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The Mighty Thor Omnibus
The Mighty Thor Omnibus, Vol. 1
While vacationing along the coast of Norway, Dr. Donald Blake happened upon a secret chamber and inside it found a strange, gnarled cane. Upon striking the cane a shower of lightning rained down and the hobbled doctor found himself transformed into the Mighty Thor, God of Thunder and champion of Asgard! Collecting: Journey Into Mystery #83-120, Annual #1
753 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1965
22 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,414Ìýbooks2,281ÌýfollowersStan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 14, 2022
As with all Stan and Jack joints, this takes a while to rev up (especially with Larry Lieber scripting the early issues from Stan’s plots), but once they do, this is more fun than thou can shake a hammer cane at. And Kirby’s Asgard is a wondrous place indeed.
March 14, 2014
Jack Kirby is a LEGEND.
I'm new to the Marvel's world. I've watched the movies of course and Thor is my favorite superhero of all time so I thought why not read all about him from the very start? I'm doing exactly that.
I've started with Thor: God Of Thunder by Jason Aaron but I felt that I was kinda lost and not connected so what's better than reading from the very start by the original creator Stan Lee?? which was exactly as I wanted.
It's a bit cheesy though at first then by around #98 they started picking it up, knowing where they are actually going and I got excited after #100. The battle between Hulk & Thor was a very nice one, my favorite of this volume. Jane Foster though is really unnecessary, I thought so in the movie and also in the comic.
Thor Annual was really good too, Thor vs. Hercules? BIG YES!
I'm new to the Marvel's world. I've watched the movies of course and Thor is my favorite superhero of all time so I thought why not read all about him from the very start? I'm doing exactly that.
I've started with Thor: God Of Thunder by Jason Aaron but I felt that I was kinda lost and not connected so what's better than reading from the very start by the original creator Stan Lee?? which was exactly as I wanted.
It's a bit cheesy though at first then by around #98 they started picking it up, knowing where they are actually going and I got excited after #100. The battle between Hulk & Thor was a very nice one, my favorite of this volume. Jane Foster though is really unnecessary, I thought so in the movie and also in the comic.
Thor Annual was really good too, Thor vs. Hercules? BIG YES!
April 15, 2025
My new phase of reading Marvel classics started with reading my first omnibus edition. And what a mighty mixed bag that was! First of all, I picked Thor hoping for a little taste of Norse mythology, but after buying the book I was very disappointed to see how thin the paper was that the art on each side of every page was always leaking through the other side. Then I was shocked that it was missing FIFTEEN pages (completely ruining two different issues: Journey Into Mystery #107 & #108)! I tried to contact Marvel only to receive an email stating that "Please note that while we are able to assist with digital Marvel inquiries, we do not provide support or have inventory of physical comics sold via retailers. We do not hold inventory and cannot replace books through our office. This is not an inquiry we cannot assist with further in that regard". I only want to add that I have bought later a copy of Captain Britain omnibus, only to find out that it was AGAIN missing fifteen pages (ruining three different issues this time: #28, #29 & #30)!
But now back to Thor. I've read that the first part of this series was the weakest, but I managed to enjoy some of those early Larry Lieber issues. Of course the "Tales of Asgard" mini-series was my ultimate selling point (And I have already started to read the rest of them) but what was heavily influencing my enjoyment all the time was the inking. I was really glad that the biggest part of this omnibus was inked by Chic Stone, but I also liked the inking of Don Heck, Joe Sinnott, George Roussos, Paul Reinman & Frank Giacoia. Personally, I think the weakest part was the late issues inked by Vince Colletta. It really damaged the amazing art of Jack Kirby at his peak (especially those big panels from the "Tales of Asgard"). In my opinion, the worst issue here was #117 while the best was #104 and I reviewed them separately with a couple of other issues.
But now back to Thor. I've read that the first part of this series was the weakest, but I managed to enjoy some of those early Larry Lieber issues. Of course the "Tales of Asgard" mini-series was my ultimate selling point (And I have already started to read the rest of them) but what was heavily influencing my enjoyment all the time was the inking. I was really glad that the biggest part of this omnibus was inked by Chic Stone, but I also liked the inking of Don Heck, Joe Sinnott, George Roussos, Paul Reinman & Frank Giacoia. Personally, I think the weakest part was the late issues inked by Vince Colletta. It really damaged the amazing art of Jack Kirby at his peak (especially those big panels from the "Tales of Asgard"). In my opinion, the worst issue here was #117 while the best was #104 and I reviewed them separately with a couple of other issues.
June 20, 2018
Well, it took over three months, but I finally finished reading this bad boy. Holy crap! xD The rating should probably be 4.5 stars because some of the stories had serious problems, but I bumped it up because...these are classic comics. OK and Loki. I bumped it up for Loki. Even though comic Loki is a mustache-twirling melodrama villain and not hot like Tom Hiddleston Are you happy now? lol
June 16, 2022
It gets a heck of lot better once Stan Lee starts writing it, and better again when he shake’s up the dialogue waxing Shakespearian
November 15, 2014
As I’ve become somewhat more interested in comics recently and I’ve been interested in mythology for a long time, I thought I should check out some of these early Thor stories. Making a classical god into a twentieth-century superhero was an interesting idea, although the way it worked was a little confusing. Basically, the lame physician Dr. Donald Blake is on vacation in Norway when he finds Thor’s hammer in disguise as a walking stick. Tapping it on the ground turns him into the god, although if he’s without it for more than sixty seconds he turns back into the rather frail Dr. Blake. He actually uses this to his advantage occasionally, because when villains tie up the huge, muscular Thor, Blake can easily escape the bonds. But are Blake and Thor the same person or two different ones? Obviously Thor existed long before Blake did, and when the doctor first encounters Loki, he only seems to know the trickster god from the myths themselves. Later, however, Blake recognizes other inhabitants of Asgard. I guess it takes a little while for him to regain his memories. I believe the eventual explanation was that Odin placed Thor’s spirit in Blake’s body in order to teach him humility, but this isn’t mentioned in these early comics. It’s not too surprising that the 2011 Thor movie (I haven’t seen the sequel yet), while it does include a nod to the name Donald Blake, basically left out this aspect altogether. Of course, superheroes being physically weak before gaining their powers (or in cases like Superman having to feign weakness in order to avoid suspicion) is a staple of the genre. So is heroes getting new powers whenever they need them, although I guess this makes sense for a god. Not only can Thor throw his hammer out into deep space (from which it always comes back), but he can use it to drag himself through the air, control the weather, and even travel through time. There’s also a sort of love triangle that isn’t really a triangle based pretty blatantly on that of Superman and Lois Lane. Blake has a thing for his nurse Jane Foster, and while she has feelings for him as well, she thinks he’s too timid and wishes he were more like Thor. And he can’t just reveal his secret identity because Odin has expressly forbidden it. Jane is such a stereotypical girly girl here that it’s just ridiculous.
Thor fights a variety of foes, starting with the Stone Men from Saturn. I’m not exactly sure how people made of stone can live on a gas giant, but maybe they’re actually from Titan and just SAY they’re from Saturn; the outer planets probably have their suburbanites as well. Loki soon emerges as Thor’s main antagonist, sometimes fighting Thor directly and other times tricking other gods or granting powers to mortals so they can battle in his stead. How little back story some of the bad guys have is a little disappointing. The Absorbing Man is presented as one of the most formidable of these early foes, but he’s just some random criminal who was granted supernatural powers by Loki. From what I understand, many of the early Marvel villains seemed to have no particular motivation beyond robbing banks and getting revenge. Since it’s the sixties, the thunder god also occasionally fights communists.
The dynamic between Thor, Loki, and Odin is altered somewhat from the source material by making the trickster Thor’s adopted brother rather than Odin’s blood brother. Loki’s status is a bit inconsistent, as sometimes he’s chained up, but other times freely able to come and go from Valhalla. It seems to repeatedly be the case that Odin doesn’t want to think badly of Loki, despite all the bad stuff he’s done in the past. I’m not really sure why Loki is a skinny guy in green; I guess he’s kind of a Robin Goodfellow sort in his appearance. Of course, Marvel also gave Thor blond hair and no beard, and Odin two functional eyes. Other members of the Norse pantheon show up on occasion, as do other residents of Asgard invented for the comics. The short Tales of Asgard stories go some way toward reconciling the classic myths with more modern concepts. There’s a version of the creation myth that accounts for a round Earth revolving around the Sun. Loki’s attempt to kill Balder with mistletoe is also acknowledged, although here it’s unsuccessful, meaning Balder can appear occasionally in the modern day. The final story in the volume has Thor visiting Olympus and fighting Hercules. The two are evenly matched, and only stop fighting when Zeus makes them.
Thor fights a variety of foes, starting with the Stone Men from Saturn. I’m not exactly sure how people made of stone can live on a gas giant, but maybe they’re actually from Titan and just SAY they’re from Saturn; the outer planets probably have their suburbanites as well. Loki soon emerges as Thor’s main antagonist, sometimes fighting Thor directly and other times tricking other gods or granting powers to mortals so they can battle in his stead. How little back story some of the bad guys have is a little disappointing. The Absorbing Man is presented as one of the most formidable of these early foes, but he’s just some random criminal who was granted supernatural powers by Loki. From what I understand, many of the early Marvel villains seemed to have no particular motivation beyond robbing banks and getting revenge. Since it’s the sixties, the thunder god also occasionally fights communists.
The dynamic between Thor, Loki, and Odin is altered somewhat from the source material by making the trickster Thor’s adopted brother rather than Odin’s blood brother. Loki’s status is a bit inconsistent, as sometimes he’s chained up, but other times freely able to come and go from Valhalla. It seems to repeatedly be the case that Odin doesn’t want to think badly of Loki, despite all the bad stuff he’s done in the past. I’m not really sure why Loki is a skinny guy in green; I guess he’s kind of a Robin Goodfellow sort in his appearance. Of course, Marvel also gave Thor blond hair and no beard, and Odin two functional eyes. Other members of the Norse pantheon show up on occasion, as do other residents of Asgard invented for the comics. The short Tales of Asgard stories go some way toward reconciling the classic myths with more modern concepts. There’s a version of the creation myth that accounts for a round Earth revolving around the Sun. Loki’s attempt to kill Balder with mistletoe is also acknowledged, although here it’s unsuccessful, meaning Balder can appear occasionally in the modern day. The final story in the volume has Thor visiting Olympus and fighting Hercules. The two are evenly matched, and only stop fighting when Zeus makes them.
February 19, 2015
What is there to say? It's a bit of a slow start, but once Jack Kirby settles in full time, it rocks. Even better was the TALES OF ASGARD back up stories. That said, this is old Thor, which means you have to deal with dumb Dr. Blake swooning over his nurse when he's not Thor. Thankfully, he's mostly Thor. THOR!
March 27, 2024
Thor starts out with a bang, taking on the Stone Men of Saturn in a tale powered by Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby. I thought that this would all be Lee/Kirby, but it was not. After that first appearance, they pass it off to the less capable hands of Larry Lieber and then Robert Bernstein, whose shoddy dialogue and clunky writing really crap up Stan Lee's plots. Stan finally takes the book back over with issue 97.
Kirby's pencils are suffocated by Vince Colletta's inferior inks, with Kirby's powerful brush strokes rendered impotent by Colletta and his eraser. Joe Sinnott is the only one of the inkers here that do The King justice. Kirby's Absorbing Man is just terrific.
These are the earliest Thor comic books, and all of the great elements of the title are introduced here. My favorites are the Absorbing Man and the team of Mister Hyde and the Cobra. These are classic villains who end up appearing throughout many titles in the Marvel Universe. Thor is one of the cornerstones of the Marvel Universe, so this is required reading for anyone interested in the history of this rich universe of characters.
Glorious, glorious coated stock paper and sewn binding that allows this monster 768 page book to lay perfectly flat from the first page to the last. Gloriously restored linework from superior file sources and a color palette that is 100% faithful to the original issues makes my OCD swoon.
Kirby's pencils are suffocated by Vince Colletta's inferior inks, with Kirby's powerful brush strokes rendered impotent by Colletta and his eraser. Joe Sinnott is the only one of the inkers here that do The King justice. Kirby's Absorbing Man is just terrific.
These are the earliest Thor comic books, and all of the great elements of the title are introduced here. My favorites are the Absorbing Man and the team of Mister Hyde and the Cobra. These are classic villains who end up appearing throughout many titles in the Marvel Universe. Thor is one of the cornerstones of the Marvel Universe, so this is required reading for anyone interested in the history of this rich universe of characters.
Glorious, glorious coated stock paper and sewn binding that allows this monster 768 page book to lay perfectly flat from the first page to the last. Gloriously restored linework from superior file sources and a color palette that is 100% faithful to the original issues makes my OCD swoon.
December 6, 2022
It's taken me a while to get through this one, not only because I'm reading lots of other comics in-between according to the guide I'm following, but also because I had to keep requesting this book through interlibrary loan and they always wanted it back before I was ready.
It's nice to be done. There are a lot of things about Thor's marvel origin that I didn't know, like the dual-identity with Donald Blake, and the ongoing drama of being forbidden to love a mortal. I can see the seeds that were used to create the first Thor movie, which I appreciate. Overall, this feels much like the other comics of it's time -- over the top, comedic, nonsensical, dramatic -- and it's pretty fun to read! I do with they let Loki be more complex but I know that comes in much later decades so I will be patient.
It's nice to be done. There are a lot of things about Thor's marvel origin that I didn't know, like the dual-identity with Donald Blake, and the ongoing drama of being forbidden to love a mortal. I can see the seeds that were used to create the first Thor movie, which I appreciate. Overall, this feels much like the other comics of it's time -- over the top, comedic, nonsensical, dramatic -- and it's pretty fun to read! I do with they let Loki be more complex but I know that comes in much later decades so I will be patient.
April 27, 2022
Not gonna lie, I struggled mightily with ranking this. Thor is my favorite character in all of comics, so obviously I had to read his origin omni.
Here’s my problem with it. Having also read Daredevil volume 1 omni by Lee/Kirby, most of the book is spent focused as much on the Matt/Foggy/Karen � err, Don/Jane/Thor love triangle, and beat for beat, it’s almost exactly the same. Heck, you could probably copy/paste it from one to the other without skipping a beat.
What I do love about it is that it clearly evolved over time. Stories became more complex and intertwined, characters were developed better, and even Jack’s art noticeably improved.
Let’s see how volume 2 shapes up. If it progresses the way volume 1 ended, should be a good time.
Here’s my problem with it. Having also read Daredevil volume 1 omni by Lee/Kirby, most of the book is spent focused as much on the Matt/Foggy/Karen � err, Don/Jane/Thor love triangle, and beat for beat, it’s almost exactly the same. Heck, you could probably copy/paste it from one to the other without skipping a beat.
What I do love about it is that it clearly evolved over time. Stories became more complex and intertwined, characters were developed better, and even Jack’s art noticeably improved.
Let’s see how volume 2 shapes up. If it progresses the way volume 1 ended, should be a good time.
May 1, 2019
This comic contains all the early stories of Thor, including his first debut as a hero. Now, these stories are really old so they have not aged well. Jane Foster is a stereotypical damsel in distress who needs to be saved all the time. There is a lot of anti-communist propaganda and the stories can become very formulaic and predictable.
However, these early stories are still crucial to read if you really want to know more about Thor’s back story.
However, these early stories are still crucial to read if you really want to know more about Thor’s back story.
June 15, 2022
Do I rate it for where it starts or where it ends; the average between or the promise of what is to come? Clearly the presumption would be to review a book for its overall average. But there's something about watching creators figure things out and also get caught up by happy accidents to create something far better than it should be. While still shy of Kirby's heights, you can feel the growth as an artist and storyteller and mythmaker by the end of this book.
May 28, 2023
Fantastic quality printing. Bringing together all the first issues of Thor in a well bound, large sized, beautifully colored book. Stories are understandably a bit naïve and simplistic but then they were written for teenage boys in the 1960s. It's wonderful to see the transformation in the art that happens about halfway through the book. As you watch the legend of Kirby being born. Highly recommend.
January 21, 2025
Another early age ominbus that starts off pretty slow but gradually picks up with more issues. Once they start to incorporate more of Asgard the stories become much better. The Tales of Asgard shorts were also great at world building and made the later issues better. Overall pretty good once it gets going.
February 23, 2019
A great read if you love Thor.
January 10, 2023
This omnibus starts slow but finishes with a bang. It presents great insight into the qualities that Marvel, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and others used to revolutionize the comic book industry in the '60s
November 18, 2024
other books do the secret identity drama much better in my opinion. looking forward to when Thor will just be Thor
February 9, 2025
Slow to find its footing but about halfway through it really starts to get good
January 26, 2013
This is the beginnings of Thor, the Donald Blake intro is different to the modern stories. It is very much of its time with lots of fights and bad guys. The mythology raises it above its contemparies, and the romance does become believable. Even if Jane is a bit wet at first. A good read.
May 6, 2011
Jack Kirby is a GOD!!
March 14, 2013
Jack Kirby is like an old friend
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