Geek of Oz

Thor: The Mighty Avenger, written by Roger Langridge and illustrated by Chris Samnee has been an outstanding book, an absolute pleasure to read. Surely with the Thor feature film just around the corner a new ongoing series set outside of continuity would be a hit with new and old readers alike. But critical acclaim can only keep a title afloat for so long and eventually the publisher will start to question the numbers. I have been a strong and very vocal supporter of this series which will sadly come to an end in January. But why?

In-Store Now THOR: THE MIGHTY AVENGER #4 COVER BY:         CHRIS SAMNEE WRITER:             ROGER LANGRIDGE PENCILS:            CHRIS SAMNEE INKS:                  CHRIS SAMNEE COLORED BY:    MATTHEW WILSON LETTERED BY:  NEUROTIC CARTOONIST, INC Released last week was issue #4 of the all ages Marvel book, Thor: The Mighty Avenger. In this issue we see The Warriors Three, Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg pop into Midgard for a wee visit on their banished cohort, Thor. Arriving in a magical goat-drawn Norse chariot they take attempt to take Thor on a boys night out to Jottunheim on behalf of "The All Father" Odin to teach his boy some humility.

We’re currently in an “All Ages” comic book renaissance spurned on by the Adventures line from Marvel and DC Kids from…well… DC. Further to this we’re lucky to have access to Fraggle Rock from Archaia, the Disney lines from Boom Kids! and Bongo Comics who have been pumping out titles like the Simpsons and Futurama since 1993. While the term “all ages” may seem to ooze with superfluity when talking about comic books, this is purely to distinguish Lockjaw and Uncle Scrooge from Hit Girl and Franken-Castle. All ages books are just that, all ages. They are accessible and appropriate for any age group, my personal view on the rating is that it differs from a television “G” rating in that it’s not purely a mark that it’s suitable for children. The all ages stamp to me indicates that the book is suitable for children but still enjoyable for us big children too, which makes perfect sense since we’re the ones with money. I’m a big fan of these comics if for no other reason but because they are...