Annuals take a lot of different forms. The overblown, major event, link-them-all style seems to have died out, finally. I can’t say I miss those. This one features three different stories. As has been the case in Aaron’s run on Thor, three different time periods share the action. King Thor, ruler of Asgard, is far in the future, thousands of years from now. The current Thor is, expectedly, in the modern era. And they have developed a fondness for showing a much younger Thor, before he won Mjolnir, back in the Viking era. These stories are a mixed bag in my opinion. 

In King Thor’s time, little remains of what we know now. Most of the characters we know are long gone, and this story opens with Thor mourning the last of one of the races. There’s not much of a supporting cast in a mostly dead realm, but Jason Aaron has introduced Frigg, Ellisiv, and Atli- the “girls of Thunder-“ Thor’s granddaughters. This story shows the girls trying to come up with a special present for Thor’s birthday.

The current, female Thor has the middle story. While Thor has approved of her, very few others have, not helped by no one knowing who she is. She goes drinking in a tavern in Asgard, and runs into the Warriors Three. The Warriors also don’t know who she is. They dare her to do a series of tasks, like a comical version of the Labors of Hercules. Along the way, she manages to earn their respect, and make some friends.

The young Thor story is a bit goofy. The art is cartoonish, and it largely revolves around a big drinking match. Among the characters that turn up are the Warriors Three, Loki, Mephisto, and Hercules. The combination of the story and the art just didn’t do much for me.

Plot: The first story gets a 4.5 out of 5, the second a 4 out of 5, and the third a 2 out of 5. Sorry, it just wasn’t up my alley. But the first was incredible and the second pretty damn good.

Art: The first one gets a 4 out of 5. There were some great scenes there. The second a 3 out of 5. I think it was supposed to be a watercolor look, but it just looked a bit washed out to me. The third one gets a 2 out of 5. It was clownish. I get it was a stylistic choice, maybe even supposed to represent the amount of alcohol drunk, but it just looked weird.

Positives: The King Thor era is a rich interesting place, and I like how Aaron is slowly exploring it. The modern, female Thor is an interesting character I’m enjoying getting to know. Mephisto getting mistake for a different demon was at least somewhat amusing.

Negatives: The third story was just kind of juvenile. It didn’t seem to match the others in tone, or quality.

I think the Annual is worth picking up for the first story alone, and the second was enjoyable. I’m sure the third appeals to some.

Thor Annual 1

Writer: Jason Aaron/Noelle Stevenson/CM Punk
Artist: Timothy Truman/Marguerite Sauvage/Rob Guillory
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Cover: Rafael Albuquerque