Review of
The Mighty Thor 006,
by Marvel Comics
Five out of five stars
The gods behaving as the ancients thought
What I really
like about this comic is that it portrays the Norse gods as the ancient Norse and
Greek peoples thought of them. Superhuman and immortal to be sure, but also with
an emphasis on the human. These people considered their gods to possess the
human emotions of needing to be loved, hence the requirement that they be
prayed and sacrificed to.
The plot of
this comic is essentially a rivalry between Thor and Loki. The main human is Bodolf,
a king that prayed to Thor before every battle and in repayment, Thor fought
with him. Consequently, Bodolf never lost a battle and grew rich and powerful. Yet,
he reached the point where he no longer thought he needed Thor’s help, which
proved his undoing. The Viking equivalent of destitute, Bodolf is then approached
by Loki and with his help, grows powerful again.
The constant tension
between Thor and Loki is nothing more than human sibling rivalry. This, along
with many other human emotions is how the ancient Norse people viewed their
gods. Therefore, this comic is entertaining and a lesson in mythology.
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