Fans rejoiced all around the globe as Thor: Love And Thunder tickets officially went on sale Monday. The Marvel Studios epic is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year.

We received the film’s official trailer in late May, giving us an idea of what to expect in the upcoming film. The introduction of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster as Mighty Thor, Christian Bale’s portrayal of Gorr The God Butcher, and the introduction of another deity mythos (such as the gods of Greek mythology) have had everyone abuzz about what to expect with the 4th Thor movie (by the way, Thor is the first character in the MCU to have a 4th movie in the MCU).

Like many comic book fans, I wanted to learn a little more about what comics I could read in preparation for this film. As someone who just recently got back into reading comics, I haven’t read many Thor comics, so I wasn’t sure where to start. Luckily, thanks to the power of Twitter, I’ve become friends with another avid comic book reader who I consider to be one of Thor’s #1 fans and is my show’s expert advisor or anything related to Thor.

JT, or “Fat Thor” as he is known on Twitter, joined me in a Zoom call to guide me on the best comics to read for this film based on what he knows about the Thor comics and what he’s seen in the trailers so far. There are three main series he recommended, and he even shortened it for us to focus on just what we may want to know about the characters and stories we will see in the movie.

If you want to jump right into it, here is a list I created on League of Comic Geeks that lists every single issue JT recommended. Below is also a video and text breakdown of the series as well.

Don’t forget that you can read all of these comics on Marvel Unlimited!

VIDEO: What To Read Before Watching “Thor: Love And Thunder” (by The Captioned Life Show)

Thor: God Of Thunder

Years Published: 2012 – 2013

Issues: 1-11

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artists: Esad Ribic, Dean White, and Virtual Calligr,

Summary And Film Connection

This series introduces us to Gorr The God Butcher, his origin story, and who he is as a character. Thor faces him in three different eras where eventually all three Thors team up to face off against Gorr and stop him from releasing a doomsday weapon that would completely kill off all gods from existence. This series interestingly enough also has a number of religious metaphors and compositions.

Thor

Years Published: 2014 – 2015

Issues: 1-8

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artists: Russell Dauterman, Matt Wilson, Joe Sabino, and Frank Martin

Summary And Film Connection:

Due to prior events, Thor Odinson is no longer considered worthy to wield Mjolnir, but there must always be a Thor. So Mjolnir chooses an all-new Thor! This is the first time we see Jane Foster take up the mantle of Thor.

The Mighty Thor

Years Published: 2015 – 2018

Issues: 1-5, 12, 700-706

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artists: Russell Dauterman, Matt Wilson, and Joe Sabino

Summary And Film Connection:

This series dives into Jane’s origin story of her becoming Thor and why she was deemed worthy to take up the mantle. Issue 12 also dives into the origin of Mjolnir and how it came to be.

Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, and Christian Bale. Directed by Taika Waititi. In theaters July 8, 2022.