Walking with Superman: Day 112

When Superman visited the 14th Century on a mission for Thor, he and his viking allies imprisoned the wounded Frost Giant deep beneath Lake Superior. But when conditions are right at the lake, the Giant stirs, trying to escape its ancient bonds. It came closest on November 10, 1975, when hurricane-force winds swept across the lake during a terrible winter storm. In its thrashing, the giant managed to sink a freighter, and the legend of that wreck lives on. The lake, it is said, never gives up its dead, but today it will give up its imprisoned! Chill winds blow over Lake Superior, and the jötunn imprisoned therein has finally loosed his bonds. The giant wants revenge, and if he cannot take it from the Aesir and their brood, then he will take it from Superman!

Can you spare a dime?

Okay, allow me to be totally shameless for a moment: I've decided to thin out my comic collection a little bit, which means I'm selling some stuff on eBay. I've got three auctions up now, with more to come in the next couple of days, and it'd be great if you'd all go and check them out and maybe bid on them so I can pay my loans and bills and stuff. Okay?

If that doesn't interest you yet, how about this partial list of the things I'm selling:

• "Astonishing X-Men" #1-12
  
• "New X-Men" #135-154
  
• The complete "Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive" issue collection
  
• "Civil War" #1-7 (first print)
  
• "Civil War: Front Line" #1-5, plus the Wizard World Chicago exclusive #1
  
• "Secret Invasion" #1-8
  
• The complete "Truth: Red, White, & Black" miniseries
  
• Issues #1-13 of the 2001 "Captain America" relaunch
  
• The complete Batman "Hush," "Broken City," "Hush Returns" and "Snow" story arcs
  
• "Thor: Blood Oath" #1-6
  
• Early issues of "Spider-Girl" (including #1) and other MC2 comics
  
• "Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do" #1-6
  
• Kevin Smith's first "Daredevil" issue

And a bunch of other stuff. I know, I know, some of it is stuff I'd probably not buy again either, but there's bound to be something of interest to someone out there in the blogohedron.

Now if only I could unload all these copies of X-Men #1...

A confession

I was wrong about J. Michael Straczynski's "Thor."

I just finished the first trade, and I quite enjoyed it. I like the various juxtapositions: Asgard and small-town Oklahoma, Thor and Don Blake, the drama of the Marvel universe and the drama of the real world, gods and humans, etc. I'm not thrilled with girl-Loki, in part because it's reminiscent of "Earth X," and I've seen what letting elements of "Kingdom Come" seep into the main timeline has done to the DCU. Then again, I'm not sure how permanent a gender change is for a shape-shifting god of mischief.

I'm a bit surprised that the "search for the gods" bit seemed to wrap up so quickly and uneventfully. Sure, the Destroyer popped up, but I expected there to be a bit more epic questing involved. And, while I know this is kind of a dumb question to be asking, isn't anyone suspicious that Asgard popped up just outside a small Oklahoma town right after Don Blake moved in? Or that Thor showed up in Africa while Don Blake was also there in Africa? I know, I know, suspension of disbelief, but it still rankles me a bit.

Despite those little flaws, I really liked the book, the premise, the characterizations, and especially the gorgeous art. I like that it's exploring Thor's godhood more than his superheroics. It's clear that this is the Straczynski who I liked so much at the beginning of his Amazing Spider-Man run, and not the Straczynski I loathed so much at the end of it and in his Fantastic Four run. I'm quite looking forward to picking up the second volume.

So, um...does it continue to be good?