Few moments in comic lore as momentous as the one featured on the Thor cover above. When Beta Ray Bill suddenly appeared thanks to the earth-shaking changes made by Walt Simonson, it was just what the cover implies, a dramatic and abrupt passing of the old and an embracing of a new way forward.
This is the static Thor cover which preceded the coming of Simonson and Beta Ray Bill, a typical but rather bland offering from the House of Ideas. Thor was a durable read, but at that time hardly an exciting one.
Simonson arrived on the scene and all that changed and suddenly the status quo was gone and we were treated to new excitements.
Below you can see how this artistic monument came to be.
The changes promised arrived with luster and sass.
The next several years of Thor did not disappoint. I'm very happy that some of Simonson's vivacious design sense made its way into the movie Thor - The Dark World.
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I've still got my original copies of those comics, but the scary thing is that, after 30 odd years, they're in far better condition than I am. Maybe I should live in a plastic bag with cardboard backing?
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet traded these away, but it might be very soon. I don't have these in any other format, though many are available.
DeleteAnd it's the exposure to light that does you in; I stay inside most of the time. Keeps me minty.
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