DAMN DIRTY SKRULLS: THOR

**MattBrady** · 04-23-2008, 11:25 AM

by Troy Brownfield

The heroes of Earth seem to be set for a few happy returns alongside the danger of the Secret Invasion. Alongside hints of the return of Nick Fury and the Skrull Kill Krew, we know for a fact that the God of Thunder will be getting involved this August. Secret Invasion: Thor follows The Mighty One for three issues as he joins the battle for both Midgard . . . and Asgard? We caught up with editor Warren Simons, and though he was circumspect about how current events in the Thor title play into the mini or exactly how much readers need to know about the new Thor status quo to follow the book, he did give us a few important pieces of the puzzle. Among those, the identity of the writer portion of the mysterious creative team.

Newsarama: We've been warned that there's a Skrull in every book. Is there one in Asgard? Is that even possible?

Warren Simons: It is possible. When you take a look at the magnitude of the invasion, it's not improbable or impossible for an Asgardian to have been kidnapped or replaced. If the Skrulls were able to breach the Avengers, or an agency like SHIELD, I certainly don't see why they couldn't infiltrate Asgard.

NRAMA: What of Thor himself? He's been dead and now he's back. Too much of a stretch?

WS: He's not a Skrull.

NRAMA: Addressing threat level, we've already seen the revamped Thor take on Iron Man handily. Does even a Super-Skrull pose much of a threat to the God of Thunder?

WS: Well, it's not always about the fistfights. If a Skrull kidnapped someone Thor or Don Blake loved, and put that individual in jeopardy, it really wouldn't come down to a physical fight. So yeah, I'd say that a Skrull could pose an incredible threat. And if that Super-Skrull had an alien armada behind him, yeah, that could also be real potent physical threat.

NRAMA: Much of the Skrull motivation is religious. How do the gods of Asgard respond to other belief systems? Clearly, they're "real"; how do they react to fanaticism?

WS: What's also interesting is how the Skrulls might respond to other belief systems...

NRAMA: Thor's somewhat stayed away from human events thus far. Is this the thing that will reintegrate him into the heroic community?

WS: Whether it was New Orelans or his work in Africa, I think he's actually positioned himself directly in the center of human events over the last 9 issues.

And while we're not ready to tell you who the artist is yet -- we've got someone absolutely fantastic lined up, who you'll be hearing about in early May -- we can announce that Matt Fraction will be writing the series. Matt just did an absolutely fantastic one shot for me with Thor: Ages Of Thunder, so check that out for a coming attraction of what's in store for the three-issue Secret Invasion: Thor, which will be on-sale in August.

So…that Fraction guy? Just so happens that he’s right here.

Newsarama: Matt, how do current events in Thor (Thorsleep, etc.) play against Secret Invasion, and what do SI readers need to know about Thor's present status quo before joining the book?

Matt Fraction: Most critically, and most crucially, Asgard's proximity to Broxton is key. By choosing to place Asgard so close to mortal man, he's inadvertently made Broxton a military target. That's really all you need to know-- that it's not a rainbow bridge that separates Asgard from Earth these days, it's an extension ladder from Hardware Hank... because that's all the Skrulls needed to know, too.

NRAMA: Although Thor has involved himself in a few human situations since his return, this will be his first time back on the bigger "super-human" stage. What does Thor make of this new landscape (Civil War, two teams of Avengers, Black Bolt's a Skrull!, and so on)?

MF: His primary concern is for his people, and for the humans he's endangered. All the rest is drama to be resolved at a later date-- if anyone understands the need to hold fast together against insurmountable odds... and the role that the gods play on the mortal stage, it's Thor.

NRAMA: Is it possible for a Skrull to infiltrate the new Asgard? If so, and without giving away the farm, could you theorize how that might work?

MF: Nope.

NRAMA: In a very real way, Thor battling the Skrulls puts him shoulder-to-shoulder with Iron Man. Obviously, Thor has some lingering issues with Tony based on the "Clor" situation. Considering that you also write Iron Man, how do these two men react to one another in the face of this greater threat? Do those issues cause further complications?

MF: Those are Secret Invasion stories, and stories for the main Thor title, not ours.

NRAMA: From a nuts-and-bolts writing perspective, how difficult is it to assume the role of writing a mini-series that's subordinate to a larger division? How much individual control do you have, and how much is somewhat predetermined by the larger road-map?

MF: Well, we have a very specific slice to time we're talking about. This is the tale of how Thor learned the Invasion fleet was coming to eradicate all human gods, and how he was forced to defend two cities at once, Asgard and Broxton. It falls outside of the main thrust of the Thor series, and serves as a prequel to Thor's involvement in the main Secret Invasion title.

NRAMA: You're on Invincible Iron Man, but The Order has wrapped. Is there more Thor in your future?

MF: There're three one shots coming, that are pre-continuity Thor stories perfect for long time fans and new readers alike: Ages Of Thunder, Reign Of Blood, and I haven't come up with the third title yet.

Related:

Damn Dirty Skrulls Flashback: Skrull Kill Krew

Damn Dirty Skrulls: Cosmic

Damn Dirty Skrulls: Black Panther

Damn Dirty Skrulls: Spider-Man

Damn Dirty Skrulls: Fighting the Four

KraziJoe · 04-23-2008, 12:10 PM

So will he or won't he be involved? Or is this just a money grab?

kennyab · 04-23-2008, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KraziJoe

So will he or won't he be involved? Or is this just a money grab?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattFraction

It falls outside of the main thrust of the Thor series, and serves as a prequel to Thor's involvement in the main Secret Invasion title.

So it appears that, yes, Thor is getting involved, and this is the story of how he gets involved.

Corpulent1 · 04-23-2008, 12:14 PM

Really, really excited for all the Thor stuff coming out. I'm glad Thor's finally getting back out onto the larger stage of the Marvel universe. I really can't wait to see the gods pull together against a major enemy in their new forms, with their new, less restrained attitude and, in some cases, new powers (Fandral and Heimdall, I'm looking at you). Great time to be a Thor fan.

Squashua · 04-23-2008, 12:15 PM

Thor is not a Skrull.

Don Blake is a Skrull.

NimbusV · 04-23-2008, 12:24 PM

Thor is now by far the only Marvel Title i am really enjoying.

Hopefully his envolvement will be well developed.

Looking forward to it.

HartyPotter · 04-23-2008, 12:35 PM

Swweeeeeeet. Thor!

durkadurka · 04-23-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Warren Simons: It is possible. When you take a look at the magnitude of the invasion, it's not improbable or impossible for an Asgardian to have been kidnapped or replaced. If the Skrulls were able to breach the Avengers, or an agency like SHIELD, I certainly don't see why they couldn't infiltrate Asgard.

Um...I don't really know what to say about that. Granted we are reading comic books, but there's a giant leap there.

s*p rules · 04-23-2008, 12:55 PM

So why did he beat up Metamorpho???

Corpulent1 · 04-23-2008, 01:01 PM

That's the new design for the Asgardian frost giants, I guess. Getting resurrected made them have funky tribal tattoos for some reason. Looks good, I think, although I always preferred the design where the frost giants are actually made out of ice. But I think that's reserved for Ymir himself these days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squashua

Thor is not a Skrull.

Don Blake is a Skrull.

Interesting theory. He has been surprisingly sentient throughout this run, rather than the simple human-shaped container for Thor's soul that he started out as. We haven't gotten much in the way of explanation for that other than JMS' cryptic "when the gods died, I lived" spiel.

Granted, I don't think it's likely that Blake is a Skrull. But I could see some basis for it.

Stormbreaker · 04-23-2008, 01:16 PM

This is certainly...interesting news. Don't get me wrong. It'll probably be an awesome read. I just don't want it to diminish JMS's stellar run with a potentially lame Skrull revelation. I just hope they OK'ed the majority (if not all) of Thor's involvement with SI with JMS because, as far as I'm concerned, Thor's his baby right now.

As for Fraction writing it, I haven't really read anything he's done so I can't say if it's good or bad. I'm definitely picking up his Thor one-shots (Ages of Thunder comes out next week according to Diamond!) and gauge his take on Thor from there.

BoyWndr49 · 04-23-2008, 01:35 PM

OK, I have no idea how many miniseries and specials ther are tying into Secret Invasion. Does every character/team/concept get it's own special mini? This seems to be getting out of hand now.

Corpulent1 · 04-23-2008, 01:45 PM

You don't need to buy all of them. I'm personally just sticking to the SI mini, the tie-ins in comics I was already reading anyway, and a few choice tie-in minis, like this Thor one.

I'm really curious about the artist now. Fraction and Simons both seem really excited for the artist. I'm almost kinda starting to let myself hope... Simonson? Maybe? That would probably be the best bit of comic news I could possibly hear.

Gladiator X · 04-23-2008, 01:53 PM

Can't wait!

Kelby · 04-23-2008, 01:58 PM

I will not buy anything but the books I already buy and the SI main series. I think a mortal impersonating a god is a ridiculous idea. Wow. Feels like H of M all over again.

Stormbreaker · 04-23-2008, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoyWndr49

OK, I have no idea how many miniseries and specials ther are tying into Secret Invasion. Does every character/team/concept get it's own special mini? This seems to be getting out of hand now.

I can agree that the sheer number of tie-ins that we've seen thus far seems pretty excessive. I don't even think Civil War did this much. I know we don't have to buy them all, but it still seems like it's too much already.

I can understand certain series/characters getting SI minis because it would be incredibly hard to fit the stories into the main books due to current plot progression (like Thor. Could you imagine breaking up JMS's stories for an SI tie-in? Talk about jarring) or number of books involved (like X-Men. There are too many X-Men over too many books to fit it into a story in only one of the ongoings). But Spider-Man needs a three-issue mini to cover the SI angle? I have a hard time believing that.

KoozyK · 04-23-2008, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NimbusV

Thor is now by far the only Marvel Title i am really enjoying.

well, that's sad considering there is x-factor, daredevil, nova and all annihilation that is just awesome at the moment.

artiepants · 04-23-2008, 02:10 PM

Much as i dig Fraction, i think this is one i'll pass on.

NeoSamurai · 04-23-2008, 02:16 PM

Since when did the Skrulls get cosmic enough to fake-out gods with their own pantheon?

Wayne-KC · 04-23-2008, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattBrady

by Troy Brownfield

We can announce that Matt Fraction will be writing the series.

I'm in. Enjoying everything he is writing!

Corpulent1 · 04-23-2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelby

I will not buy anything but the books I already buy and the SI main series. I think a mortal impersonating a god is a ridiculous idea. Wow. Feels like H of M all over again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeoSamurai

Since when did the Skrulls get cosmic enough to fake-out gods with their own pantheon?

I'm not a fan of mortal Skrulls effectively impersonating gods, myself. But we don't know that anyone will necessarily infiltrate New Asgard that effectively or anything. Maybe they try but soul-seeing Heimdall notices and stops them. Hell, maybe the Skrulls will just masquerade as humans and be allowed to visit Asgard as a gesture of friendship from the gods to their new human neighbors--the gods are hanging out in Boxton all the time, after all.

If it's starting in August, it'll be more attached to the actual invasion portion of Secret Invasion, so I think it'll mostly just be Thor and the other Asgardians fighting Skrulls, which I'm not averse to at all.

strucker · 04-23-2008, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NimbusV

Thor is now by far the only Marvel Title i am really enjoying.

Hopefully his envolvement will be well developed.

Looking forward to it.

Aw,c'mon!

There are at least 5 more titles worth reading
produced by MARVEL!

Just try them out!

Of Course, I'm not asking you to read Power Pack!

BoyWndr49 · 04-23-2008, 04:28 PM

It's not that I feel the need to buy them. In fact I doubt I'll get any of these tie-ins. It's just that these tie-ins really water down the main product in my head. And I stress "in my head." I know it's my perception of things. I guess I'm suffereing from Countdown/Civil War fatigue where every other second we got a new and/or irrelevant tie-in. Even the "smaller" event of World War Hulk had a bunch of extra minis that I felt were unnecessary and didn't add anything of substance to the overall story.

I'm really looking forward to DC's promise about their upcoming stories. Final Crisis seems to be mostly self-contained with some minis that actually look like they will bring a lot to the table. Trinity is supposedly going to be self-contained. And all three main books, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman promise to have concurrent stories of real importance and remain within their titles. I truly hope that they turn out to be executed this way as promised. DC will be wise to learn the lessons of Sinestro Corp War. A couple of one-shots, but mostly stayed within strict confines and made the core books absolutely essential to anyone who loves epic comics.

J.D. Lombardi · 04-23-2008, 04:45 PM

**laughs**

Damn, I'm glad there aren't many "official" crossover mini-series for Secret Invasion or anything....

NimbusV · 04-23-2008, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strucker

Aw,c'mon!

There are at least 5 more titles worth reading
produced by MARVEL!

Just try them out!

Of Course, I'm not asking you to read Power Pack!

There's no doubt in my mind that such statement may be true,
I am simply not enjoying the 616 right now, could be the Peter
Pan Complex slowly dying inside me.

THOR RULES!

Cheers