Put on your best costume, because it's time for a new
Marvel Trivia Question
Which unheralded Thor costume came and went faster than you could say "So Be It"?
And nope, it wasn't this one:
(But you're in the neighborhood.)
I swear, this really isn't a member of Whitesnake:
Dreamed up by artist Mike Deodato, Marvel appeared to give this version of Thor's costume a "try-out" in Thor #502, the final issue of Thor's original run--one of the oddest issues I've ever read for a comic that ended a series. The issue was an interlude of sorts, taking place in the middle of a desperate battle with Onslaught--a kind of calm before the storm which gave no explanation for the costume change. Prior to this issue, Thor's "costume," if you can call it that, consisted of nothing but a pair of pants and boots given to Thor by the Enchantress, who didn't much care for the costume Thor had previously worn during his time with the High Evolutionary's "Godpack." In fact, considering the Enchantress preferred for Thor to spend most of his time in bed, it's almost a surprise her new costume for him only left him half-naked.
So in this issue, Thor's costume is changed without word or warning. For this one issue--the last issue of Thor's book, which only leads to confusion when the battle continues with Onslaught in the Onslaught series, where Thor is back to his half-naked self. In that battle, along with other Marvel heroes, he disappears; and when we next see him in a relaunch of his own series, he's once again wearing his original garb, with this new costume just a blink-and-you-missed-it memory.
To be fair, the saga with Onslaught was basically a setup for the "Heroes Reborn" series of books spearheaded by artists Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee, so to say that Marvel was in disarray during this time is an understatement. Consequently, it's no surprise that left hands didn't talk to right hands--and the character of Thor, whose own book had been directionless and spiralling down for some time (helped in no measurable way by writer Roy Thomas's stint on the book featuring the Godpack), seemed to take the brunt of Marvel's flailing about. I recall feeling disconcerted at how Thor, one of Marvel's flagship characters, was neglected to such an extent and allowed to end so dismally--allowed to end at all. Once the fight with Onslaught literally took Thor out of the picture, the Thor book continued as Journey Into Mystery: The Lost Gods, with Thor noticeably absent and which finally ended with Asgard completely destroyed.
For Deodato's part, reportedly he only designed the costume for a Thor statue:
which finally came to fruition, through various sources:
The final issues of Thor and The Avengers were the only places he was able to slip it into a comic.
As for Marvel, interest in the costume apparently died with the company's interest in Thor himself. Two other books published around this time (1996) seemed to make an effort to feature it in actual use. One was Incredible Hulk #440:
But get a good look at the cover--because oddly enough, nowhere in the issue was Thor pictured in the costume. Instead, he was back to being half-naked.
The only place the costume received a real workout was in the four-issue series, DC vs. Marvel Comics, which came out in the same year and where Thor battled Captain Marvel:
Why the costume was given the thumbs-up in this instance, I haven't a clue. Perhaps because it was the most recent costume Thor was pictured wearing within his regular book--as opposed to the Onslaught series, where he was last seen. I'm left to wonder if even Marvel had an explanation for it.
I have mixed feelings about the costume. I like the costume well enough--I just don't know if it suits Thor, though it still provides a regal appearance for him. I suppose my main issue with it is that the long chain on the hammer handle seems impractical, seeming to be present only for the sake of appearance with the new overall look. The costume was a good effort by Deodato, who probably never expected to see it in publication--but perhaps it's best that when Thor eventually returned, for whatever reason he decided to leave his new threads hanging back at the crib.
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