We see the rise of Surter and his attempt to destroy Asgard, including the introduction of Malekith (another Simonson creation, and now-classic Thor villain). So much so that Odin forges and enchants an entirely new hammer (Stormbreaker) for Bill. Simonson begins his run by introducing his creation, Beta Ray Bill - an alien trying to save his race from being wiped out and who proves to be worthy of wielding Mjolnir. He didn't just weave a wonderful tale, but he also illustrated about two thirds of his run before passing the art duties on to Sal Buscema (who also illustrated the Balder the Brave mini-series included in this collection). One worthy of the Norse Gods that he wrote about. You're here for this:įrom 1983 to 1987, Walter Simonson put together a truly epic story. Ok, so enough rambling about how long it took me to read this book or about the differences in printings. Supposedly the binding on the new printing holds up better than the original, as the volume isn't as beefy, but truthfully I haven't experienced any issues with my copy from the original printing (although I do tend to be overly cautious when handling large books such as this). It also sports an illustrated cover under the dust jacket as most modern Marvel omnibi do. Aside from now being affordable to obtain for those who looking to pick it up, the reprint is a slightly more manageable book, due to the thinner paper stock that was used. I loved it so much that I won't be selling my copy any time soon. This volume may no longer be a whale, but in all honesty, I don't care. Then came a reprint to coincide with the release of the aforementioned Thor: Ragnarok. In those five years, this book had become a 'whale' in the collecting world (a highly sought after, difficult to find edition), fetching prices high above its original cover price. As a result, it was shelved, not to be opened again for five and a half years, when I found myself newly motivated to read this classic run (thanks in part to having seen Thor: Ragnarok). By the time I got back to it, I had completely lost track of what I had read to that point, but had read enough that starting over to refresh my memory didn't seem like a fun idea.
BALDER THE BRAVE WALT SIMONSON FREE
Needless to say, I found myself spending most of my free time with her as opposed to sitting around the house reading comics. As a matter of fact, this was the book that I put down in order to go meet her that fateful night. I began reading it immediately and had made my way a little more than half way through before meeting (and becoming very distracted by) the woman who would become my wife. I had no familiarity with the material, but had read enough modern Thor that I felt pretty confident in picking this up (especially after a good friend of mine urged me to do so). Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus - Collecting Thor (1966) #337-355, 357-369, 371-382, and Balder the Brave (1985) #1-4įunny story about my copy of the Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus: I bought this hefty volume back in 2011 when it was first released.