I've read the Simonson Thor Omnibus, but those are the only issues of Thor I've ever read.

Will the Lee/Kirby Thor Omnibus provide me with primo material? I don't know much about their run.

I don't think it's very good, except for the Tales of Asguard.

But Hanzo and Beachy like it. But they smell, so.

I think about a year into their run together, they really caught fire. Any Lee/Kirby Thor in '65 and '66 I've read just rocked---it's definitive Silver Age stuff!! If you went with a Thor Essentials vol.2 you'd get the gist (and find out if you like it for maybe $7 or so through AmazWAN). It was very fast-paced stuff, with complete stories in between, but always developing a set-up in the subplot to open the next issue with excitement. It's arguable one of the ten best examples of how to make a superhero strip, imho.

The oft-lauded "Tales of Asgard" back-up feature was launched at the time, too, with heavy borrowing from Norse myth.

I agree with Lue. I think the classics started when Hercules was introduced or right before. An Omnibus is the way to go because Colletta's inks drop a bit in the printing of the Essentials. These comics are classic Kirby Power.

Yeah, a big chunk of the early issues are pretty awful. Start with the introduction of Hercules and you've got the primo material.

For me personally, starting with Masterworks Vol. 2 is the way to go.

I think some of the very early stories are charming, but, no, they
aren't great reading. As the others stated already, it becomes
pretty good as the title changes from Journey Into Mystery over
to Thor.

Also--Jack was off and on the book in the early days. Joe Sinnott, Don Heck and Al Hartley drew some early episodes. Those haven't aged well. Jack's consecutive issue run starts with Journey Into Mystery #101 and it really starts hitting its stride about a year later. #114 is as good a starting point as any.

Thanks, folks! I'm thinking of ordering the Masterworks Vol. 2 paperback...

And I like Cobra as a villain. Sure, he's nowhere in Thor's league, but that didn't
stop me from enjoying those early issues as a kid. And Cobra/Mr. Hyde was a
fun pairing, too. My Dad started buying J.I.M. at issue #97, so I fondly remember
the run from that point on. I eventually went back and bought all the Thor issues
before that, but yeah, you could easily skip them.

That's the perfect place to start.

Ordered Vol. 2 and 3 today.

Then get ready... for FUN.

Decided to add The Eternals Saga (two Thor trade paperbacks) to my order, too!

Have you read Kirby's Eternals books?

Loved the Kirby Eternals when I was a kid--one of my favorite Kirby creations!

I definitely prefer Jack on to Jack off.