Thor #1
Written by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Russell Dauterman
This is a time of change for Marvel. The Superior Iron Man, an ethnic Captain America and a female Thor. The former has been a more subtle, under the radar change but the latter two have been fairly controversial. Marvel have drawn all kinds of attention to themselves with these bold changes. Thor #1 premieres a new female Thor whose identity is unknown and this alteration has been Marvel’s most debated. People were saying it was a moronic, foolish change seconds following the announcement and months before the release. I’m fairly open-minded to change and as long as Jason Aaron was writing the book I was satisfied. While Thor #1 is a solid comic, it won’t quell the haters.
Thor #1 picks up right where the previous volume left off. Thor is still on the Moon trying to lift Mjolnir and his attempts prove to be in vain. This is the character work I would’ve liked to see at the end of God of Thunder. It would have brought some closure to the looming idea of worthiness throughout the series. Even though, the timing is off the emotions are still present.
Jason Aaron has made Thor more relatable with his new status-quo. It was always hard for me to relate to Thor because he was a thunder god worthy of the great hammer Mjolnir. Viewed from a superficial perspective, he’s close to flawless. Due to his unworthiness, Thor feels more human (even though he isn’t) and flawed and Aaron deserves praise for that. Thor assiduously tries to lift his hammer and prove to himself and others that he is worthy, but he keeps coming short. If a comic would dwell on this situation it would be extremely dull. Aaron obviously knows this and finds a way to compromise Thor’s persistence. Said way is a prime example of how well Jason Aaron comprehends the God of Thunder.
We then follow Thor confronting Malekith in the depths of the sea. The best aspect of God of Thunder’s final issue was the Malekith tale which reinvigorated my interest for the character so I was glad to see him here. Aaron writes some good mad-man dialogue for Malekith in a scene that exacerbates Thor’s already gloomy situation.
Aaron also plays on the return of Odin to Asgardia very much in this issue. The King has returned to claim his throne as if naught has changed. He believes he can return from exile and remove all those that were in power in favor of himself. This doesn’t pass well with Freyja. The spouses develop a very interesting rivalry here as they watch over their unworthy son. There is political conflict brewing in Asgard and I would be thrilled to see it intensify in a future storyline.
My main problem with this debut is the lack of the new Thor. Considering her prominence on the cover one would assume she would play a key-role in the issue but her presence is wanting. This issue feels less like a primer to the new Thor and more like an open-ended conclusion to God of Thunder. There are many beginning plot threads but the principal threads come from God of Thunder and not from the new Thor.
This book begins on a much smaller scale than its predecessor and what better than to welcome a new artist for a new style. Russell Dauterman jumps from Cyclops to Thor and fits right in. His clean pencils are great for the smaller scale of this book. He depicts emotion very well in Thor’s visage and posture. He draws some great action and good looking frost giants.
Thor #1 is a very strong debut. While the plot is simple, there is some amazing character work on display here. Unfortunately it may not be the character you wanted to see. Overall, this issue is a great continuation of God of Thunder but a weak primer to the new Thor
Art by: Russell Dauterman
This is a time of change for Marvel. The Superior Iron Man, an ethnic Captain America and a female Thor. The former has been a more subtle, under the radar change but the latter two have been fairly controversial. Marvel have drawn all kinds of attention to themselves with these bold changes. Thor #1 premieres a new female Thor whose identity is unknown and this alteration has been Marvel’s most debated. People were saying it was a moronic, foolish change seconds following the announcement and months before the release. I’m fairly open-minded to change and as long as Jason Aaron was writing the book I was satisfied. While Thor #1 is a solid comic, it won’t quell the haters.
Thor #1 picks up right where the previous volume left off. Thor is still on the Moon trying to lift Mjolnir and his attempts prove to be in vain. This is the character work I would’ve liked to see at the end of God of Thunder. It would have brought some closure to the looming idea of worthiness throughout the series. Even though, the timing is off the emotions are still present.
Jason Aaron has made Thor more relatable with his new status-quo. It was always hard for me to relate to Thor because he was a thunder god worthy of the great hammer Mjolnir. Viewed from a superficial perspective, he’s close to flawless. Due to his unworthiness, Thor feels more human (even though he isn’t) and flawed and Aaron deserves praise for that. Thor assiduously tries to lift his hammer and prove to himself and others that he is worthy, but he keeps coming short. If a comic would dwell on this situation it would be extremely dull. Aaron obviously knows this and finds a way to compromise Thor’s persistence. Said way is a prime example of how well Jason Aaron comprehends the God of Thunder.
We then follow Thor confronting Malekith in the depths of the sea. The best aspect of God of Thunder’s final issue was the Malekith tale which reinvigorated my interest for the character so I was glad to see him here. Aaron writes some good mad-man dialogue for Malekith in a scene that exacerbates Thor’s already gloomy situation.
Aaron also plays on the return of Odin to Asgardia very much in this issue. The King has returned to claim his throne as if naught has changed. He believes he can return from exile and remove all those that were in power in favor of himself. This doesn’t pass well with Freyja. The spouses develop a very interesting rivalry here as they watch over their unworthy son. There is political conflict brewing in Asgard and I would be thrilled to see it intensify in a future storyline.
My main problem with this debut is the lack of the new Thor. Considering her prominence on the cover one would assume she would play a key-role in the issue but her presence is wanting. This issue feels less like a primer to the new Thor and more like an open-ended conclusion to God of Thunder. There are many beginning plot threads but the principal threads come from God of Thunder and not from the new Thor.
This book begins on a much smaller scale than its predecessor and what better than to welcome a new artist for a new style. Russell Dauterman jumps from Cyclops to Thor and fits right in. His clean pencils are great for the smaller scale of this book. He depicts emotion very well in Thor’s visage and posture. He draws some great action and good looking frost giants.
Thor #1 is a very strong debut. While the plot is simple, there is some amazing character work on display here. Unfortunately it may not be the character you wanted to see. Overall, this issue is a great continuation of God of Thunder but a weak primer to the new Thor
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