The Mighty Thor Omnibus
Hardcover
Written by Walt Simonson
Drawn by Walt Simonson and Sal Buscema
1192 pages
Marvel Comics
Release Date: April 27, 2011

Whether it is a man dressed like a bat, a military super-soldier, or an Amazonian woman of wonder, superhero stories are essentially modern day myths. Of stories of modern day gods that roam the Earth, there is no hero more godly than the God of Thunder himself, Thor.

With the Thor movie out in theaters and Odin’s son playing a prominent role in the Avengers movie, it seemed only appropriate that Marvel would come out with The Mighty Thor Omnibus.

The omnibus collects writer Walt Simonson‘s complete run on the thunder god, a run considered by many in the comics world as the quintessential Thor story-arc. Without giving away too much of the storyline away, it is safe to say that all the praise and hype associated with the Simonson run is genuine. The man can definitely write an exciting tale full of action and suspense. There are plenty of incredible moments, like Thor journeying to Hell, the first appearance of Beta Ray Bill, and the debut of Frog Thor. The series can only be described as epic with a capital E.

Simonson weaves quite a tale but he also draws on hell of a book as well. The art is dynamic and hits you like a ton of bricks. This is clearly evident on the cover of his very first issue with Beta Ray Bill striking his hammer down with force. The image is so striking, both literally and figuratively, that it leaps right off the page. The art grabs you by the eyelashes and never lets go even when he hands over art chores to artist extraordinaire Sal Buscema. The transition is seamless and not a single drop of energy is lost.

A great deal of praise also needs to be placed upon colorist Steve Oliffe. The role of the colorist is often overlooked by fans, but when done exceptionally well, boy does it make a difference. Olliffe’s colors add a whole new dimension to the art, making it look and feel like it was created only yesterday. I honestly have not seen such a great coloring job since Laura Martin’s job on the special edition Rocketeer hardcover published by IDW. It is the definition of eye candy.

The folks at Marvel deserve all the credit in the world for putting together such a nifty omnibus. Everything from the design, binding, and overall size of the book is impressive. There is also decent amount of bonus material in the back, ranging from sketches by Simonson, previously published house ads, and a cover gallery. This is the book every Simonson fan should own. The only complaint about this books would be the $125 price tag attached to it. While in this current economic climate, it is hard to justify spending that much on a book but the size of book really does make it worth it. Plus, it is discounted on various online comics and book sellers (it’s currently $77.37 at Amazon).

The Mighty Thor Omnibus is one for the record books. Its story is epic and its art, a sight to behold. Whether you were a fan of Simonson’s work beforehand or not, one thing is certain once you get your hands on this massive tome: Whosoever holds this omnibus, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Walt Simonson’s Thor.