  |
What do you get when one of my favorite comic book writers (Kurt Busiek) and one of my favorite comic book artists (Steve Rude) combine their talents to tell an epic tale starring one of my favorite comic book super-heroes? THOR: GODSTORM is the answer.
I picked up a hardcover copy of this gem a few days ago and read the whole thing in one sitting. Originally published as a three-part mini-series, THOR: GODSTORM reveals an untold tale of Thor that spans the ages from ancient history to the mid-'60s Marvel Universe to (what was then) present day. The story is finely crafted by Busiek but the real attraction here is the magnificent artwork of Steve Rude.
Rude appears to be channeling the very essence of the late, great Jack "King" Kirby into his artwork. Regular readers of this blog know that Jack Kirby is hands-down, my all-time favorite comic book artist. I'm here to tell you that Steve Rude is among the handful of contemporary artists who can do full justice to the wonderful characters and concepts that Kirby created. I'd pay good money to read a monthly comic book drawn by Rude which features any Kirby character (Marvel or DC, take your pick). Hey, powers-that-be, are you listening?
Years ago, Rude and Mark Evanier (another one of my favorite comic book writers and a gentleman who knows a thing or two about Jack Kirby), teamed-up for two one-shot comic books that have a permanent place in my collection: Kirby's Fourth World escape artist MISTER MIRACLE and Hanna-Barbera's science fiction superhero, SPACE GHOST. I treasure both of those comics.
THOR: GODSTORM is a fun book. The story has plenty of action, drama, humor and surprises along with some thoughts on the true definition of a hero. Thor tangles with a new foe (whose retro-origin would fit perfectly into the pages of a Lee & Kirby issue of THE AVENGERS) and the story takes place on both Earth and Asgard (as all great Thor tales do). If you love the Thunder God, if you love good storytelling, if you love the work of such creative geniuses as Stan Lee, Kurt Busiek, Jack Kirby and Steve Rude, buy this book. You won't regret it.
Oh, and as an added bonus, there's a two-part TALES OF ASGARD back-up story by Tom DeFalco with art by the great Mike Mignola. Can this book get any better?
|
There's a hardcover?!?!? I bought the original run when it came out but they're in my longboxes, a nice hardcover'd be a great addition to my "Steve Rude Shelf"! It's a great comic, isn't it?!! Rude channels Kirby SO WELL!Have you read the "Children of the Atom" X-Men mini-series he did? That's well worth getting, too....
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Steve Rude's artwork! I picked up my hardcover copy of THOR: GODSTORM at a local Half Price Books store. Money well spent! I also adore his SPACE GHOST one-shot from Comico back in the '90s (with script by Mark Evanier). It's one of the treasures of my collection. I haven't read CHILDREN OF THE ATOM but I'll add it to my list of must-bys. I did read his SPIDER-MAN: LIFELINES mini and I thought he did an excellent job of channeling both Jack Kirby and John Romita, Sr. Oh and I have his MOTH collection on my to-be-read shelf. Thanks for reading and commenting!
ReplyDelete