Back Issues from the Box! Thor #337-339; DOOM!
Entering the 80s, interest in one of Marvel's big three, THOR, was waning. In the dawn of the age of the anti-hero, characters like Wolverine, Punisher, Venom and Lobo were taking center stage and the old stand-byes were being pushed aside. This is when Marvel made an executive decision about the future of the thunder god's book and brought in a new creative talent to revamp the ailing comic.
This man, of course, was Walter Simonson who had graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1972 and produced a promotional comic, THE STAR SLAMMERS, for the 1974 World Science Fiction Convention in Washington, D.C. After debuting as the illustrator in a Len Wein story in DC's WEIRD WAR TALES in 1973 and artist for Marvel's THE RAMPAGING HULK magazine in 1978, he was brought on board a Marvel/DC collaboration of the two comic giant's hottest comics; The New Teen Titans and the Uncanny X-Men. This thrust him into the spotlight for the chance of a lifetime; to make his mark on the Odinson, himself!
So, in 1983, Walter Simonson was given the reins of the Thor comic and revolutionized the look and feel of the legendary title. He, not only, got to do the art work for the comic, but was the head writer as well. Starting off in the now famous Thor #337, he embarked on an epic of which the repercussions are still being felt, even now, in our cinematic universe. DOOM, the aptly named story, began with the slow beat of the hammer on a mysterious blacksmith's anvil in the slow, apocalyptic creation of a weapon of the ages. These ages would end in Ragnarock and with the final attack of the demon, Surtur.
The story alone was amazing. Told in a slow, momentum building fashion, the reader's excitement built with every hammer strike. And how fitting that the theme of Thor would be the strike of a hammer! But, besides the momentous endgame Simonson had laid out, the writing of every story was rich and inviting. It dealt with, not only, Thor himself, but with all of Asgard as the important supporting characters they were. In the very first issue alone, Lady Sif became a major player in the usually male dominated world of the son of Odin. But, it was more than appearances. Sif along with Balder and Heimdall became real people with motivations and emotions. You cared for them and were invested in their lives. Simonson also brought Loki back in a good way; showing all of the schemes and magic tricks that come with Thor's half brother No more were these characters simply two dimensional backdrops for Thor, but friends, loves and enemies.
What's more, Simonson made Asgard come alive! First off, his artwork seemed to draw us into the mythical land. Then, his writing let us know he understood the subject matter. It had a different feel than the other comics as it should. It's something we've gotten from the movies also. Following Tony Stark around is different than following Steve Rogers. And following Thor is a new adventure all together. Walter Simonson got that! He pulled from all the nine worlds and all the six different races. From the Frost Giants of Jotunheim to the Trolls to the Dwarfs of Nidavellir and, finally, the demons of Muspelheim, he wrote them all in. And he brought them to us in a way that made us feel the magic and the wonder of the adventures of the thunder god.
But I would be remiss if I did not mention that Thor #337-339 was also the debut of a warrior alien named Beta Ray Bill. On top of his story arc, amazing characterizations of the longstanding supporting cast and his superb grasp of Asgardian geography and legend, Walter Simonson brought to life a character that only last year was rumored to be among the collection of the Collector himself in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.. It was also in these three issues that Beta Ray Bill became Beta Ray THOR! In a truly astounding story, an alien, not only strong enough to take Thor on, but also worthy of the thunder god's Hammer, stepped to the forefront and proved himself a capable weilder of Mjölnir. Bill became a legend during this epic and we have not forgotten him. Even during the Marvel universe spanning epic, SECRET WARS, that we are treated to now, Beta Ray has been seen and, I suspect, if anyone can survive this arc, he will, hammer in hand!
These three issues are a must read for any fan of Thor. And, I suspect, if you want some inside to where they're headed with the upcoming THOR: RAGNAGOK, you might want to pick up the whole Simonson run of Thor in the eighties. Take my word for it, you will NOT be disappointed!
