The Highlight Reel: VALHALLA!

I've come to realize that Marvel's Thor character is quite the polarizing figure.

There are those who really enjoy the character (like me), then there are those who seem to hate him with the fury of an Asgardian Storm Giant....with not much middle ground.  Yeah, I can see why Thor might drive them crazy.  After all, the Shakespearian dialect, the wonky space-age Mardi Gras costumes, and the bombastic, operatic personalities certainly aren't for everyone.  However, for those of us who love classic mythology, fantasy fiction, cosmic hokum, and heroic high adventure, Thor's our poster child.

As a veteran of hundreds of the Thunder God's adventures, some of my favorites remain the short Tales of Asgard backup stories from mid-1960's issues of Thor.  As the name of the series implies, Tales of Asgard would explore the mythic home of Thor and his fellow gods...often adapting many of the old Norse myths themselves into comic book form.  By leaving the superhero trappings of Thor's life on Earth behind, Tales of Asgard told the stories of Thor as a boy, striving to one day hold the might hammer Mjolnir...or exploring the creatures and far-flung lands of Asgard...or even the epic accounts of the creation and ultimate destruction of the cosmos.  Most of them in eight pages or less!

For this installment of The Highlight Reel, I've chosen one of my favorite Tales of Asgard stories from Thor #133 (1966).  Titled simply "Valhalla", this beautiful five-pager follows the barbarian king Harokin on his journey to the Norse afterlife, where noble warriors go enjoy the eternal glory of endless battle.  As you read through it, take time to savor Jack Kirby's detailed costumes, cinematic staging, and engaging crowd scenes...particularly Hela's solemn march through the streets of Asgard as the assembled warriors avert their gaze.  The story ends on a soaring, triumphant note as the invigorated Harokin seizes hold of his eternal reward and storms the gates of Vahalla! (click on the pages for larger views)

Comments

[carla]

This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for in a Thor comic. To a T! Thank you, sir.

[Brian Disco Snell]

Now I'll take that over the "Fourth World" any day, and twice on Sundays!!

[Shar]

Absolutely gorgeous...the King at his peak (IMO even more so than on the FF). The oft-vilified Colletta imparted an otherworld feel with his inks.

[Mark Engblom]

Glad you all liked it, folks! Yeah, Kirby really seemed to be into the Tales of Asgard stories, and were probably what fueled his later fixation to create his own complex mythologies (such as the New Gods and the Eternals). Of course, smoothing out the edges was Stan Lee's evokative writing, pushing the already grand cinematics of Kirby into something timeless and treasured.

[cinephile]

I loved the Simonson thor, which might be a generational thing, as that was what was being published when I was a kid/early teen. The art here is superb, but I have to admit that I've always preferred Thor as a supporting character in books like the avengers-- I just think the fun of the character is seeing all the "out of this world" elements you mentioned rub up against, well, this world, and to watch reactions to him, and his reactions to the reactions.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, Thor as the "fish out of water" stories could be entertaining....especially the Lee-Kirby stories where Thor would be striding through the streets of New York as fedora-wearing men would be shouting out stuff like "Hey, that Thor guy's all right with me!" or pillbox hat-wearing woman swooning and mooning over him.

Pure cornball stuff, but I love it.

[byrneward]

I want a Black Stallion of Doom...BAD!!

[Jim Engel]

Yeah...regardless of the fact that Sinnott is my favorite inker on Kirby, I really think Colletta gets a bum rap when it comes to THOR.

That scratchy look of his was perfect for a character based on ancient mythology.

[Mark Engblom]

You're right....Colletta did a pretty good job on the Kirby Thor comics. Just as with Sinnott's inks, Colletta was able to "soften" the blunt and (occasionally) grotesque extremes of Kirby's pencils.

That's not to say I'm a big fan of Colletta in general. However, I'll reserve the title of "Worst Inker Ever" to a gentleman named Frank Chiaramonte, who obliterated several years of Curt Swan Superman pencils with his astounding hackery.

[Ed Binn]

Unbelievable that readers don't appreciate the superb inking of Vince Colletta on THOR. I can not think of more beautiful inking of any penciler on any book than what Vinnie did on THOR.

[Dan McFan]

Vince the Prince-that says it all. Colletta at his best.

Dan McFan

http://ismarkevaniermentallyill.blogspot.com/