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Animated Thor, Live-Action Thor, Motion Comic Thor: You've Been Thunderstruck

By TK | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (9)

thor_loki_blood_brothers-thumb-550x329-58788.jpg

It seems odd that Thor, of all of Marvel’s properties, is getting as much attention as it is. Not just the Kenneth Brannagh-directed film, but also a couple of other ways. Thor is getting a full-court press from Marvel in the days leading up to May 6th, the release date for the feature-length film that will serve as another entry into the pre-Avengers series of hero stories. I figured in the interest of brevity, we’d combine previews of all of the different entries into one place.

First of all, Marvel is also gearing up to release Thor: Tales Of Asgard, an anime-inspired animated film that tells of the early adventures of Thor and his adopted brother Loki. Matthew Wolf, who voiced Thor in the animated Hulk Vs. film, will once again reprise his role, with Rick Gomez as Loki. Here’s the trailer:

And here’s a brief clip:

I’m not blown away by it, but then Marvel’s animated fare has always paled in comparison to that of DC.

Next is the “motion comic,” Thor And Loki: Blood Brothers, which is based on Robert Rodi’s Loki graphic novel. Loki is a pretty decent print, filled with some gorgeous artwork, though I’ve had a hard time getting into the motion comic idea. The voice work is a little overwrought, but it does effectively capture the feel of the comic. It’s a four-part miniseries that debuted on iTunes last week. Here’s the trailer:

I watched the first episode, and it’s not bad. I’ll see how it progresses.

Finally, here’s the French trailer for the Chris Hemsworth/Natalie Portman film. It’s got a couple of new shots that weren’t in either of the previous trailers. Nothing revelatory, and it’s in French, but it’s worth a watch:










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Comments

Thor was always, and is always, young. "Thor Boy" is a stupid concept. Motion comics: also stupid.

I'd watch either of those before that undoubtedly ridiculous Hemsworth movie, though. Nothing compelling about any of the promotional photos or trailers they've released.

Posted by: Gitley at April 4, 2011 8:21 AM

Thanks for the title. I'll be humming an AC/DC tune all day now.

Posted by: The Wanderer at April 4, 2011 9:07 AM

I'm struggling to believe that Motion Comics are still a thing. I felt sure that they'd be laughed out of public memory by now and the 'animation' studios responsible for their creation would have slunk off with their tails between their legs. How does the concept of animation without any animation make its way out of the boardroom? "OK, so animating twenty four frames for every second of film just isn't cost effective; we're going to change that to one frame every seven or eight seconds and kind of swoosh the camera about, k?"

This Thor one has far more animation than any motion comic I've ever seen, to the point where it just looks like a lifelessly animated regular cartoon. There's no way to win with motion comics, just do it right in the first place.

Posted by: Jim at April 4, 2011 9:25 AM

Jim, I have to agree. I watched a few of those early Astonishing X-Men motion comics and they did nothing for me that the comic hadn't already done. I'd rather see them devote a little more attention to the books and transform them into full animated features the way DC has done with some of their properties (All-Star Superman, Superman/Batman). If they had taken the time to transform the Loki book into a feature, rather than just twisting and contorting the art, they probably could've made something interesting. As it stands now, I'd rather just go read the mini-series again than pay whatever the cost is on iTunes.

Posted by: superasente at April 4, 2011 10:04 AM

This is the part of promo/marketing I really DON'T like: the overdose. Call it the Macarena Effect or whatever, but it never resolves in a pretty fashion. Cheap knockoffs incoming.

Posted by: Recondite at April 4, 2011 10:30 AM

they know motion comics don't sell, because they go pretty far out of their way to not let slip any mention that a product is a motion comic and simply try to slide it in with the animated films.

motion comics, for those who are too lazy to turn the page!

Posted by: idleprimate at April 4, 2011 10:52 AM

None of these really excite me... but if they ever get around to a Thunderbolts cartoon or motion comic, I'm there. That series is some of the most fun I've had reading a marvel comic since the end of the original run of G.I. Joe. The seduction of good, the redemption of evil and the shades of grey in between...

But Thor? *shrug* I can take it or leave it. The movie looks like fun, but I'm still keeping fingers crossed for Green Lantern. THAT looks fantastic.

Posted by: Wintermute at April 4, 2011 10:58 AM

Sound of the drums
Beatin' in my heart
The thunder of guns
Tore me apart
You've been - thunderstruck
http://www.swotti.com/tmp/swotti/cacheYWR2ZW50DXJLCYBPBIBIYWJ5C2L0DGLUZW==T3ROZXJZLU90AGVYCW==/imgadventures%20in%20babysitting3.jpg

Posted by: dammitjanet at April 4, 2011 11:56 AM

@Jim: fully agreed. I've been reading comics my whole life and whatever appeal this "motion comics" thing supposedly has has never reached me in any.

But TK... I don't get it. When you say "It seems odd that Thor, of all of Marvel’s properties, is getting as much attention as it is. Not just the Kenneth Brannagh-directed film, but also a couple of other ways", are you choosing not to believe everything else comes up now only and above anything else because of the hugely-budgeted movie? Am I missing something here? I mean, isn't it blatantly obvious that whenever they release a new film, tons of new stuff hit the newsstands and toy stores? If the movie is as big as Thor's and Cap's, well...

Nah, I'm sure I'm missing some well-hidden sarcasm or something.

Posted by: godzilla_foil at April 4, 2011 6:42 PM