I’m not gonna lie: I read this for research :P Since I was/am writing a fanfiction of Loki’s imprisonment in Asgard during the year between the first Avengers movie and The Dark World, I felt like I should try to adhere to canon as much as possible. Which meant I needed to know as much of the canon as possible. That being said, this comic actually was not bad! It had funny moments, dark moments, interesting moments, we figure out why Thor went to Midgard looking for Loki in the first place (which was important, by the way!) and I learned at least the basics about the different realms that the Asgardians rule over and protect, which was very helpful in making the problems of the destruction of the Bifrost and the Rainbow Bridge seem very present and believable. There was also a great (and super creepy!) original comic about the escape of Malekith the Accursed from the pit of Hel (yes that is an actual realm, and yes it is exactly what you think it is). It was a great book to read, not just from a researching standpoint, but also just as a reader. ( )

this is a collection of several graphic novels starting with the original Thor movie adaptation, a version of the Avengers movie, and a couple of prequel adventures that take place before the movie Thor 2: The Dark World. It's a nice recap of what's gone before, though naturally abridged with a lot left out or glossed over. None the less, it's a nice summary of what's come before and the new stories add to the experience of the Thor 2 movie. But it isn't essential reading by any means. It's nice if you like the universe and want to be up to date, but you could watch the movies for that. The graphics are quite nice and based on the movie characters more than the original Marvel comic. As this is pretty much the only novelisation of the movies you'll find, it's good for those who want to re-read and remember the stories. It's not great, it's not necessary but it's not bad either. ( )

Marvel’s MCU preludes are not part of the ongoing comic series of the related characters. This MCU prelude, as the others before it, is intended to “fill the gap” between films. This one acts as a bridge between The Avengers and Thor The Dark World, though some recap of the first Thor film is also included. Taken in that light, it is meant to be short and sweet, which it is.

Anyone wondering how the heck Thor got to Earth without the bifrost in The Avengers will now have a more complete answer beyond Loki’s “how much Dark Energy did the AllFather have to muster to conjure you here”? The book also reveals what has been happening while the Asgardians are trapped in Asgard and how they viewed the events happening on Earth: Heimdall was watching! Fans of the Trickster God get to see how he is greeted immediately upon his return, in particular by his Mother, Frigga. Since this was released the summer before the film (as 2 single issue comics, months before this trade paperback was available), there are slight differences between scenes that occur in the comic and in the film – Loki’s sentencing by Odin does not occur in the throne room, for instance.

Overall, this is a nice teaser of some things that weren't in the films. People who see the film without the prelude won’t miss anything; this is really for Marvel fans who want more of the MCU versions of the characters they love. Highly recommended. ( )