You leave when I want you to stay: A short lived Thor comic by Langridge and Samnee

He's the hunk of thunder, the himbo with arms akimbo, the mighty Thor! Marvel's version of the mythological deity had risen to prominence over the last several years, thanks to being front and center in a few Marvel crossover events, as well as starring in two successful films and aiding the Avengers in two more. This might be the biggest the son of Odin has been in out pop culture lexicon since Dawson from Adventures in Babysitting.

Unfortunately, Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee's magnificent Thor: The Mighty Avenger series just missed the mark.

Yes, Ragnarok came waaay too soon for this fantastic comic book collaboration. Langridge was hot off The Muppet Show comic and Samnee was a new name for me. I was drawn in by his clean line work and simple character designs that looked prepped for animation.

Nearly a year before Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth played Jane Foster and Thor on the big screen, Langridge gave us a story about Thor as an outlier, tossed out of his home in Asgard by Odin and left to wander the streets until fate intervenes and he ends up rescuing a woman from Mr. Hyde and crossing paths with Foster. Thor has a lot of baggage to deal with, but Jane is really the star of this series.

The way I describe this series when I recommend it is, "imagine the usual Superman adventures, but viewed from Lois Lane's perspective." Rereading this series in its entirety recently, I'd say I still agree with myself. (And if we can get along, why can't you, America?) Jane Foster's plight as a working woman just trying to make ends meet and be taken seriously in her field give her a nice foundation as a character.

As the series progresses, Jane finds herself getting sucked into Thor's shenanigans more and more. The epic scale of Thor's power means stories can take place all over the globe, and the creative team uses this to their advantage, having Thor bump into all kinds of guest stars like Namor and Iron Man. This is also kind of a "Thor: Year One" kind of series, so these encounters are treated like the first of their kind and the usual misunderstandings and fisticuffs ensue.

Thor's struggle to regain his lost memories and recall why he was banished to Earth are the main plot through the series. You probably know who's responsible for at least some of Thor's plight, but if you need a clue: it rhymes with Pokey. I really began to feel for the big lug over the course of the eight issues that comprise the series. He is dejected and often wistful, using his bravado in battle to mask an inner loneliness.

Chris Samnee wasn't on my radar back when this series started, but he's one of my favorites now. His work with Mark Waid on Daredevil was pure genius, month in and month out, and now they're tearing it up on Black Widow together. I have to throw him some kudos, because it's his covers that got me into this series in the first place, and even if the story doesn't blow you away, this is a damn fine comic book, just from a visual storytelling outlook.

Due to what I have to assume were low sales, Thor: The Mighty Avenger was canned after only eight issues and a Free Comic Book Day special. A sequel series about Captain America in a similar vein was in the works, but was quickly scrapped and reduced to a measly one-shot called Captain America: The Fighting Avenger. But hey, what we got here was damn good and if nothing else, showed us the potential for great "All-Ages" comics.

Thanks for reading! And if you ever find yourself on the other end of the Bifrost, you can contact me on Twitter @ChrisBComics.