When the classic male hero is no longer able to wield the mighty hammer, a new female worthy of the name Thor will emerge, Marvel explained on their website. Gender bend ... Marvel's Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth in the movie franchise) is set to become a woman in the comics. Marvel editor Wil Moss says: "The inscription on Thor’s hammer reads ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if HE be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Well it’s time to update that inscription... "And this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute - she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!" "This is not She-Thor," Jason Aaron, the writer of the new Thor series, said in a statement. "This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is Thor."

The female Thor is an effort to bring new readers and to appeal to women and girls, whom Marvel said have long been ignored in comics. The female superhero, Thor, who will appear in upcoming Marvel comic book issues. Credit:AP This is now the eighth title to feature a female protagonist and the reaction on Twitter has been mixed. Many fanboys were horrified. "Really Marvel? You really had to make THOR a woman??? Why? What genius writer decided on this? Will u also change NORSK lore? WTF??" said rickswift. Archie Andrews has always been at the centre of this love triangle with Betty (right) and Veronica.

Purematty tweeted: "GOD DAM IT WHY IS THOR NOW A GIRL." And bkguilfoy put it nicely, saying: "I’ve felt a disturbance in the Force, as million of nerds suddenly cried out in terror. #Thor." But for the fangirls out there, they seemed torn between girl power and defiance. "I'm all for feminism but a FEMALE #Thor ... HECK NO, it doesn’t even make sense!!" said fumz91. It's true ... (spoiler) Archie dies. While jorcedas said: "Not sure how I feel about this new Marvel Thor being a woman. I’m all for female empowerment and all but...no." There was also a lot of support, however. "Thank you to Marvel for making this father of a 3-year-old proud to know her comic book reading days are in safe hands," Cap—Kaveman tweeted.

The female version of the Marvel comic book superhero character Thor courtesy of Marvel Comics. Credit:Reuters "So proud of Marvel for the announcement of Female Thor! Not She-Thor or Lady Thor, but a #Thor who just happens to be female #progress," EBPhipps wrote. One Hemsworth fan was only worried if the changes to the comics transferred to the big screen. "I'm not necessarily bothered about making a #marvel hero female. I just prefer the muscles and man bit cuz #ChrisHemsworth is fit," KavitaXB1 tweeted. It will be the biggest change to its three largest comic characters, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, according to Marvel. The new series will debut in October and be illustrated by Russell Dauterman.

Thor, which was created by comic book writer Stan Lee, has also been the subject of two blockbuster films. The movies have grossed a combined $1.1 billion at the global box office. Death in Archie comics Spoiler alert: Meanwhile US comic book character Archie Andrews will die this week taking a bullet intended for a gay friend, publishers said, calling it a fitting turning point for the iconic brand. In the new issue on Wednesday of Life with Archie, the famous red-head saves the life of newly-elected Senator Kevin Keller, introduced as the first openly gay character in the comic in 2010. "The Death of Archie is the biggest story in Archie Comics history - and a major milestone for comics, period," said Archie Comics publisher Jon Goldwater.

"Life with Archie #36" will detail his final moments, while "Life with Archie #37" will show how his friends are coping without him a year after his death." While it is a shock to some, the company said this storyline has been in the works for a couple of years. quot;This really came about as the story evolved and were we saw things going with this book. And we've been talking about this now for a little bit north of two years. So it's really been a long time and carefully thought out. This isn't something we randomly just came up with," said Goldwater. "Archie dies as he lived - a hero, representing the best in all of us," added the co-chairman of Archie Comics, the long-running comic book series best known for its wholesome all-American teenage characters. He added: "The fact that he’s saving Kevin ... is a metaphor for the rebirth this company has experienced over the last five years. This is truly a new Archie Comics: unafraid, daring, progressive and on the cusp of greatness."

The announcement, in a press release published on comic news website Comicosity, comes ahead of the Comic-Con International conference in San Diego, the top US annual gathering of all things comic-related. Jono Jarrett from Geeks OUT, a New York based organisation that supports gays who enjoy comics, was among those amazed by the death. "I was very surprised. I was impressed by the boldness in the storytelling. Life with Archie doesn't pull its punches. This seem like a real American story, a very now kind of story. And I think that's really exciting for a character that's 75 years old. I find that very refreshing in terms of a real all-American kind of pop culture medium," said Jarrett. Jarrett says the death of Archie will help the world get one step closer to acceptance. <"Maybe what Archie Comics is saying is that in order to get the world you need sometimes you have to sacrifice something of the world you have. Archie Andrews is a very iconic all-American hero. To have him literally take a bullet for the ideas of diversity and equality in a comic book is a very powerful statement. And a much more powerful statement than is usually made."

The events in the flash-forward series will not affect Archie in the present-day series. His adventures and stories as a teenager will continue. The story will be available in multiple formats, including magazine size, two comic-size issues #36 and #37, and a paperback of the entire story. The Archie comics, launched in the 1940s and popular with generations of US youngsters, follow the fortunes of high school students Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead in the fictional town of Riverdale. Archie Comics is published around the globe and has sold 2 billion comics worldwide. - AAP, Reuters, AFP