By d. emerson eddy — While the “Anatomy Lesson” in Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 may be the touchstone for upending a long-running character's status quo, and there are a number of high profile character reinventions across comics history, this past week reminded me that there's one creator who quite possibly has done more than anyone else in the modern era of comics, Warren Ellis. I was reading through the interviews with Ellis in Sequart's Warren Ellis: The Captured Ghost Interviews by Patrick Meaney and Kevin Thurman and it dawned on me that he's been responsible for the upheaval and reinvention of numerous properties time and time again. 

From high profile works that changed the landscape of the industry like Stormwatch into The Authority to quieter, more introspective narratives like Supreme: Blue Rose. He's done subtle, gradual changes in existing series to wholesale new universes from the ground up. Pretty much since he broke into the North American comics market. He's got Hellstorm, Druid, Doom 2099, Ultraforce, Excalibur, Ruins, Stormwatch, The Authority, Counter X (X-Man, Generation X & X-Force), Thunderbolts, Nextwave, Newuniversal, Supreme, The Wild Storm, and likely others that I'm forgetting. There is one series amongst his early Marvel work that stood out for me in his four-issue “Worldengine” arc in Thor with Mike Deodato Jr, Marie Javins, Malibu, and Jonathan Babcock.

Starting in Thor #491, “Worldengine” began to more or less modernize Thor, his mythos, and status quo. Not to say that there weren't contemporary tales, and an attempt to update the concept with a detour through Eric Masterson, under the lengthy run from Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, MC Wyman, & Co., but the run was well known and respected for its “old school” feel. Thor #491 changed all of that. Gone was Thor's quasi-Shakespearean speech, the world was dark and foreboding, Odin had turned his back on his son again, death metal Viking techno-zombies were hunting Thor, and, to make matters worse, Thor was dying of a mysterious disease.

The first issue was dark, even rather horror-tinged, enhanced by the artwork from Mike Deodato Jr. and  Marie Javins, as we saw them craft a story that was wholly unlike anything we'd seen before in the series. And it only built from there, introducing a character that followed in Ellis' similar character archetype for Morphine Somers, Pete Wisdom, and Jenny Sparks, a blossoming romance between Thor and longtime enemy, The Enchantress, and a radical reinterpretation of Norse myth that set a new status quo for the series going forward.

That first issue wasn't without flaws, mind you. There seemed to be a bit of a miscommunication between Deodato and letterer Jonathan Babcock as flow and placement of dialogue boxes vs. panels were jumbled a couple times, but they cohered much better as the story continued. Babcock otherwise providing a nice mix of mixed-case lettering for Thor's journal and some neat “rune”-like script for Odin's speech. The other thing that will stand out is some early digital effects, probably from Malibu, of the Moon and some lightning. They're not bad, but they clash with the atmosphere of the rest of the art, also dating the book to the mid-'90s as comics started using computer effects more and more.

Overall, though, Thor #491 and the “Worldengine” arc was a great shot in the arm for the property. Ellis, Deodato, Javins, Malibu, and Babcock helped reinvigorate the series, at least for a little while. The new status quo continued when William Messner-Loebs took over after the “Worldengine” arc, but it only lasted until the series end at #502 as Thor was stolen away for Heroes Reborn.

Thor #491
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Mike Deodato Jr.
Colorist: Marie Javins
Color Separations: Malibu
Letterer: Jonathan Babcock
Publisher: Marvel Comics
While weak and dying, Thor discovers Yggdrasil is in danger and uses his remaining strength to stop further damage to the tree! Meanwhile, Amora is formulating a plan of her own.
Release Date: August 15, 1995
Price: $1.99 on Comixology | Also available in the collections: Thor: Worldengine ($8.99) & Thor - Epic Collection 23: Worldengine ($19.99)

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.