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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN num: 9780785124054
ISBN number: 0785124055
Label: Marvel Comics
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 216
Printing Date: April 04, 2007
Publishing house: Marvel Comics
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 80842
Studio: Marvel Comics
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The war between gods and Eternals may be over, but Thor's still left to face the Fourth Celestial Host - along with the fearsome Fafnir, the devastating Destroyer and, as ever, the larcenous Loki! Plus: a gathering of gods! The mystery of Mother Nature! The legends of Asgard across the millennia as told by the ultimate Eye-witness! Guest-starring the Valkyrie and the Young Gods! Collects Thor #292-301.
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Rated by buyers 
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This trade paperback collects the second half of "The Eternals Saga", Roy Thomas' extended story arc that introduced Jack Kirby's Eternals into the mainstream Marvel Universe. The very first volume of this collection gave us an extended flashback to Thor's history with the Eternals around the time of the Celestials' previous judgement of Earth, introduced various Eternals characters (notably future Avenger Sersi) and plot threads in the present day, and set up a mystery around All-Father Odin's past history with the Celestials, the fantastically-powerful "space gods" who arrive to judge the world again.
For this story, Thomas shifts gears rather drastically. Following an initial issue about the Greek and Norse gods attempting to block the Eternals from acting against the Celestials, we launch into an extended series of flashbacks where Thomas reveals the history of a past Asgard, and ties Thor's origins into the classic German operas of Richard Wagner, retelling "Siegfried" and "Gotterdammerung". The story, indeed, features mortal versions of Thor and Brunnhilde the Valkryie in the roles of the lovers, as well as skated-over implications of brother/sister incest (in keeping with the original tale). All this is related to Thor by Odin's gouged-out eye, which has grown to gigantic size; for much of the story, then, Thor himself learns of his past history from the eye, impatiently demanding, much like the readers, to know what any of this has to do with his Celestials (the ultimate answer is that it is rather tangential, but it is a good story anyway).
The story transitions from this back to the present, where Odin's grand scheme to defeat the Celestials, which has spanned many centuries, finally comes to fruition. Odin, in a plan of Xanatosian complexity (the way it is handled recalls, or, rather, prefigures, Dumbledore's grand design in the "Harry Potter" series), has bought time to build a weapon that might be able to beat the Celestials, but even that may not be enough. Frankly, the final resolution to the problem of the Celestials is the major flaw in the story. It is a huge deus ex machina (is it any better when the story involves a literal deus?).
That said, there is a lot to like here, including a very important revelation for Thor concerning the identity of his mother, which was long kept secret from him, a few very impressive feats of strength on Thor's part, and a couple of ideas that Thomas introduces that clearly influenced Michael Avon Oeming's "Ragnarok" story some half a century later, including the idea of multiple iterations of Asgard (which Oeming greatly expanded on), and the idea that Odin's sending Thor to Earth and Thor's dual nature may have been part of a grander design. The story ends with Thor rejoining his father and friends in Valhalla, a result the reader can only agree that he has earned.
Rated by buyers -
This book is one of the best books of all time. This is mythology at its best because of the clever way that the writers link the history of mankind with the history of Asgard. I recall when I very first read the book how impressed I was and even today, I still am. Plus the artists' work does the story telling justice. The giant battle between the Asgardians and the Celestials really reflects the order of power in the Marvel Universe. Do not get me wrong, I love Miller, Loeb, Bendis, Millar etc... but there s something captivating in letting your mind wander and wonder in stories besides "hard gritty" storlines. why only 4 stars, because some of the story line does stumble and is confusing but I see this more of a limitation of the original stories that they are drawn from and a sign of the times (ie Comic Code Authority).
Rated by buyers 
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I'd been hoping this run would be given the trade paperback treatment. This and its companion prior volume display the brilllance of Marvel's cretive team. Authors Thomas, Macchio and Gruenwald write here with all the grandeur and the virtuosity this material so deserves. As with much of Thomas' best work, there's a lot of talking and character development here as well as those glorious 4-colour battle scenes. Mythology, mystery, mayhem, and the origins of the multiverse (or to use Gruenwald's term, "omniverse" --- what more could a fanboy need? Thor even meets his own mum at last. The last few pages reprint some of Thomas' and Gruenwald's ideation regarding the cosmology of it all. This is the medium at its best. Before Gaiman, Busiek, Moore, and Chaykin, there were still great comics.
Rated by buyers -
I have just completed reading what may be the most ambitious storyline ever published by Marvel Comics. If writer Roy Thomas had never justified his following Stan Lee with work on such characters as the Avengers or Conan, then he certainly did it with this Thor story. THOR: THE ETERNALS SAGA VOLUME 2 collects Thor #292 - 301, concluding the world-threatening conflict between the Asgardians, Olympians, Eternals, and Celestials. This is storytelling on the most grandiose scale, and I'd be hard-pressed to find how any more content could be packed into it. Thomas uses The Eternals Saga primarily to explain the interwoven histories of these diverse groups of beings; however, what really makes Volume 2 stand out is his explanation of the existence of the Asgardians. If you've ever wondered why Marvel's versions of these characters differ so strongly from the classical Norse myths, your answers are here. In addition, see how Thomas, with a little help from Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio, ties the Asgardians into both the birth of Jesus and the Germanic epic The Nibelungenlied. Finally, the threat of the Celestial Host is confronted with Odin's secret weapon: the Destroyer! Amazingly, this dense and painstakingly-researched plot makes sense and has a very logical conclusion. It's certainly storytelling of a type not seen in comics anymore, with surprises around every corner. Keith Pollard's art is consistently exceptional. He appears to blend the best elements of John Buscema and Jack Kirby, with very solid results.
The big message in this story, at the time, was that the Asgardians were ever-changing, with gods frequently taking on new forms, as well as Ragnarok being a cyclical event. This ties in very well with the recent events of AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED: THOR, as well as Thor's impending return following CIVIL WAR. With what I've read here, I'm not too worried with the plans Marvel has for the new God of Thunder, considering that the seeds of it were sown 27 years ago. Well-done, guys.
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