Kieron Gillen’s Workblog

Thor

The Marvel November solicits are appearing online. As well as the first issue of SWORD and the second of Ares - and I’ll do a post gathering all these up in the next couple of days - there’s a third Marvel book which I’m writing coming out then. It’s what I’ve been referring to as Secret Project: Codename Asgardian Thunder God. That is…

THOR #604
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencils & Cover by BILLY TAN
Gatefold VariantCover by OLIVIER COIPEL (see pg. 118 for full cover image)

Has Doctor Doom crossed a line…? And what role did Loki play in Doom’s sinister plans? What did Loki know…and when…? Now, as Thor heads to Latveria to settle the score, only one thing can happen: Thor sitting Doom down and having a serious chat about their feelings. By which we mean, STATE-OF-THE-ART SLEDGHAMMER SKY-SCRAPING SUIT-SMASHING SUPERHEROICS!

Billy Tan (NEW AVENGERS) draws the action-packed escapades while Kieron Gillen (NEW UNIVERSAL: 1959, DARK REIGN: ARES, Phonogram) starts his six issue run. Hold onto your runestones, True Believers – things get hectic quick!

Anyone who’s been following Anglophone comics will be aware that this is an enormous gig, in any way you choose to define it. It’s a gargantuan-selling Eisner-Nominated series. JMS’ sudden departure from the book leaves a pair of Galactus-sized shoes to fill, or at least waddle around amusingly in. So it’s a pressure situation. On the other hand, it’s also a fantastic opportunity - and not solely in terms of the size of the stage. JMS’ run has been personified with this slow and careful build, with all these pieces being put into motion. If left to their own devices, they’re moving in interesting ways. The best metaphor I can think of is a chess-game. A grandmaster has been playing and now, in its endgame, he leaves the table. With my handful of issues, I make these final moves. They’re mine, but to be at all effective, they’re a logical extension from what became before.

And besides: Thor, Loki, Doctor Doom. These are some of Marvel’s finest characters. How can this not be fun?

For those of you who aren’t followers of the anglophone comics industry and are here for the music malarkies, the explanation I’d use would be… well, remember 1995 when the Stone Roses had to pull out of Glastonbury when John Squire fell off his bike and broke his arm. Glastonbury Main stage on a Saturday night? Biggest stage in the UK. And into the gap comes… Pulp, with a single real hit to their name. This is a bit like that, except without the broken arms and instead of the Roses, work in someone with archetypal American Grandeur and grasp of storytelling - say, Springsteen - and it’s a Pulp who’s never had a proper hit yet. Actually, the more I think, the more it’s nothing like that at all.

But It’s not going to stop me acting like it is.

For those who are neither here for the comics or the music… well, it’s one hell of a big gig.

31 Comments so far
Leave a comment

No.

Freakin’.

WAY.

I DEMAND NOTHING BUT HAMMER-RELATED PUNS!

“Doctor Doom? Why, he’s not a joiner.”

“Mine favourite Geordie soft-rocker? Why, ’tis Jimmy Nail, forsooth!”

“TELL ME MORE OF THIS MIDGARDIAN GAME YOU CALL “MALLET’S MALLET”.”

And so forth!

//\Oo/\\

You’ll be able to buy such nice shoes!

holy freaking shit dude, you are writing thor, dude!

You really are are being handed the keys to the porsche. So a hearty Volstagg clap on the back, congratulations sir.

Also: never mind winning, the WEF hs taken over Marvel Comics. Who saw that coming?

Truly Fantastic Opportunity - kick ass KG. No pressure just enjoy yourself

I was there when PULP pulled off the great set and, yes, even took away the disappointment of the Roses not turning up.

In the words of the immortal Apollo Creed : ‘Be more man then him - eye of the tiger man, eye of the tiger’

I presume this is a Good Thing. So well done that man.

I’ll have a whisky, ta.

Oh, I am excited for this.

Well, I’m insanely jealous. Fuck.

Zephyr — a superhero webcomic in prose
http://wereviking.wordpress.com

[…] Kieron Gillen has just announced on his Work Blog that he is the new writer of Marvel Comics’ ongoing Thor title, taking over […]

Congrats. Absolute power is thine…

Dave: Do remember. This is totally your fault. Or rather, your brother’s comic collection’s fault.

This made my day. Fuck yes.

Hey, I’ve heard of that guy!

[…] has big shoes to fill and states on his blog, “JMS’ run has been personified with this slow and careful build, with all these pieces […]

Let me throw some of that typical Yank positivity your way, and say that I’m excited to see you kick some ass.

[…] of) “an over-excited gibbering loon.” He’s also due to start a six-issue run on Thor. It’s quite a lot of fun watching him get famous, […]

For all your upcoming incredible success, you will never top the classic line of “Jam on bread, not on head!”
Stop accomplishing so much dude, we’re running out of ways to say “congrats!”

Jesus, Kieron. I’m actually lost for words almost. Talk about getting the keys to the candy shop..!

BOOM! head exploded.

kudos on that, mate! have fun with it! wow…

hey, will you throw some Metal jokes in it? =)

and i wonder what happened to the Dazzler thing. or has that already been published…

The Dazzler comic was a little short thing. 8 pages, published in February, I think. It’s actually been collected in a trade with all the Manifest Destiny stuff.

And thanks again, everyone.

I’m not sure what you can do in six issue, but good luck. In the JMS reboot we saw Thor had a trickle of the Odinpower left, and he hinted at powers inherited by his mother. It would be nice to expand Thor’s tool set by highlighting some inherited powers from his mother towards the end. After all without Odin or an equivalent person of his power level, Asgard is going to be hard pressed to fight the realm threatening villains without a new bag of tricks.

I look forward to seeing the issues!

Honestly, I’ve been apathetic towards Thor as a character for a long time (as many know, I’ve always been a BRB kind of girl), but this is perhaps the first time I’ve ever been interested in the character in earnest.

I, for one, am excited.

Good luck!

Wow. Just, like, wow.

I miss Asterix the space-horse.

The first line of Belle and Sebastian’s ‘Wrapped up in Books’

I’ll admit, the urge to try and work out how to call an issue HEIMDALSGATE LIKE A PROMETHEAN CURSE is pretty strong.

[…] ever be the same again? That’s more like it. Mr. Gillen, sir, I salute you as these are indeed Galactus-sized shoes to fill and certainly a much larger epic than it first […]

Go for it. And then do a Past Is a Grotesque Animal issue where Thor has a messy divorce.

(I don’t know much ’bout no super heroes but well fucking done, you famous comicswriterguy you)

[…] my first ongoing for them, S.W.O.R.D. Well this week they followed that with the announcement that I’ll be taking over on Thor from JMS. […]

Many congratulations!

As someone who has never read a Thor comic (but is really enjoying your Beta Ray Bill series having never heard of said horse-faced genocide avenger before), I was wondering if I’d be able to start on your run ‘blind’, without becoming forehead-scrunchingly confused.

Yes, you should. Like most Marvel ongoings, there’s a re-cap page at the start which throws down all relevant facts - which we try to restate in the comic anyway.

But it’s well worth reading JMS’ run, as it’s splendid.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>

Thor

Sections

Categories

Archives

Search

Associates

Blogochums

Lazarii