Thor #1 hits newsstands Oct. 1 — and it's special because it features the first female Thor [1]. Marvel's initial announcement sent ripples [2] through cyberspace. Some rejoiced at seeing a woman join the superhero ranks, while others were not so sure about challenging the Thor canon. We spoke to Thor #1 writer Jason Aaron to get the scoop on what's to come for the God(dess) of Thunder. Marvel is also giving POPSUGAR readers a sneak peek at Thor #1, which can be downloaded in digital form [3] tomorrow. Read our interview, then continue on for a preview!
POPSUGAR: When the news broke, you said that this character is unlike any Thor we've seen before. Can you explain that?
Jason Aaron: Her powers are a little bit different; she can do some things that the previous Thor couldn't. Her relationship to the hammer will be a little bit different, and we'll start to see the hammer become much more of a character in and of itself.
PS: And what happens to the old Thor? Is he going anywhere? Does he have a role in this upcoming storyline?
JA: Yep, he still has his own story to be told . . . He's a big part of Thor #1 and bridges the gap between the previous volume of Thor and the new one. Something bad happens to him in issue one, and it's bad enough that he's found himself unworthy that he can't pick up his hammer.
He's still the hero that he's always been, so he's going to go rush in to save the day, but without his hammer he's not quite the same God of Thunder he was before.
I'm as excited to tell his part of the story as I am hers, and those stories will intertwine. As you can imagine, once the Odinson finds out that there's someone else running around with his hammer, he's going to be very interested in confronting that person and finding out just who exactly they are.
PS: I think it's exciting for us to see a male character portrayed so vulnerably, so I'm really looking forward to seeing that.
JA: Not just a male character but a god! I mean, to me, that has been one of the things I've been trying to do with this series and this character from the get-go is to humanize the God of Thunder.
We don't have to necessarily drag Thor and the Asgardians down to our level. We can hopefully lift readers up to their level and dig inside the mind of someone like Thor, who's been around for thousands of years and will be around for thousands more, but even given all that, we can still find ways that we can relate to and understand what someone like Thor is going through.
PS: Did the direction come from Marvel, or did you have this idea of a female Thor in your head many issues ago?
JA: I knew pretty early on, a few years ago, when I started writing Thor's story toward the moment of Thor becoming unworthy and becoming unable to pick up his hammer, which of course opened the door for somebody else to come along and pick it up.
If you look at Thor's supporting cast, most of them are female characters. A lot of them are characters that have been around a while, and there's new characters that have been added to the mix. So if I wanted it to be someone from Thor's neck of the woods who picks up his hammer and becomes the new Thor, chances are that was going to be a lady.
PS: Do you have a grasp of the impact this change is making on female comic book fans who have sort of been left in the shadows in decades past?
JA: I certainly think it's great that everyone is so much more conscious of that these days. The companies making the comics, to the creators working on them, to the stores selling the comics, I think everybody is more conscious of making sure the books we're making appeal to everybody.
Now you go to conventions and you see a much better balance between men and women than you used to. Even the one in San Diego, not long after we announced the new Thor there were already ladies there costuming as the new Thor, so it's great to see that enthusiasm from the shows now carrying over to the books, and we're able to appeal to a wider group of fans with our comics.
The First Three Pages of Thor #1
Thor #1 Cover
Female Thor Concept Art
