Series: Thors
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art Team: Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, & Marte Gracia.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Summary from Comixology:
The Thors of every Domain, together in one book! As cosmic cops! Whenever there’s trouble on Battleworld, the Thors answer the call. But a string of mysterious murders leaves some of them asking questions that may unravel all of reality! A hard-hitting Marvel Comics police drama. With hammers. Lots and lots of hammers.
Overview –
I’m a huge fan of Jason Aaron’s work. Ghost Rider, Scalped, Thor: God of Thunder, Southern Bastards, etc. Everyone has their favorite writers, and for me I think I’d say my favorite is a close tie between Aaron and James Robinson. His run on Thor: God of Thunder is one of my favorite comic series of all-time, and the first story arc, The God Butcher, IS my all-time favorite comic story. I even love the dark, brutal, and the lacking-all-redemption Men of Wrath. That’s what makes this next part so difficult to say… I did not enjoy the majority of his most recent run on Thor. Now, before you try to crucify me, please remember that I wrote this piece vehemently defending the decision to make a woman worthy of wielding Mjolnir and becoming Thor, and I remain 100% in support of that direction for the character. My struggle with the (SPOILER ALERT! You know, if you’ve been living in a cave the past couple months) eventually-revealed-as-Jane-Foster Thor series is it bored me. The entire series felt like it was just a trying to make the point that a woman can be Thor and never really got into the meat of what made her worthy in the first place. “I already believe a woman can be Thor so stop trying to convince me and just let her BE THOR!”, I repeated yelled at the glossy, colored picture book each month.
(I feel like “Angela: Asgard’s Assassin” did a much better job of shining light on the nature of a strong, fearless female warrior, and if you haven’t yet read that series I strongly recommend you do because it’s fantastic.)
That was like, the worst overview I’ve ever written, right? I just complained all the way through it like a douche. (I’m speaking to the four of you who’ve even read any previous comic review I’ve written.)
Well, I say all that to say, I really loved THORS. I was very skeptical and it completely blew away my concerns. I feel like Aaron is at his best when he’s writing something procedural. Also, dark and brutal, but this book doesn’t flow too much into that territory. Essentially what have here is exactly what the summary above says. It’s a “cop drama” but with a whole bunch of Thors as the cops. It’s like a fantasy version of Law & Order, or NYPD Blue. The Thors are investigating a murder but they discover that it’s connected to some other murders, and the reveal at the end will definitely have you scratching your head.
There are so many great Thor characters in the book (Storm Thor, Groot Thor, FROG THOR!) but one of my most favorite things about this particular issue is how Beta Ray Bill takes co-lead position as the God of Thunder’s partner on the force. They make a great team and as a long time fan of the character it’s cool to see him get a small moment in the spotlight right now.
The artwork in this book is really great. It’s not complex, or complicated, art, but it’s still very detailed. There’s a 2-page spread near the beginning where Thor and Beta Ray Bill are are smashing up some Ghost Riders and it’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a comic in a long time. Watching them crack into those flaming skulls reminds me of what I first loved comics as a kid. It’s the craziness. The epic fantasy of it all.
If you only consider picking up one Secret Wars tie-in book, this is the one I would recommend. Granted, I haven’t read them all yet, so there might be one or two out there that I end up liking better, but for now, I have to say this has been my favorite so far. It’s got drama, humor, intrigue, and action. It’s everything comics are supposed to be.
Music Pairing –
I knew I didn’t want to suggest Amon Amarth with this because that’s too obvious at this point (although, I DO LOVE Amon Amarth). I really wanted to pick a different viking metal band and it came down to between Ensiferum and Enslaved, with Ensiferum narrowing to the lead. They just have that fun, pagan metal vibe that makes them a great partner for reading Thor comics.