Thor: Who Holds the Hammer?

Bought at Boocup, Kerry Parkside, Pudong, Shanghai, China.

Title: Thor: Who Holds the Hammer?
Issue: Volume 2: Who Holds the Hammer?
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: 2016
Writer: Jason Aaron, Noelle Stevenson, CM Punk, Don Glut
Artist: Russell Dauterman, Timothy Truman, Marguerite Sauvage, Rob Guillory, Rafael Albuquerque, Rick Hoberg, Dave Hunt
Colorist: Matthew Wilson, Frank Martin, Marguerite Sauvage, Rob Guillory, G. Gafford
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino, Carol Lay
Editor: Wil Moss, Jon Moisan

This collection reprints Thor #6-8 from 2014, plus Thor Annual #1, and a classic What If? story from 1977.

The major story point covered here is the revelation of the identity of the new female Thor, which follows a battle between the Destroyer and Thor, who is joined by Odinson, Freya, and a whole crew of female superheroes from the list of people that Odinson thought might be Thor.

Destroyer, unfortunately, is not a terribly interesting villain, and the drama between Freya and Odin during the fight only helps matters minimally, as most of the action is just Destroyer no-selling everyone's attacks.

I did like the new Thor, and the revelation of her identity was a great scene, even if it followed a not-too-convincing red herring.

The rest of the book is the very definition of "mixed bag", with three stories from the Thor annual showing Thor in different eras. The future-Thor story was clever, if a bit simple. Noelle Stevenson's rendition of the present Thor was sweet while still capturing the flavor of some of the more humorous Norse myths. The story set in the past, penned by former wrestler CM Punk was a bit less subtle on the humor front, with Mephisto taking on Thor in a drinking contest, but it did have some funny bits.

The last feature is this collection was the reprint of the 1977 story What If Jane Foster Had Found the Hammer of Thor? This had a surprising number of plot twists, including one dubious one that attempts to give a satisfactory ending to the story's romantic elements and ends up just seeming... weird. But I did like Jane Foster as Thordis, who comes off as smart and serious in the superhero role.

Rating: 6/10

Airboy #1

This first issue of Airboy is from around the time of my first introduction to serious comic collecting, when I used to head into Boston to the original Newbury Comics location to pick up my weekly subscription, mostly of 80s b/w books from independent publishers. Airboy was not a title I followed then, although I was aware of it, and I acquired this copy much more recently, although I don't recall the circumstances.

Title: Airboy
Issue: 1
Publisher: Eclipse Comics
Date: July, 1986
Writer: Charles Dixon, Timothy Truman
Penciller: Timothy Truman
Inker: Tom Yeates
Colorist: Ron Courtney
Letterer: Tim Harkins
Editor: Timothy Truman, Cat Yronwode

This series brings back the Golden Age war comics hero Airboy, the teenaged flying ace who appeared in Air Fighters Comics and his own title in the 1940s.

The new story sees the original character's son taking over the role, and operating as a vigilante, seeking revenge against his father's enemies. The plot of this issue is straightforward, jumping right into the action as assassins storm the monastery where sixteen-year-old Davey Nelson practices martial arts while his father watches from the seclusion of his office.

It's non-stop action from there, and by the time it's done the Airboy legacy has been passed to the new generation.

While not all that original in terms of plot, this was effective in introducing the characters while delivering plenty of mayhem.

The comic story is bookended by an excellent editorial by Cat Yronwode on the relationship between art and politics, and a prose history of the Airboy character and his comics in the 1940s.

Rating: 6.5/10