Thor #1
Thor #1 (Panini France, 2012) marks the launch of a dedicated Thor-branded monthly kiosque anthology for French readers — the first time Panini France consolidated the post-Fear Itself Asgardian corner of the Marvel universe into a single regular periodical. By bundling the flagship Mighty Thor title with Kieron Gillen's critically admired Journey Into Mystery Loki run and the relaunched Defenders, it gave French-speaking audiences their first continuous, magazine-format access to the interconnected Asgardian storytelling of the early 2010s. The magazine's debut coincided with a pivotal narrative moment: Thor was officially dead following Fear Itself, meaning its first issue dramatized the fallout for Asgard and the supporting cast rather than Thor himself — an editorial gamble that underscored how fully the supporting mythology had grown to carry its own weight.
Thor #1 (2012) kicks off a bold new chapter in the Asgardian saga, with Christos Gage scripting a story that blends mythic grandeur with grounded character moments. Tom Raney’s dynamic art, polished by Scott Hanna’s inks and Chris Sotomayor’s vivid colors, brings a fresh visual energy to the god of thunder’s world, while Dale Keown’s striking cover captures the stormy intensity of the title’s new era.
In a tense moment at the Academy, the team grapples with trust as X-23 earns her place among them despite her past. Striker and Lightspeed share a quiet moment that hints at something deeper, while Reptil secretly plots with Hybrid to unravel the group from within—threatening to turn allies into enemies.
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The Thor (v2) magazine was Panini France's response to renewed mainstream interest in the character following the 2011 Thor feature film and the events of the Fear Itself crossover event. The inaugural issue collects The Mighty Thor (2011) #8 by writer Matt Fraction and artist Pasqual Ferry — an instalment mid-arc in the 'Mighty Tanarus' storyline — alongside Defenders (vol. 3) #1 by Fraction and Terry Dodson, Journey Into Mystery #633 by Kieron Gillen, and Avengers Academy #22–23 by Christos Gage. The magazine was part of Panini France's broader 2012 renumbering and reorganization of its Marvel kiosque line, which simultaneously launched a separate Avengers anthology under similar branding.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Publisher: Panini Comics France; released as a monthly kiosque magazine in 2012 under the title Thor (v2, or 'Thor — Marvel France 2e série').
- Issue #1 reprints The Mighty Thor (2011) #8 — written by Matt Fraction, drawn by Pasqual Ferry — as its lead story, placing it mid-arc in the post-Fear Itself 'Mighty Tanarus' sequence.
- Also contains Defenders (vol. 3) #1 by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson, the relaunch of the classic team featuring Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Red She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, and Black Cat.
- Journey Into Mystery #633 by Kieron Gillen ('The Terrorism Myth, Part One') is included, continuing the celebrated young Loki storyline that ran as a companion to the main Thor series.
- Avengers Academy #22 and #23 by Christos Gage round out the anthology, introducing X-23 and White Tiger as new recruits — a subplot with lasting consequences for those characters.
- The magazine's framing premise is unusual: at the time of publication, Thor himself was dead (a consequence of Fear Itself), so #1 chronicles Asgard and allied characters attempting to function in his absence.
- The series ran for approximately twelve issues through 2012, with content later collected and repackaged in the Panini Deluxe hardcover Mighty Thor Tomes 1–2, which reprinted the full Fraction/Ferry and Fraction/Gillen material.
- This anthology was a sibling launch to the Panini France Avengers (v2) magazine, which debuted at the same time and reprinted The Mighty Thor #1 by Fraction and Olivier Coipel as its own lead story — a deliberate split that gave the Thor title a mid-stream rather than a clean-start entry point.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Avengers Academy #22 (2012), The Mighty Thor #8 (2012), Avengers Academy #23 (2012), Defenders #1 (2012), Defenders #1 (2012), Journey into Mystery #633 (2012), The Mighty Thor #11 (2012)
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