Thor: Ragnarok

[Local Hero]

Reported 13/04/2004
Source Newsarama
by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Asgard’s gotten a new Lord in the form of Thor. And the Thunder God is about to get a new creative team.

Mike Avon Oeming is taking over the reigns of Thor for six issues starting this June, as part of the Brian Bendis and David Finch’s “Avengers Disassemble,” an event that also brings Robert Kirkman and Scott Eaton to Captain America, and Mark Ricketts and Tony Harris to Iron Man. "Bendis got me in the door, he has huge coat-tails,” Oeming told Newsarama. “But once I was in, they had to read over Hammer of the Gods and my other books to see if I could handle the job. So far, so good.

Despite being the artist on Bendis’ Powers series (as announced last week, Powers will move from Image Comics to Marvel’s Icon, a new imprint for creator-owned and licensed properties) and having written Parliament of Justice and co-written Bastard Samurai (with Miles Gunter) and Hammer of the Gods (with Mark Wheatley), Oeming believes that what’s important is his storytelling skills and that’s what he thinks has gotten him the gig in the first place. “I think a basic understanding of pacing and story structure can get you a long way. It certainly isn’t my spelling! The fact is, I don’t think many writers, even writers better than I, have a good grasp of pacing and structure. They have great insights, amazing way with words and relying emotions and subtext in ways I never could, but many of the same writers have no sense of pacing. Sometimes, the basics can take you a long way as a writer. Also, I consider myself more of a storyteller than a writer. I struggle with writing and in no way claim to be a great writer, but I think I’m a good storyteller.”

Thor first appeared in the pages of Journey Into Mystery #83. Many creators have stamped their mark on the legend of Thor and his adventures on earth and Asgard. To Oeming: “He's a God who knows what it is to be mortal. I don’t really see him as a part of either world, I don’t see earth really relating to him, and yet I don’t really think he relates to the Gods because of his relation with humanity. I think he's pretty lonely. His dad is dead, his brother is his enemy and his real mother is a force of nature. He probably drinks a lot.” In a way, Oeming’s six-issue arc pays homage to past creators as well as the recent events from departing writer Dan Jurgens’ run. “It’s a touchstone to the series overall, recalling moments from [Jack] Kirby, [John] Buscema, [Walt] Simonson and [Dan] Jurgens. I don’t want to give too much away. Let’s say you’ll see things here that have never been done in Thor before. This is a lot about Thor’s family, his relation to Asgard as its Lord in absence of his father, what does it mean to lead the Gods - to be a god - to rise above the rest and become a god? It sounds grand, but truly it’s a personal Thor story. This is his story. There's lots of ‘cosmic gobbly-gook’ but it’s truly a personal story about Thor.

“My story takes place just before ‘Avengers Disassemble,’ [writer Brian Bendis’ upcoming storyline in Avengers] so if it’s referenced at all, it would be in his run. Cap and Iron Man show up in the second issue, so maybe they'll mention Thor and his troubles in Asgard at some point. And yes, some of Dan’s will carry over. A lot of the characters from Thor’s past will show up, some for old time’s sake, others are too close to Thor and part of his experience to just show up and say hi. There’s a real fellowship with Thor and the Warriors Three, Sif and the cast over the years that I want to explore.” If it sounds like he’s got a solid working knowledge of both Thor and his supporting cast, it’s because, well, Thor and his homeland are something he can still go sort of fanboy over. “One of the comics that made me fall in love with comics was X-Men Annual #9 by Art Adams. Thor wasn’t in it, but it took place in Asgard. Then I got into Simonson’s run and that sealed it. Also, I’m a fan of mythology and Norse mythology is amazing. I’m a big fan of Zeppelin, and they have tons of references to Vikings and Lord of the Rings, so those were also influences.”

As for his favorite stories, “Simonson’s run is my favorite for story content - but Buscema’s work was my favorite in terms of pure fun and joy. They could do anything in there and it was great.” Although he’s an artist himself – one that’s even tackled “thor” in Hammer of the Gods, Oeming’s not drawing his Thor story. Joining him on the series is Brath and Dragonlance: The Legend of Huma artist Andrea DeVito. “At this point I’m only writing. I’d love to draw Thor at some point. Andea is doing amazing work, but the covers are handled by Steve Epting.” What’s it like working with another artist? Does he come up with sketches, designs and layouts for DeVito, or do they throw ideas off of each other and come up with a consensus on the artistic side of their collaboration? “I trust him - he did Brath for CrossGen, so he knows the world,” Oeming said. “I ‘talk’ to him through the text of the script, but I really just sit back and watch him do his thing - the pages are amazing. I get details with the visuals but always preface them by saying he can just do his thing, as an artist, I can’t help but write visually, still Andrea has to do his thing. He's great.”

As for the look of the Thunder God, think basic Asgardian, worthy of worship by the Norse. “We brought back the classic look to Thor,” Oeming said. “I think Thor just needs to look powerful and not too refined - he's very organic. I don’t know Andrea's influences, but it has the feel of [George] Perez with the smoothness of, say, Alan Davis.”

Look for Oeming and DeVito’s Thor in June – both issues #80 and #81 ship that month.

To get to know the creator and to keep up-to-date on the latest news from Oeming, visit his website at http://www.mike-oeming.com and join the Oeming Newsletter by emailing him at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:oeming@aol.com">oeming@aol.com</a><!-- e -->