Marvel is Gender-bending Thor!

[Tev]

Well, sort of. It turns out an upcoming story of indeterminate length (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/15/marvel-thor-woman_n_5588107.html) has the Thor we know and love screwing up badly and becoming unworthy to wield his hammer, so a lovely lady picks it up and gets to be Thor for a while.

Marvel Comics announced a huge change to one of its iconic heroes, Thor, on Tuesday's episode of "The View." The hammer-wielding god of thunder will now be a woman in the comic series.

“It's a huge day in the Marvel Universe,” Whoopi Goldberg said on the show. “Thor, the God of Thunder, he messed up, and he's no longer worthy to hold that damn hammer of his. For the first time in history, that hammer is being held by a woman. That's right. Thor is a woman!"

Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby created Thor in 1962, and he was originally sent to Earth by his father Odin to learn about humility. According to artwork shown on "The View," the female character will be blonde. As noted by Newsarama, fans expect to find out more about the female Thor leading up to Comic-Con.

She looks awesome:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/Loneglade/o-THOR-570_zpsa7897676.jpg

[Bells]

I dunno what the story is, so i can't comment on that. Clearly a push to marketing or whatever, don't really care that much...

Her design though... stupid.

That photo you posted it's fine. The OTHER one that is going around? The full body profile shot... it's just fucking dumb.

I'm not even going to touch the argument that the ''boob armor'' makes no sense. It's comics... i get it... but it just looks badly composed and busy. She looks like a weird mash of Half Wonder Woman half Hawkgirl with a metal mask that goes down to the chest level... really didn't enjoy it...

[Tev]

I can't find that other picture you mention. It seems lost in a sea of cosplay and fan-art.

EDIT: Unless you mean this one...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/Loneglade/thor-lady-618x400_zpsaec7c1a6.jpg

But it doesn't seem all that busy, or too far off from Marvel's normal stylings.

[Kim]

Her outfit looks fine, and she looks cool and this is the first time I've actually been even slightly interested in reading Marvel comics stuff. And yeah that outfit isn't busy at all.

[Amake]

I will say Thor is one of the toughest superhumans in the Marvel universe, and a steel bra might just be molded for maximal comfort* as it would be entirely superfluous as armor. Of course there's always excuses for when you want to draw cheesecake, and that time is always when the mainstream comic books involve women characters. . .

*Recall an article by a woman with breasts that gave her back problems, who said if she could have any mutant power she'd want Magneto's power.

[Azisien]

I am now amending my request for GF's future cosplay... and done.

[MuMu]

Loki is suing

[pochercoaster]

I don't mind her design. She looks like the female counterpart to Thor, which, well, she is. The boob armor is kind of annoying but it could be worse. (It's kind of weird how that outfit looks modest compared most other female characters in comics, video games, etc.) Aesthetically, it doesn't really look busy. It doesn't grab me as something particularly creative or inventive but it's not hideous, either.

Anyways, it's cool to get more women in comics, assuming they don't screw up her character. It'd be nice to get more non-white characters, though.

[Bells]

Really? The Doghnut shoulder pads that do nothing, the Cone helmet that is all like '' my face doesn't matter because i'm a stronger warrior'' but then is met ''But look at my silver plated shiny boobs!" and the sleeve in one arm but not the other, and the slight midriff but not really with the skirt and the greek sandals straps that go over the black onesie and UGH...

Plus, i'm really not a big fan of boob armor, because it's the most impractical dumb type of armor you could want in your chest! what you want a convex surface across the chest so that any blow to it gets naturally derailed to the sides. With boob armor when you get hit there, you have a nasty chance of any blunt momentum to be shifted to the center of your chest. Plus, what goddamn Blacksmith is going to be making the same piece of armor twice to fit females AND males? One size fits all!! It's super dumb! But again... comic books... fine.

Now the only possible redeeming value is seeing how they do the transfer of power... that will make it or break it for me.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Bells.
The "donut shoulder pads" are what the cape attaches to.

Also, having a metal gauntlet over the wrist she swings the hammer around might restrict movement. It's the same logic behind knights having asymmetrically designed gauntlets, one of which needed greater range of movement while the other needed better protection in case it was used to deflect something.

[pochercoaster]

Okay wait.

I didn't see the whole outfit, which you can see here. (http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Entertainment/876/493/thor%20woman%20marvel%20660.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)

The outfit it still not particularly awful, IMO, but wtf is the artist doing with her spine?

I agree that boob armor is stupid though, and I would like it go away forever. I also agree that asymmetrical features that don't serve a purpose are also kind of dumb- either both her arms get armor, or neither! Otherwise it just looks like typical uninspired comic hero stuff.

Also, having a metal gauntlet over the wrist she swings the hammer around might restrict movement. It's the same logic behind knights having asymmetrically designed gauntlets, one of which needed greater range of movement while the other needed better protection in case it was used to deflect something.

If this is part of her design then I have no qualms with the asymmetry. Makes sense.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

If this is part of her design then I have no qualms with the asymmetry. Makes sense.

I will say I'm just talking about what I think they're going for. It's totally possible the artist just decided it looked cool or something.

[akaSM]

Really? The Doghnut shoulder pads that do nothing.

http://23.media.tumblr.com/V7AEKbWICmulni36JhbTk1FPo1_500.png

[Azisien]

I also agree that asymmetrical features that don't serve a purpose are also kind of dumb- either both her arms get armor, or neither! Otherwise it just looks like typical uninspired comic hero stuff.

Real world tactical considerations would most likely suggest that everywhere be covered in as much armor as possible, but we mortals are far more squishy than Thor, who can afford to go for a more ceremonial piece and still kick ass because... super powers.

As for the arm armor, I thought about it, and it's on the arm that she would likely block a blow with? Her buckler, so to speak. Not much will get near the other arm and survive to tell the tale, if Mjolnir has any sway in the matter.

[mauve]

I'm honestly just happy to see she's not in a bikini.

I think the bullet-shaped helmet is kinda goofy looking, but she's wearing pants and her chest armor doesn't have a cleavage window, so I've no complaints.

[POS Industries]

The outfit it still not particularly awful, IMO, but wtf is the artist doing with her spine?
Yeah, I didn't really think about it until you said anything but it looks like the artist was going for having her walking with her right shoulder swinging back as her right leg steps forward and then forgot to have the arm swing back as well, leaving it and the hammer still out in front of her.

I just tried seeing if that pose could ever happen naturally and it hurt.

[Krylo]

Real world tactical considerations would most likely suggest that everywhere be covered in as much armor as possible,

Eh. There's a reason full plate went out of style about the time crossbows and arabesques came into it. Armor is only worth that loss of mobility, extra heat, and extra weight if it actually protects you.

Real world tactical considerations for Thor would probably just be a comfortable shirt and pants that are easy to move in and breath well, as anything that can hurt Thor isn't getting stopped by steel, anyway.

That said, I think what they're going for there is less about practicality, and more about drawing forth the idea of a viking shield maiden or valkyrie, while maintaining the comic feel, and that's probably what it should be judged by, and it's something they did well, in my opinion.

[Bard The 5th LW]

The lighting on her chest makes the armor look a bit weird to me because it seems like the metal is moving in two totally different directions but otherwise its not particularly the worst thing I've seen on a female super hero.

Also Thor Girl was apparently already a thing once. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Girl)

[MSperoni]

Thor as a frog was a thing once as well.

[Kim]

Eh. There's a reason full plate went out of style about the time crossbows and arabesques came into it. Armor is only worth that loss of mobility, extra heat, and extra weight if it actually protects you.

Real world tactical considerations for Thor would probably just be a comfortable shirt and pants that are easy to move in and breath well, as anything that can hurt Thor isn't getting stopped by steel, anyway.

That said, I think what they're going for there is less about practicality, and more about drawing forth the idea of a viking shield maiden or valkyrie, while maintaining the comic feel, and that's probably what it should be judged by, and it's something they did well, in my opinion.

agreed

[Sithdarth]

Real world tactical considerations for Thor would probably just be a comfortable shirt and pants that are easy to move in and breath well, as anything that can hurt Thor isn't getting stopped by steel, anyway.

I thought Asgardians have super special magical metals or something. I mean they have the Uru stuff that they make weapons out of (like Thor's hammer and realistically probably some armor pieces) and whatever The Destroyer armor is made from. Also, I imagine that the Dwarfs are in general way better at making super strong metal than humans and of course there is the magic thing.

All in all I think it is safe to assume that any armor an Asgardian god would decided to wear probably offers some measure of protection even if it is only minor.

[Bum Bill Bee]

Am I the only one who predicts a She-Thor vs. She-Hulk comic coming up?

Because y'know I've already seen high quality fanarts of X-23 vs. She-Hulk.

[Aerozord]

ok I got into a mild argument and am unsure if this information even exists.

Is this a woman taking on the mantle of Thor, or is this changing the Norris pantheon so Thor is a woman now?

[Red Mage Black]

Well, from what I've seen thus far, the title of this thread is a little misleading. I tend to assume that gender-bending is something that happens when a male character is changed to be female(or vice-versa) through some usually explained thing(magic, potion, high-tech,etc). It sounds more like, "You can't do your job as well as we thought you could," to Male-Thor and they're handing off his shiny armor and powers to a new character all together. So, my guess is the former.

[Azisien]

as anything that can hurt Thor isn't getting stopped by steel, anyway.

I don't think Asgardian armor is just steel, but as far as it's ever probably going to matter to the writer of a comic book, you're probably correct. All superheroes should fight in their underpants though, and if it's not already a special issue it should be.

[Aerozord]

I don't think Asgardian armor is just steel, but as far as it's ever probably going to matter to the writer of a comic book, you're probably correct. All superheroes should fight in their underpants though, and if it's not already a special issue it should be.

I'm reading a manga with an american style superhero where they play this straight. His main reason for dodging enemy attacks is because of how often things like explosions and energy blasts leave him naked.

[PyrosNine]

The Gender bended Thor was in some crazy alternate print comic (http://tgfa.org/comics/thor/thor.htm) I read where they ended up raiding heaven near the end or some shit, where Loki convinced Odin that Thor was too proud, so that Thor should be a valkyrie for a while. And Odin was like, "Lol, kay, I see no problem with this." and then Thor was a woman.

...As for Thor, this particular trope is only notable in that the hammer's being given to a woman, as Thor has been found "unworthy" repeatedly, REPEATEDLY because Asgard runs on BS rules (even though Asgard has been blown up and rebuilt like, three times now, and coulda sworn Thor was dead last I heard) and the hammer has been held by some random dude from Canada, a horseman from outerspace, Captain America, and the like, and all of this ignores the fact that Thor is Thor because his name is Thor, not because it's some hereditary title or job, he is the literal freakin' Thor. Amadeus Cho got Hercule's powers for awhile (and I think Thor's too, actually) and nobody called him Hercules. Or Kid Hercules.

I do worry that this might be a short run, because most of the appeal of Thor was that he was Thor, Asgardian god, and this colored every interaction with the rest of the marvel universe. The thee's and thou's man! And then just hand it off to somebody, who from the sounds of it, isn't asgardian and isn't in any edda, and say "Hey, you're Thor now."

Maybe if she says Thee and Thou randomly in conversation, nobody will notice.

[Bells]

Honestly, if Marvel or DC just want to cater to female audience, they could have an entire line of comics based around Gender Bending.

I recall that in the Marvel lore, there are multiple earths (i think the main one is called 616 or something ) and each Earth has a different story and alterations... there is a ''Zombie earth'' there is a ''everyone is apes'' earth... and there is an Entire gender Bended universe. Usually those are all played for humorous and ''what if's'' but it's not like you can't do a decent story there... you just have to focus on not having shitty writing and ''Anal controlled camera angles'' .

[MSperoni]

Honestly, if Marvel or DC just want to cater to female audience, they could have an entire line of comics based around Gender Bending.

Or they could just make comics about the women characters they already have, and like, not fuck it up.

[Tev]

Am I the only one who predicts a She-Thor vs. She-Hulk comic coming up?

Because y'know I've already seen high quality fanarts of X-23 vs. She-Hulk.
http://31.media.tumblr.com/44efe015469c0c86c1ea9bd61bece2fe/tumblr_n8rtqm18kT1s2wio8o2_500.png

Marvel Comics is making Thor a woman. From Time Magazine:

TIME: How do you think this will impact fans who have been with the male version of Thor for such a long time?

Jason Aaron, writer of the Thor series: If you’re a long-time Thor fan you know there’s kind of a tradition from time to time of somebody else picking up that hammer. Beta Ray Bill was a horse-faced alien guy who picked up the hammer. At one point Thor was a frog. So I think if we can accept Thor as a frog and a horse-faced alien, we should be able to accept a woman being able to pick up that hammer and wield it for a while, which surprisingly we’ve never really seen before.

Time: Marvel Comics Writers Explain Why They’re Making Thor a Woman (http://time.com/2987551/thor-marvel-woman/)
Hope that clears things up.

---------- Post added at 08:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------

...As for Thor, this particular trope is only notable in that the hammer's being given to a woman, as Thor has been found "unworthy" repeatedly, REPEATEDLY because Asgard runs on BS rules (even though Asgard has been blown up and rebuilt like, three times now, and coulda sworn Thor was dead last I heard) and the hammer has been held by some random dude from Canada, a horseman from outerspace, Captain America, and the like, and all of this ignores the fact that Thor is Thor because his name is Thor, not because it's some hereditary title or job, he is the literal freakin' Thor. Amadeus Cho got Hercule's powers for awhile (and I think Thor's too, actually) and nobody called him Hercules. Or Kid Hercules.

From the article:
Axel Alonso, Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief: She wields the hammer because Thor can’t. This is different because for reasons we can’t disclose quite yet, Thor is unable to pick up the hammer. There are a number of women in Thor’s life, and we’re going to tease out for quite awhile the identity of who this woman is. But one of the women in Thor’s life picks up the hammer. She is in fact worthy. And she becomes Thor.

There’s only one Thor in the Marvel Universe. The character we know as Thor will not refer to himself as Thor anymore.

[Bells]

Or they could just make comics about the women characters they already have, and like, not fuck it up.

Woooow wow wow!! Hold your horses there future man, what's with all these crazy ideas you're having there?! Let's not go down the crazy hole just yet....!


Next you'll be suggesting that story continuity should make some sense and that large scale event should not be wiped and rendered meaningless within the same year they are created... HAH.... crazy kids....



But one of the women in Thor’s life picks up the hammer.

Well... new Thor is blond. That narrows it down. It's not Syf then...

[Tev]

Well, unless part of the Hammer's power is also transformational blond hair?

[Dracorion]

If that were true, Tev, then Beta Ray Bill would have a flowing mane of blond hair.

In any case, the same writer who's been writing Thor's main title is the one doing fem-Thor, so it's probably a part of the story he's telling, so I have some confidence the whole switch be handled well. Plus, just because Thor isn't Thor anymore doesn't mean he still won't be around to kick ass. He should still be the God of Thunder and be super strong and capable of slicing up bad guys with his backup axe.

[Tev]

If that were true, Tev, then Beta Ray Bill would have a flowing mane of blond hair.Bill didn't have hair to magically bleach. Neither did Frog Thor coincidentally.

[Aerozord]

Personally I'd like to see a Thor with red hair and a beard like the actual mythology

[POS Industries]

There’s only one Thor in the Marvel Universe. The character we know as Thor will not refer to himself as Thor anymore.
That is interesting, actually, seeing as "Thor Odinson" is just his name. I suppose he'll either simply go by "Odinson" or maybe get all mopey and start calling himself "The Unworthy" or something.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

maybe get all mopey and start calling himself "The Unworthy" or something.

It's modern comics, always bet on the mopiest option

[Aerozord]

But that hurts the comic. Him being the actual deity Thor, is part of his appeal. This kind of cheapens him being Thor at all since, while we know its the same Thor from the myths, now its saying godhood is something you can just give to people.

Apply this kind of logic to other heroes. Imagine if someone else puts on the Iron Man armor and now that guys is Tony Stark.

[Bells]

In my writings i was working in a world where the concept was ''what if all mythologies were correct and real at the same time'' and in that writing, Godhood was a title that a particularly exceptional soul would aspire to and transcend. Some Gods could take hundreds of thousands of years to die out and have to pass their essence to another soul-vessel, while other minor goods of older cultures and less reach in the mind of men, could take a few thousand years... and in that writing, Odin was like this, someone would rise in the ranks once in thousands and thousands of years to become ''The'' Odin.

That was the idea to equate how different cultures and timelines would view and recall the same gods by different names and visual aspects... It would also tie a God figure existence to it's relevancy in the human mind and culture, so more relevant deities would just live longer and be more powerful, and inevitably all would collapse to nothingness anyway as cultures come and go and heaven, hell and earth renew it selves in the mind of men. Even if it took tens of thousands of years...

So, for one, i'm glad to know i can write at Marvel Levels....

Secondly, i can see where they are going with this... kinda... maybe...

And third, they are really going out of their way to make a note that ''This is THOR, not Thor-Like'' but the entire concept breaths on their choice of who takes the hammer and HOW Thor looses it... could be good, 70% chance of it sucking and getting erased before 2015.

[Dracorion]

But that hurts the comic. Him being the actual deity Thor, is part of his appeal. This kind of cheapens him being Thor at all since, while we know its the same Thor from the myths, now its saying godhood is something you can just give to people.

The Wrecking Crew are normal humans who acquired the power of gods by accident.

Also: everyone in Marvel history who has picked up Thor's hammer.

In any case, I imagine new Thor will just be taking up the name to try to live up to old Thor's legend.

As far as old Thor's naming issue, I ran into this little gem thanks to the internet:

"But I have many names, serpent, even as you. Vingthor the Hurler, Longbeard's Son, have I been called. Hrodr's foeman, too. In Tyr's ancestral home, wisest Hymir knew my name as Veur; unhappy Hrungnir's playmate some have called me. East of Elvigar in Gianthome they whisper Hloriddi's name. My father called me son. My mother called me darling. And beneath the vaults of Heaven, I am Thor Odinson, the Thunderer, Jormungand's Fear! "

- The Mighty Thor #379

Anyway. Chances are guy-Thor will have the hammer back by 2016 or 17 or something. Even if new Thor turns out to be great, same as the Superior Spider-Man. But hopefully she'll just end up as Thorwoman or something instead of dying or getting depowered.

[Aerozord]

The Wrecking Crew are normal humans who acquired the power of gods by accident.

Also: everyone in Marvel history who has picked up Thor's hammer.

But those people didn't become gods, they just got the powers of them. Not like when Beta-Ray Bill picked up Thor's hammer everyone went "you are Thor now"

In any case, I imagine new Thor will just be taking up the name to try to live up to old Thor's legend.I'm fine with that, its this whole "Thor isn't Thor anymore." Many storylines about many superheroes is about how they are not their powers, this really undercuts things by saying Thor God of Thunder is literally just his powers and that is it.

Which still could be ok, back when Thor was just a superhero identity but that hasn't been true for awhile

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

But those people didn't become gods, they just got the powers of them. Not like when Beta-Ray Bill picked up Thor's hammer everyone went "you are Thor now"


Beta-Ray Bill didn't pick it up after Thor had become unworthy. He just temporarily wielded it because he was also worthy. Whether it was Bill or not I can't imagine there was a total absence of people who complained about whoever else besides Thor first wielded the hammer, because that had never been done before.

It's in comic logic written by an author, and it's subject to change just as easily as it was written, because that's how fiction is. I don't understand why it's a problem, especially when it's getting more female representation into the world, and better yet representation as a powerhouse hero.
And, I mean, the character that was Thor is still the individual that inspired the norse myths about Thor. But that particular "Title" is being taken away from him.

[Aerozord]

Beta-Ray Bill didn't pick it up after Thor had become unworthy. He just temporarily wielded it because he was also worthy. Whether it was Bill or not I can't imagine there was a total absence of people who complained about whoever else besides Thor first wielded the hammer, because that had never been done before.

It's in comic logic written by an author, and it's subject to change just as easily as it was written, because that's how fiction is. I don't understand why it's a problem, especially when it's getting more female representation into the world, and better yet representation as a powerhouse hero.
And, I mean, the character that was Thor is still the individual that inspired the norse myths about Thor. But that particular "Title" is being taken away from him.
thats just an issue with the logic

I can see this as being a step up but I'd much rather see a female superhero unique in her own right than "female version of a male hero".

[Dracorion]

From the character's perspective, I can see how suddenly not being able to lift Mjolnir might come as a huge blow to him and lead to something of an identity crisis that causes him to renounce the name of Thor.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

thats just an issue with the logic

I don't think it is.


Also, this was golden.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsmHF20CQAA9ZVg.jpg

[POS Industries]

But that hurts the comic. Him being the actual deity Thor, is part of his appeal. This kind of cheapens him being Thor at all since, while we know its the same Thor from the myths, now its saying godhood is something you can just give to people.
This is actually taking the superhero identity of Thor back to its roots, wherein originally Thor was simply a mantle held by Donald Blake when he was found worthy to wield Mjolnir and be host to the power of Thor. Blake having been the thunder god himself wasn't retconned in until issue #158. Eric Masterson was Thor for a while, as well, and even Beta Ray Bill has referred to himself as "Thor" while wielding Mjolnir.

The superhero identity Thor has never specifically had to refer to Thor Odinson, the Asgardian, it just usually has. Just for the time being, though, it won't.

[Token]

Loki's whole deal the past couple of years has been that Loki is no longer the Loki of old (except he was and now he is and isn't), and that the Gods are essentially living stories, and those stories can be rewritten, and things actually change. It's not that unreasonable for that line of thought to progress to the point where Thor is no longer Thor, and someone else has shifted into the role, name and story and all.

It's ridiculous metafictional comic logic, but it's consistent with what it is, so there's no real reason to act like it's some massive blasphemy, when all you're really showing is that you don't know enough about the material for your complaints to carry any weight.

Strongly recommend picking up Gillen's Journey Into Mystery and Young Avengers for better explanation.

[Bells]

Next thing y'know they will be putting a new guy as Captain Ame--- OOH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!!

http://marvel.com/news/comics/2014/7/16/22895/its_time_for_an_all-new_captain_america

[Dracorion]

Yeah, Captain America is going to be black now. Sadly, it doesn't look like anyone's going to be calling him Captain Falcon.

And Iron Man is getting a new title called "Superior Iron Man". (http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/07/16/marvels-avengers-now-captain-america-is-black-thor-is-female-iron-man-has-a-new-suit/) Jury's out on whether or not Tony gets replaced by his evil brother.

[Red Mage Black]

Geez Tony, everybody already knew you were rich. Did you really have to go and make your suit PLATINUM? Question, did Captain America always wear goggles? No problem with the guy under the suit, but the goggles really don't fit to me. (The only facts I ever recall about CA is him riding a motorcycle at some point and his superhuman abilities.) Then again, when did superhero costume design ever make sense?

Well, I hope they do some good backstories for them. For woman Thor, I'd hate to just see, "Pick up hammer, become Thor," and completely ignore any other details. Like you know, the actual character behind the costume. As for the new Captain America, I only briefly recall a black man(I can't recall his name, damnit) on the show Agents of SHIELD aspiring to be like him. I doubt it's the same guy though? Not sure.

[Dracorion]

The new Cap is going to be Sam Wilson, AKA The Falcon, AKA the flying black guy in the latest Captain America movie.

As for why the goggles, he's still going to have his Falcon wings even when he becomes Cap, and will presumably use them to fly.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

So he's the superhero equivalent of the eagle from the Steven Colbert opening?

yes

[Aerozord]

maybe this is all because I only skim the waters of american comics so I'm not as desensitized to the skewed logic of them. I'm too used to coherent linear storytelling that the retconned rebooted alternate universe crossover continuity inbreeding of comic book logic makes me face palm

[Flarecobra]

So he's the superhero equivalent of the eagle from the Steven Colbert opening?

yes

Funny you mention it, as that WAS how they announced the new Captain America.

[POS Industries]

maybe this is all because I only skim the waters of american comics so I'm not as desensitized to the skewed logic of them. I'm too used to coherent linear storytelling that the retconned rebooted alternate universe crossover continuity inbreeding of comic book logic makes me face palm
Well, you're free to turn right around and go back to not following them.

[Aerozord]

They can do this properly, I just dont have much faith that they will. It sounds like they are really over-complicating things. So many ways to solve this. Have Thor still be Thor, just she calls herself that as a matter of convience cause its not like the people of Earth give a crap about Asgardian politics. Kill Thor off (he'll be back in a year either way) so you can just avoid the issue all together. Heck just do some universe altering event where Thor was female to start with.

Only way I can see this working with how they set it up is if "Thor" really is purely a job title. Not even that, more like its the name of whoever owns the hammer which admittedly is basically his original origin. Which would retcon that Thor was never "Thor" to start with, just the current user of the hammer. Possibly with some line of Thors throughout history.

What I meant when I said it wouldn't be good for the comic Thor became alot more popular when he was the actual Thor of myth so going back to a previous, less popular interpretation seems unwise. I imagine they are trying to have their cake and eat it. Elevating someone so they can keep all of the myth while still being able to kill off/change the protagonist on a whim

[POS Industries]

It's good to hear you'll be picking up this book to find out, then.

That's what you're saying, right?

[Aerozord]

It's good to hear you'll be picking up this book to find out, then.

That's what you're saying, right?

maybe. This falls under the same category as characters dying. It sounds more like a publicity stunt to drum up sales that will just revert back to a status quo. So I definitely will not be picking it up when it launches. If I hear its really good and interesting I may pick it up if finances allow.

Either case I wait until trades are available because of how often they pull crap like "continued in a completely different series". Though with digital releases I am considering changing this policy as its easier to organize such things

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Yeah, Captain America is going to be black now. Sadly, it doesn't look like anyone's going to be calling him Captain Falcon.

And Iron Man is getting a new title called "Superior Iron Man". (http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/07/16/marvels-avengers-now-captain-america-is-black-thor-is-female-iron-man-has-a-new-suit/) Jury's out on whether or not Tony gets replaced by his evil brother.

Comic book fans will note the very pointed addition of the word “Superior” to the title. The last time that happened, it was Superior Spider-Man, and Doctor Octopus took over Peter Parker’s brain. Doc Ock won’t be invading Tony’s frontal lobe, but Alonso does note, “Like the Superior Spider-Man, Superior Iron Man is a character that’s hard to root for.” The series is written by Tom Taylor and drawn by In a series written by Tom Taylor and drawn by Yildiray Cinar.

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooo NOT AGAIN PLEASE.
Christ Superior Spider-Man was just... gagh. Blech. insert jontron noises.



So he's the superhero equivalent of the eagle from the Steven Colbert opening?

yes

Funny you should mention that.
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Colbert-Falcon.jpg
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/07/stephen-colbert-flies-high-as-marvels-all-new-falcon/

edit: wait shit Flare totally beat me to it being funny that you mentioned this goddamn.

maybe this is all because I only skim the waters of american comics so I'm not as desensitized to the skewed logic of them. I'm too used to coherent linear storytelling that the retconned rebooted alternate universe crossover continuity inbreeding of comic book logic makes me face palm

Aero I just
Really
wish you'd stop talking about things like you give a damn and know something about the topic and then falling back on admitting that you don't give a damn and can't be bothered to learn more about it.

[Dracorion]

maybe. This falls under the same category as characters dying. It sounds more like a publicity stunt to drum up sales that will just revert back to a status quo. So I definitely will not be picking it up when it launches. If I hear its really good and interesting I may pick it up if finances allow.

Either case I wait until trades are available because of how often they pull crap like "continued in a completely different series". Though with digital releases I am considering changing this policy as its easier to organize such things

Thor: God of Thunder, which is Thor's current comic, has been really great, actually. And Jason Aaron who's been writing it is the guy doing fem-Thor, and it's all part of the story he's been telling, so I'm confident that the transition and the even the eventual return of Thor will be amazing. Captain Falcon's deal is the same. Rick Remeder's been writing Captain America and is having Falcon take over as part of the story he's been telling.

Thor's current comic is one of my favorite ever and Cap's, while not as superb in my opinion, has been good and interesting.

The whole ideas of a new Cap and Thor are interesting to me, and I'm confident will be interesting and entertaining stories to read, and that's what I read comics for.

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooo NOT AGAIN PLEASE.
Christ Superior Spider-Man was just... gagh. Blech. insert jontron noises.

Well, everything I've heard since is saying that it's just Tony, not a bad guy taking over or anything. It's just Tony Stark turning up his natural assholishness to 11.

Though, I actually liked Superior Spider-Man sometimes. Basically any time the Spider-Ock appeared outside of his main title, he was an interesting and entertaining character.

[Aerozord]

Aero I just
Really
wish you'd stop talking about things like you give a damn and know something about the topic and then falling back on admitting that you don't give a damn and can't be bothered to learn more about it.

I love comics, thats why I hate what they do in the main lines. I am aware of alot of things in various continuities, enough to know not to bother with them because of how often what I know is outdated. Its why I'm cynical about things like this. I have learned more and its made me more concerned for the idea.

If Thor was, say dead (and stays that way) I'd be perfectly happy with our new Thor. If Thor was still "Thor" and she gets to form her own superhero identity, again fine. But Thor is de-powered, with someone else taking up the mantle. It seems very likely Thor-classic will be back and replacing her and comics dont have the best track record for giving female characters a proper send off. I want this to work, I seriously do but this doesn't look like a great start to me.



Seriously can they just like, have her get readers then get her own weapon like Beta Ray Bill did then we can do a spin-off? That would be a fine justification
Thor: God of Thunder, which is Thor's current comic, has been really great, actually. And Jason Aaron who's been writing it is the guy doing fem-Thor, and it's all part of the story he's been telling, so I'm confident that the transition and the even the eventual return of Thor will be amazing.
hearing its got a good writer is promising. Though I'm still iffy on if the return will be handled well. Just been jaded on how often that just means invalidating just about everything done between leaving and coming back

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Well, everything I've heard since is saying that it's just Tony, not a bad guy taking over or anything. It's just Tony Stark turning up his natural assholishness to 11.

Though, I actually liked Superior Spider-Man sometimes. Basically any time the Spider-Ock appeared outside of his main title, he was an interesting and entertaining character.

I dunno, it just felt like every time that I saw him my internal justice meter was screaming NO THAT BODY ISN'T YOURS GET THE FUCK OUT YOU MONSTEEEEEEEER.

But what I was really getting at was that I don't read comics to not root for the hero. I realize it can't always be true that the protagonist is likable and heroic, but if the writer is specifically trying to angle it in such a way as to make an already liked and heroic character hard for the reader to root for, things tend to get bad.

It might have just been me and my particular distaste for such things, but I think the later parts of Civil War kind of had that problem, where they started out trying to make it seem like both sides had decent points but things just got out of control. And as the scales tipped further and further away from a balanced and reasonable conflict I just really, really couldn't see why the Pro-Registration side continued to exist.