Disney Publishing Worldwide presents Thor: Official Movie Special! Yes, in the wake of the fantastic response from the likes of Phineas and Ferb and Toy Story 3 magazines in the past few months, we now get an inside look at the hottest movie in the world.
From a personal standpoint, I thought this magazine was great. It has tons of cool content – screen shots, a mini-comic, character bios, word searches, puzzles, etc., whatever gets you hyped, it’s here. My favorite, though, has to be the mini-comic. It’s a really cool story with Thor, Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three. Nothing Earth shattering, but a really well done story by Fred van Lente with art by Ron Lim. Anybody that’s read Hercules in the past few years knows Fred has the chops to write a great story involving mythological characters. This was a stand-alone, original story that gave the reader a quick look at the dynamic between the main characters of the movie (Thor, Loki, Sif, Warriors 3, etc.).
There were also a couple pages worth of interviews that I found fascinating, as well. Mostly with the cast, but also one with Director Kenneth Branagh! It was only two or three questions, but it was a great idea for the magazine. Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and a host of others revealed their thoughts on the costumes, their roles in the movie, and one even commented on their affection for comics from a young age. These types of things make it readable for an adult, and for a young reader, too. My kids really enjoyed the quizzes about Thor!
I’ll end with two quick observations. First, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t read this magazine before you do. It has a ton of spoilers in it. Second, the magazine was great, but great as it is, the $9.99 price tag seems a little steep. Don’t get me wrong, hardcore fans of Thor the character or the movie will want to pick this up, but it really isn’t going to entice anyone that doesn’t belong to those two groups.
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
A copy was provided by the publisher for review.
