Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Thor: God of Thunder
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Ribic, Guera & Bisley
This volume of Thor ends with a mix of stories at the inflated price point of $5. Jason Aaron manages to work in all three of his Thors and to tie up some loose ends from this volume. It's actually a very good comic where a bunch of artists all get a chance to tell their own small tale. The book is fairly imbedded in the entire volume's run which makes this issue very inaccessible to a new reader but to a reader that's followed along you get a great read.
The comic is made up of a couple of Thor stories. The two that stick out are: the granddaughters and the Malekith. The granddaughters are forced into the library by old man Thor. They are left to study and they stumble their way through some Thor stories. While this serves as the bookends, these interactions are actually a highlight of the comic. They find a young Thor story and they find a secret Thor story that will serve as a preview to the next volume. The best story that they find is the origin of the dark elf, Malekith. This part of the comic is both grotesque and funny. Aaron shows how well he can write horror and mix in some humor without it making a mockery of the story he's driving towards. The comic is a dense read with all of this information but it flows nicely with the snippets of the granddaughters bickering at each other.
The one situation that this comic book doesn't resolve is how or why Thor can't lift his hammer. This means this isn't covered in the Original Sin event (main series or Thor's mini) or in the main title. This is a very strange plot thread to dangle in so many books in which the series all end without resolving this one item.
The artwork is a nice mix. There are a number of looks that you might identify with as the definitive Thor look and this book probably isn't at the top. However, for those that have read this volume know that this style has been a pillar and this issue is a great summarization of those styles. Thor in the future is a grizzly looking character with three granddaughters that range from angry to voluptuous. The book also excels at the dark story of Maleeth. These scenes push the book into a more mature audience category but they are a highlight in the book. This artwork is a nice array to mix well with the types of stories in this comic book.
Thor ends without his hammer. We all know whom will pick it up come October. It will be interesting to see how the three Thors mix into the coming series. This particular issue stands out because of the focus on the granddaughters and the origin of one of the main villains in the volume. This was a fun read but slightly overpriced.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
