dishpan

the only thor i own is the jms run, which i liked. ive heard that the kieron gillen work is very good -- in addition to adding an ending for the jms title, it introduces kid loki who sounds like a great character. some quick research shows there are five volumes of this story, and starts with

http://www.amazon.com/Journey-into-M...y+into+Mystery

i am interested in reading the kid loki arc but i am wondering how confused i will be. is this where his story begins or is his origin somewhere else? can i pick it up later in the run and skip these tie-ins with the marvel major events of that time? did everyone here like the stories or did any of you dislike it? how cosmic and magical is it compared to the more earth based stuff?

thanks in advance

similar

hello. I'm a n00b to this forum, but I thought I'd try to answer your question. since you liked the JMS run, I recommend picking up Thor Ultimate Collection, which contains all of Kieron Gillen's run. (the same stuff is also available in smaller volumes, but I think it's cheaper to get just the one.) it goes through the Siege event, which you might want to read by itself, but you don't really have to. then Matt Fraction's run starts, and he is the one who introduces Kid Loki in the World Eaters arc. then the title changes to The Mighty Thor, and Journey Into Mystery splits off but continues with the old Thor numbering, and they run side by side.

I don't think Matt Fraction's stuff is as good as Gillen's stuff, so I can't really recommend going ahead and buying it. you might want to read it just for completeness, but you don't really have to. there are summaries to be found as to why and how Kid Loki comes about, and Journey Into Mystery can be read and understood pretty well by itself. just know that some plot and character things take place in The Mighty Thor, such as Thor...being gone...and then...coming back. (I'm being vague on purpose.) you don't have to read the Fear Itself event--just be aware it's going on and is the reason certain characters are doing certain things which aren't explained very much in JiM. they're explained briefly in recap pages though.

I LOVED Kid Loki's story. (I randomly came across your post here and registered because I wanted to help you out!) it's quite cosmic in that it takes place in a bunch of realms, but there's a lot of earth-based stuff, too. quite magical, but perhaps not as much as one might expect, since Kid Loki doesn't have much if any magical powers.

the numbering for the JiM volumes is a bit odd--it goes volumes 1-3, Exiled crossover with New Mutants, volume 4, then finishes with the Everything Burns crossover with The Mighty Thor, which comes out at the end of the month.

I hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy the stories!

dishpan

that is super helpful, thank you! ive ordered the gillen ultimate collection and then ill skip fraction and go to jim volume 1. cant wait!

dishpan

i asked this over on cbr but am hoping i can get a better answer here.

ive started reading. whats the deal with thor and don blake? is it like a hulk \ banner situation or does blake still exist when thor is off doing his thing? wikipedia had no answers for me.

it seems like its two separate people who look similar and inhabit the same body? are they aware of each others thoughts and feelings? i get the sense that they can control when they change back and forth, at any time, but can either one initiate that? is blake living life on earth whenever thor is shown to be in asgard?

thanks

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from what I know, very early on, Blake and Thor changed back and forth, and they controlled it, but they needed to use the hammer. Blake looks smaller than Thor. they share their knowledge/thoughts/feelings. but I think after Ragnarok, they became separate entities, and one can only exist in Midgard when the other one is in Limbo or somewhere else like that. (we see them both in Limbo or somewhere in JMS's run, I believe. and then Blake can show up in Midgard when Thor is in Limbo/Thorsleep, then disappears again once Thor wakes up/leaves.) Blake also shows up in Fraction's run, and I think it's also when Thor is somewhere after being killed. unless they've become entirely different entities because of some reason or other. but then something happens to Blake, and I think we don't see him again.

eta: I just now picked up my copy of Thor Ultimate Collection to review what's going on with Blake and Thor there and can't figure it out, either! so confusing. but in a way it doesn't really matter. and as far as JiM is concerned, he isn't relevant.