The Mighty Thor Storms Canada!

If you've never heard of rock virtuoso Thor, go over to www.thorcentral.com — you won't be disappointed.

Then, come on back here so you can learn all about his new album, comic book and Western Canada tour.

For those of you who don't want to click on to Thor's domain, rather than try to capture the rock god's style in our own mortal words, we'll allow the mighty man's press release to do the talking:

"Recording artist, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, bodybuilding champion, cyber and comic book hero, author, manager, film and recording producer, corporate executive and more, Jon Thor is truly a modern Multi-Media Renaissance Man."

Or, as the man himself put it in an April Chart Magazine interview with Nardwuar:

"[My craft] goes way back to the early '70s. I was a great admirer of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin and when I used to train at Broadway Gym down the street, I used to listen to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin and used to pump up, man! That got me psyched up, so when I got psyched up, I said to myself, 'Well, why not combine rock with music and wrestling and thunderous music?"

Why not, indeed?

Thor's got a new album out, following up the seminal Keep The Dogs Away with DogZ II. Songs include the title track, "ThunderHawk!," "All My Might," "Shout At The World" and an acoustic ballad that's sure to be a tearjerker, "Glory." The album is said to retain Thor's trademark metal rock sound, but also promises to add a "blistering electronic edge."

And, to promote this new disc, he'll be bringing his band on the road to play the Prairies and the Left Coast.

Thor's live shows, for the record, have apparently featured horse-drawn chariots, wild dobermans, explosions, feats of godlike strength (i.e. bricks being smashed on Thor's chest, Thor bending steel bars with his mouth, Thor blowing up hot water bottles with his lungs, Thor lifting up 500-pound men with one hand and spinning them around like batons) and — holy shit! — "lightning shields that shoot lightning."

Lightning shields that shoot lightning?

Please-oh-please say that Thor, decked out in the finest of sunglasses and gladiator regalia, will be coming to Ontario again when he's done with the rest of the country. Thorophiles should also hold on to their winged helmets for a cool-sounding comic book. Written, penned and painted by Mike Hoffman, Jon Thor The Rock Warrior will be out from Amryl Entertainment and features that brand of futuristic sword and sorcery that fans have come to know and love. Hey, the write-up for the book promises "skull-bursting, post-apocalyptic Barbarian thrills," so you KNOW it's got to be good.

Hmmm... even though Thor is technically a Norse god and therefore above such petty human notions as "copyright law," methinks there may still be some sort of confusion, what with venerable Marvel Comics still proudly featuring their own blonde-haired, hammer-wielding, lightning-powered warrior hero. Oh well... whatever.

Thor can take on all comers. After all, he's already had a very busy, but successful, year.

Thor's already completed a successful East and West Coast tour with Nashville Pussy (who are subtle in comparison to our rock warrior), selling out dates in San Francisco and Vancouver along the way. The, uh, Norse god of thunder also headlined Punk Magazine's huge 25th anniversary fete in New York's infamous CBGB's.

Be sure to check out He Who Wields Mjolnir (or whatever that cool-looking hammer was called) at the following Canadian dates:
October 30 Calgary AB @ the Night Gallery
October 31 Edmonton AB @ New City Likwid Lounge
November 1 Regina SK @ the State
November 2-3 Winnipeg MB @ The Zoo