Thor: God of Thunder #1 *Advance Reviews*

[klinton]

I suppose that's just a different way of looking at things; if a movie is getting horrid reviews, I'm much less likely to see it. Sure these things tend to be very specific, and my views don't usually align with the majority, but there are barometers and standards of quality and taste that are helpful as a guideline.

Something like "The Artist" might not have been on my radar but for reviews, and I'm thankful that I heard about it through whatever medium I could.

I just don't think that it's all that important to search out an outside opinion. If something is truly mind blowing but not on your radar, you'll hear about it casually through friends or coworkers (or, with comics, by the million threads it will spawn on here).

The absolute worst case scenario for not checking reviews on something before hand is that it's not to your liking. You won't die or suffer any trauma from not liking something.

The inverse though is that you'll pre-judge and sour your opinion of something you may have enjoyed by attempting to inform your personal tastes on the critera of another person.

I'd rather look at everything in an equally positive light from the get go than the latter. I've found that I'm either easily satisfied or I'm a much better judge of my own tastes than any reviewer.

[jpbl1976]

I'm not saying that the book is going to be amazing, but that Newsarama review is garbage.

It's very clear that the reviewer was expecting a very specific kind of comic and when he didn't get that, he panned the book. If anything, it also showed tht the reviewer has a very limited idea of what constitutes a "Thor comic" and doesn't like that Aaron went outside of that box. Frankly, it's a worthless review, as it's more about the reviewer's failings and the restrictions he'd placed on the book.

Agreed. I used to read Newsarama's reviews but after a while, I realized they were garbage and stopped wasting my time with them. Some of their positive reviews of books have been absolute crap and some very good books got low ratings from them. Meanwhile, at other times, it just seems like the reviewer actually got paid to write a positive review.

In general, I don't even bother with that site anymore: they run these stupid 10 Greatest Avengers Villains things and re-run it again a few weeks later. The articles aren't at all intelligent and some of their "exclusives" seem like PR drivel written by the Big Two publishers. It seems to me that it's becoming more like Wizard Magazine in its later years.

[jpbl1976]

From the review:


What? Okay, I understand this if it's the Avengers book or something, set on Earth, and they're trying to show Thor's "alien-ness". As long as it's not overdone, I kinda enjoy it, and find it endearing. Fine.

But this is Thor's book. Why shouldn't he be portrayed as intelligent, as calculating, as the damn good viking warrior he is? If he weren't incredibly observant and finely attuned to danger, he'd be dead. Frankly, this review is basically a list of all the reasons I want to read this book, and I'm looking forward to walking down to the comic shop tomorrow (even with my bad knee).

Obviously, the reviewer liked Fraction's run because that describes the garbage the man spewed: Thor was a dunderhead ("hot-blooded", "human") who got jobbed a lot ("moments of bemusement and comedy"). The result: a drop from the 75-100k in sales during the JMS/Gillen's runs to around 35k for Fraction's run.

See, the reason reviews don't really work is that they ultimately boil down to someone's taste in things. That's fine if that someone has great taste -- but there are many people who love garish Hawaiian print shirts and have generally terrible taste. Seems like Newsarama employs one of them.

[jpbl1976]

Seems that way to me. It looks like the Newsarama reviewer was looking for the current incarnation of Thor. Someone who doesn't think and just swings away with his hammer. If anything this review is encouraging given that exactly the elements said reviewer didn't appreciate (decompressed introduction, more grounded plot) are things I perfectly don't mind at all. I've been clamoring for a more patient and thoughtful Thor for a while.

Same here. I'm tired of the Lord Dunderhead garbage that Fraction was feeding us.

[Sighphi]

Anyone expecting the sort of serrated "Immigrant Song"-rocking Asgardian death metal hijinks are going to be disappointed here.

What does that mean?

[aNamored]

Reviews are really only fun reading after you've read the issue, to compare notes in a way.

For the life of me, I can't imagine people considering reading/watching/playing/eating/attending anything would take the completely subjective opinion of someone else as a guideline.

There are far too many factors in something as simple as a comic book for anyone else' opinion to hold any possible value. Do they like the character as much as you? The writer and or artist as much as you? Were they angry at thier girlfriend that day? Were they oblidged to read the book and write the review without any personal interest? Were they reviewing a comic book while thinking about thier big exm the following day? Was it a Tuesday?

When did we become so busy (lazy?) that we stopped experiencing things for ourselves and became dependent on others to tell us what we might want?

Nicely said Klinton.

I do not give stock to reviews on anything really because my taste (outside of cult/genre movies) is so finicky. The detective element amongst other things really turned me away from Thor, but that's my particular taste.

Okay metal girl fan rant:

Immigrant Song is NOT death metal. Proto-metal perhaps, but not death metal (and neither is that black metal norweigan crap which I'm sure is what the reviewer meant.)

rant over///

[tigerkaya]

Finally, after Fractions ill attempt at chores on the Thor title. Its great to see Thor written with competence and experience again.
Nice to see Aaron writing Thor without tones of Wolverine and the X-men to a more grounded take.
Looking forward to checking it out.

[Goldgeller]

Whoops! I was silly. I was doubting Aaron and how he'd handle Thor. Aaron nailed it. Wonderfully paced and scripted, the story seems like it could go anywhere and do anything! I'm very excited for this. The art is amazing as well. It's only the first issue, but Aaron will need to take time to flesh out the differences in the "Three Thors" (old, current, and future).

I'm very excited for what comes next!

[Jake Fury]

Due respect to comicvine, they give everything inordinately high ratings.

I'm not taking either as gospel, mind, just saying I have zero respect for that particular website's rating system, and find even their editorials and articles to be amateurish and superficial in the extreme.

AMEN! one of their reviewers has given every issue of Batman by Snyder 5 stars.....

[Gamma Burst]

Finally, after Fractions ill attempt at chores on the Thor title. Its great to see Thor written with competence and experience again.
Nice to see Aaron writing Thor without tones of Wolverine and the X-men to a more grounded take.
Looking forward to checking it out.

Exactly. The book story was great itself, and the potential for the story is epic! Can't wait for issue #2!

[Movieartman]

While i did LOVE Fear itself, and i did like the galactus seed and evreything burns, the entire rest of fractions run was "meh" to bad

there where some good ideas like the world eaters and tanarus but they just fizzled out.

like what if tanarus hadnt been ulik or some imposter, what if it was some brilliant paradox, that the universe will not allow there to be no god of thunder, and so when thor died the universe replaced him with tanarus and have it be that even he beleives he was the original thunder god, and when thor returns he of course finds horror in the fact that he is just a replacement, and from there ether have him become a foe or prehapes a beta ray bill type ally

[Movieartman]

wasnt keen on thor having the exposed arms, but damn Esad ribic is doing his damnedest to make it work :)

[USERNAME TAKEN]

While i did LOVE Fear itself, and i did like the galactus seed and evreything burns, the entire rest of fractions run was "meh" to bad

there where some good ideas like the world eaters and tanarus but they just fizzled out.

like what if tanarus hadnt been ulik or some imposter, what if it was some brilliant paradox, that the universe will not allow there to be no god of thunder, and so when thor died the universe replaced him with tanarus and have it be that even he beleives he was the original thunder god, and when thor returns he of course finds horror in the fact that he is just a replacement, and from there ether have him become a foe or prehapes a beta ray bill type ally

Fraction had the ideas but his execution was lacking.

I think the whole Tanarus arc should have been a little more high concept and little more subtle.

The reveal that is was Ulik came too quick.

[Movieartman]

i really cant trust outside reviews any more, like i Loved astonishing thor, but Cbr gave evrey issue less than 3 stars, plus i loved fear itself, and that seems almost universaly hated

[Desaad]

Well, I read it.

I think the middling reviews were on the money for me.

Basically, I think the issue had some promise but I didn't really enjoy it all that much. It felt a bit lifeless.

I did like that Aaron clearly subscribes to the idea that Thor is a god, with the prayer stuff.