TreasuryCast 98 – The Mighty Thor

Rob welcomes back Martin Gray to discuss MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #10, starring The Mighty Thor!

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14 responses to “TreasuryCast 98 – The Mighty Thor

  1. Great episode, Rob and Martin! I have to wonder if anyone ever checked Odin for narcolepsy because he enters the “Odinsleep” like every five issues. Maybe it’s his way of getting away from Freyja? Wouldn’t it be great if the “Odinsleep” was really just Odin in his mancave watching football and eating foods that Freyja won’t let him eat?

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  2. Great show; although the delight I used to feel when seeing that a new TreasuryCast has dropped has now become a bittersweet feeling because we’re so close to the end (cue the Doors…)
    But this is a great issue to cover – another one of Marvel’s early tpb-type treasuries. Never had it, but I have read the story, as it is included in the more recently published Marvel digest no. 3 featuring Thor (which is now making me think of another dearly departed show…). I agree that it’s just fun, non-stop action, although I also agree with Rob that the ending does seem like a bit of an anti-climax. And I further agree with Rob about Sif – I really like the character, and *really* liked the movie version. She definitely should have been given a bigger role rather than being shunted to the side and forgotten.

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  3. Always love the episodes where I actually have h th e Treasury discussed. Funny thing about this one is a received my copy of this issue for free. I had purchased two other treasury editions from a seller on eBay. While packing them he accidentally damaged the copy of Giant Superhero Team-Up. It wasn’t anything huge. He’d just bent one of the corners back causing a crease. He immediately contacted me and offered a refund. Since I was already getting a good deal I told him it was fine, I’d accept it as it was, no need to refund of discount. A few days later I got the package with this Thor Treasury included for free. The seller added a note telling me he felt bad about damaging the book, appreciated my understanding and added the Thor as a bonus. Not being a Thor fan, I’d have never sought this book out. Because of that seller’s generosity I was able to read a fantastic epic that I enjoyed quite a bit.

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  4. Rob, if you or any of your listeners are having trouble getting advance notice of DC projects, your local comics store may carry the monthly, comic-format catalogue “DC Connect”. The latest issue (#55 for December 2024) should be out on the Wednesday following this podcast episode’s debut. Last month they announced a facsimile edition of C-48, the Superman Vs. Flash tabloid for $14.95, due on Jan. 22, 2025. Weekly new arrivals are announced on the website Comixnow. I don’t know what online resources reproduce DC Connect’s solicitations in their entirety. Most retailers have pre-order info for these titles, but unless you already know that they exist to look for them, I don’t know what good that does anybody. And that also isn’t conducive to browsing like either paper or digital catalogues are.

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  5. There’s often a marked difference between the quality of Vince Colletta inking Kirby on the “Tales Of Asgard” back-ups and inking him on the main story in the same issue. It’s obvious (to me, anyway) that Colletta felt more comfortable with non-costumed characters and the ToA back-ups were often more like period costume dramas. He was doing western, suspense and romance comics (and doing them well) in the years between Atlas ending and the new heroes gradually supplanting them (1957-1964ish). He probably resented that Still, Gene Colan and Frank Robbins adapted, even thrived, in the same circumstance.

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  6. Great show, Rob! First of all, Martin Gray is an international treasure. I discovered his blog through this very podcast network and greatly enjoy his reviews of new comics. More often than not, I find myself agreeing with him. And his reply to a comment on this very website reminded me of the Detective Chimp collection from DC which was this year’s birthday present. Thanks, Martin!

    I came to Thor only in recent years through reading the Walt Simonson run and, strangely enough, the Mighty Thor storyline in which Jane Foster gained the power of Thor. As I mentioned elsewhere on this network, I have learned that I prefer “low fantasy” grounded on Earth as opposed to “high fantasy” that is set in another realm. But I have loved Simonson’s Thor and much of the Jason Aaron run, so maybe Thor is the exception that proves that rule.

    Looking forward to the final two episodes.

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  7. Excited to see a new episode of my favorite podcast this morning… (well except for the power records podcast. Any chance we might see any more of those?)

    I am concerned that we’re at episode 98, and as you’ve stated the show will be ending with 100. And still we haven’t seen an episode dedicated to the biggest treasury of all, the true all time classic Superman Vs Spider-Man!!! Please tell me you’ll be covering this book. It would be an absolute travesty to do 100 episodes reviewing treasuries and skip the biggest treasury of all!

    Say it ain’t so! So yes, excited for another Thor treasury… but bittersweet that we still haven’t seen Superman vs Spider-Man!

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  8. One of the great things about this particular treasury is that unless I’m mistaken, the original stories were done shortly before Marvel reduced the size of the paper they had their artists draw on from 12.5 x 18.5 to 10 x 15. Kirby hated that, because it left him with less page space to draw the incredibly intricate panels he saw in his mind’s eye (and unfortunately things were no better when he went to DC, which had also shrunk their art pages). By 1969 we started seeing the result of that, as Kirby’s art began evolving to meet the constraints, and he simplified certain elements of his style. But here we get him in all of his Silver Age glory, undeniably at his peak as both an artist as well as a storyteller, all reprinted in the jumbo size they deserve.

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    1. That’s absolutely fascinating, thank you Gene! I was vaguely aware a change had occurred in page sizes at some point, but thought it was the printed comics, not the raw materials. What a shame for Kirby, and the readers.

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  9. Great show. It is always a pleasure to hear Martin! Such a treasure!

    Mangog sure is a Kirby creation eh?

    As others say, the Odinsleep seems like a well folks were going to a bit too often. Why does he need so much sleep!! I should be so lucky!

    And Rob, if you like Sif, might I recommend her run on Journey Into Mystery in 2013? Out in trade and worth it!

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  10. I’ve read some Thor comics but I think I’ve read more thunderstrike at present.
    I have to ask does any on know anything about a story line where Dr don blake is hunting any one who used the power of Thor and killing them and is there graphic novel that collects this story arc . I’ve heard about . Does any one no why don blake suddenly went coco for no reason???

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  11. Great discussion gents. I have to admit I don’t mind Colletta’s inks over Kirby on Thor for the most part. I know he did get his eraser out on occasion, but the look seemed to suit the material more than say on FF or Captain America for me. Now, if Mike Royer could have inked EVERYTHING Kirby ever did, I’d never complain. But Giacoia was great too.

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