually shatters these frequencies with a whistle, I know, but he's Superman. Just read Final Crisis) The Flash and Reverse Flash travel to these different Earths by changing their vibrational frequencies to match said Earth or time period.  It's a physics thing. It's kind of like a guitar, but instead of 6 six strings, there are 52 strings with different vibrational frequencies, all being played at the same time.  When you hold down a fret you change the frequency.  DC has barely begun exploring these new worlds and this is where Flashpont and the new 52 comes in. 

In Flashpont, the Reverse Flash has somehow altered reality (he's held down a fret and changed the vibrational frequency of the string.  The string being the past) and changed Earth 1 into a much different place than it has ever been.  ie:  Bruce Wayne was killed by Joe Chill and Thomas Wayne becomes Batman.  In the upcoming 52 title Batgirl, Barbara Gordon will walk again after years of being paralyzed after her run in with the Joker in Killing Joke.  The changes brought about in Flashpoint and continuing into the new 52 are really exciting because the two examples I have given were not supposed to be changeable.  It's the same with Superman's origin.  The mythology is that because of the creation of the multiverse certain events crucial to the integrity of the DCU are shielded by Omega energy and cannot be changed by tampering time travellers.  Basically, this was a way to prevent ambitious yet misguided writers and editors from monkeying around with the universe too much.  That is why they had to come up with Crisis in the first place.  Too much tampering and not enough planning.  Let's hope the editors at  DC don't fall into this category and continue in the traditions that gave us a comic universe with soo much potential.  With smart writers and willing fans, bad becomes good and you create a comic book mythology over time. 

We will find out shortly what story Mr. Geoff Johns has come up with to end Flashpoint, change back what has been changed (but not quite the same), incorporate it into the mythology of the DCU and begin the relaunch with Justice League.  Confusing.  Complicated.  Exciting.  Brain hurting.  Epic.  It's a great time to be a comic fan!