This is really awesome. Must-see viewing for fans of Thor and all aspiring artists. And pretty much anyone with a Wacom tablet.

Oh, he is going to get SUCH a freeze-ray blast to the face for that!

Disney Publishing has released Official Movie Special: Thor, a 96-page souvenir/celebration of the sort that used to accompany marquee sci-fi blockbusters "in my day" - I remember enjoying mags like this for the original Christopher Reeve Superman, the Star Wars Trilogy, and many other genre classics.

Thor struck me as a really groundbreaking film, exceeding my expectations not only for the movie itself but also raising the bar for what comics-based films could be, and managing to entertain old-school fanboys like me while inducting kids and new fans into the realms of comics adventure. It's very much the successor to Superman, the first movie that made us believe a man could fly, and it's nice to see it get the magazine treatment.

It's described as an "all-ages" book, although clearly its geared primarily toward kids, as these sorts of publications traditionally are. That said, I found a lot to love here. There are interviews with the cast members, who speak candidly about their experiences making the movie, and their relationships with their characters, as well as a Q&A with director Kenneth Branagh.

For the kids there are also puzzles, and a beat-by-beat synopsis of the film with accompanying photos, and for the kid in all of us who misses the all-ages Thor: The Mighty Avenger, there's an excellent comic by Fred Van Lente and Ron Lim.

"Thor Lore" is a recounting of Thor's comic milestones, from his first appearance in Journey Into Mystery to his first clash with Hercules, the introduction of Beta Ray Bill all the way through to Ragnarok and JMS' reboot.

Official Movie Special: Thor has something for fans old and new; it's on stands and in bookstores now.

Marvel's latest direct-to-DVD animated feature, Thor: Tales of Asgard was released today on DVD and Blu-ray. Timed perfectly to coincide with Thor-mania, Tales of Asgard features the adventures of a young Thor, Loki and the Warriors Three as they search for the Lost Sword of Surter.

Marvel's coffers are fuller than ever and the future of superhero movies is looking bright after a huge opening weekend for Thor. It easily took the number one spot in theaters this weekend, making a cool $66 million in the US. It's already premiered overseas, where in 11 days it has made $176 million.

So that's $242 million before the two-week mark - I'd call that a commercial success, and with very few exceptions - a crotchety New York Times in particular - it was a critical hit as well (I loved it, in case anyone's asking).

After enjoying Thor this weekend, why not treat yourself to a whale of a cool T-shirt?

See what I did there?

The Mighty Thorca is part of the awesome Marvel Whales collection, and you can buy it here.

With the arrival of Thor in US theaters, Summer movie season has officially begun. This is comics and sci-fi film's biggest year yet, with multiple franchises from each of the big two comics publishers expected to dominate the box office, not to mention the grand finale of the Harry Potter series and new entries from Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean.

I hope your local theater has good air-conditioning, 'cause we're going to be spending a lot of time at the movies.

Check out these awesome LEGO renditions of the posters for the biggest movies of the Summer.

"What's that you say? A giant magic robot monster with laser face blasts? Send in the suits, that'll intimidate him. Hurr durr."

This is why we need the guys with the hammers and capes and whatnot - sometimes a badge just doesn't make the impression you hope it will.

The Destroyer, for instance, is pretty nonplussed in this new clip from Thor. We're gonna need bigger badges. Or maybe an Asgardian.

Ya know, when I look back at my lifelong love affair with comics one memory surfaces time and again: I was working at a radio syndicator at 1700 Broadway, and I befriended several staffers of DC Comics and Mad Magazine, which occupied the same building. Despite the fact that they were unquestionably a wholly owned Warners subsidiary, there was a sense of life, and spirit, of art and commerce peacefully co-existing and a distinct lack of the douche chills that had become common of my expereiences in the music industry, which had become a dreary corporate mockery of itself.

Obviously, times have changed.

Marvel, for instance, seems to be hell-bent on turning comics into a love-letter to New York's sleaziest power brokers.

We know all about the Spider-Man/Mayor Bloomberg abomination, which - just as the dust was beginning to settle and people were moving on from the horrific sloppy wordkiss to hizzoner, Marvel re-released the NY Daily News free insert to retail, with a $3.99 cover price!

Obviously, the less said about Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the better.

And then there's Thor, actually a great start to the summer superhero movie season.

So why did Marvel feel the need to promote it by having douchewang bankers at the New York Stock Exchange sound yesterday's closing bell with Mjolnirs, and a goofy-ass Hemsorth stand-in in a Thor costume that wouldn't look out of place at Comic-Con?

Do you realize how hard it is to make cool stuff embarrassing? How difficult it is to strip the excitement from a film many have waited decades to see? To reduce characters that are the modern-day equivalent of classical mythology (or in this instance, a character who is modernized classical mythology) into nothing more than disposable 7-11 Big Gulp cups?

Thor is a fun movie.

Marvel's ongoing celebration of the worst that New York has to offer is an ugly trend, and as a lifelong New Yorker and comics fan, I urge Marvel - whose presence here has traditionally helped to make New York the special place that it is - to exercise a teeny bit more taste than this in the future.