This new limited series makes for an interesting contrast with what's going on in the regular Thor ongoing title. Over there, Thor has been transformed into a superhuman dictator... initially a well-meaning one, but now one that's been blinded to the harm he's causing in the name of peace. In this new title, Thor is presented to the reader as an innocent, a young teen who enjoys spending time with his friends and striving to live up to his father's ideals. It makes for a fun, light read, but ultimately, it's unfulfilling, as it lacks any real sense of suspense. Though it boasts some awkward narration, the book may be of interest to younger readers, though, those with an interest in stories such as The Lord of the Rings, with no real knowledge of Marvel's Norse hero.
Centuries ago, before he was ruler of Asgard, before he was a legendary hero and a member of the Avengers and even before he was a brash young man with little regard for his father's wisdom, Thor was a boy who revelled in his friendship with the brave Baldur and the lovely and firecely independent Sif. Not yet worthy to lift the magical hammer Mjolnir, Thor longer for the day he would prove himself to be the sort of warrior and leader to make his father proud. Unaware of what the future holds, the innocent Thor even holds his half-brother Loki is good regard, but Loki's hatred for Thor and his friends inspires him to make trouble.
I believe the last time I saw Tocchini's artwork was on one of CrossGen's DemonWars comics, and it's nice to see he's found a Marvel title that plays to his strengths as sword-and-sorcery genre artist. He captures the main characters' youth quite well, which is a key element to this story. His vision of the grandeur of Asgard is quite effective, but I can't help but feel that a splash page or two might have driven the point home with a greater impact. The fight scene is a bit confusing; without the dialogue, it wouldn't be easy to determine what's going on.
The weakest element in the book is the opening narration. Instead of fostering a sense of the mythic and immensity of the setting, it sounds more like a voiceover from a travel video urging a tourist to visit sunny Asgard. It's clear that the writer is aiming for the former, but the script fails to employ capturing the magic and wonder of the title character's home.
The main plot is comfortable, but it's predictable as well. The characters are pleasant enough, and Yoshida does a good job of bringing Thor down to a level at which the reader can relate to him. The inherent problem with the book is that the majority of readers know that Thor, Baldur and Sif all grow up to be the warriors they hope to be. There's no inherent danger here. We know they'll be all right. It's too bad the writer didn't introduce one or two new friends into the God of Thunder's life, a couple of unknown factors that would have brought a small (or perhaps more significant) measure of suspense to the plot.
