Thor #5 Review
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Nick Klein
Colours: Matt Wilson
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
Donny Cates has an incredible skill, to be both reverential of everything that other creators have done with these characters before him, and to put his unique twist on them. He manages to take everything we thought we knew and make it his own, while also paying his dues to what has shaped the characters before. He’s already done it with Venom and Eddie Brock, and now he’s plying his own particular magic on Thor. Understanding how important Jason Aaron’s run on Thor was before this, this issue not only pays homage to all that came before, but it also manages to do that clever Cates witchcraft and give us his take on Thor.
It also takes everything we thought we knew about this Black Winter storyline and twist it on their head. Nothing is quite as it seemed, mysteries are answered in unexpected ways, while questions we didn’t even realise we had are suddenly explained, all the while a few mysteries still linger on to be explained in next months conclusion to “The Devourer King” storyline. What Cates’ does here as well is let the reader know that he’s in this for the long haul, he has far-reaching plans for Thor, much the same way he did when he took over the reins on Venom.
Another nice trait of Donny Cates is the way he brings some of the older Marvel characters who haven’t seen a lot of frontline action in recent years and brings them to the fore. He’s a fan of Beta Ray Bill, having included him in a number of his cosmic storylines over the past few years, and there is a great sequence between him and Lady Sif at the start of this issue.
Donny Cates has also been blessed with some of the best artists in comics right now across all of his Marvel storylines. The work that Nick Klein has done on Thor with Cates’ has been incredible. Previous issues have afforded him the opportunity of drawing a whole host of Marvel characters, and this issue proves to be no different, with several different, unexpected characters, all of whom have a long history with Thor, make an appearance. A typical Klein panel is so intricately detailed and incredible it almost beggars belief, and that’s before we get onto the double-page spread or whole page reveals near the end. It’s the art as much as the twists that give the reader a reason to pause, lost in it all.
Then we have Matt Wilson’s colours. He’s just as comfortable drawing the brightly coloured rainbow bridges as he is the greens of Yggdrasil as the darker colours during the Black Winter’s confrontation. But it isn’t the dark colours that stand out, rather it’s Thor’s blue lightning, or Galactus’ glowing red, which really stand out and catch the readers eye.
Yet another incredible issue in a run which is promising to live up to the high standards that Jason Aaron set before, Cates is using his own brand of magic to make Thor his very own while paying homage to everything that has come before. Twists and turns abound in this issue, showing the reader to expect the unexpected, and the cliff-hanger ending promises an incredible conclusion. The art and colours are truly spectacular and worthy of much praise.
Artist: Nick Klein
Colours: Matt Wilson
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
Donny Cates has an incredible skill, to be both reverential of everything that other creators have done with these characters before him, and to put his unique twist on them. He manages to take everything we thought we knew and make it his own, while also paying his dues to what has shaped the characters before. He’s already done it with Venom and Eddie Brock, and now he’s plying his own particular magic on Thor. Understanding how important Jason Aaron’s run on Thor was before this, this issue not only pays homage to all that came before, but it also manages to do that clever Cates witchcraft and give us his take on Thor.
It also takes everything we thought we knew about this Black Winter storyline and twist it on their head. Nothing is quite as it seemed, mysteries are answered in unexpected ways, while questions we didn’t even realise we had are suddenly explained, all the while a few mysteries still linger on to be explained in next months conclusion to “The Devourer King” storyline. What Cates’ does here as well is let the reader know that he’s in this for the long haul, he has far-reaching plans for Thor, much the same way he did when he took over the reins on Venom.
Another nice trait of Donny Cates is the way he brings some of the older Marvel characters who haven’t seen a lot of frontline action in recent years and brings them to the fore. He’s a fan of Beta Ray Bill, having included him in a number of his cosmic storylines over the past few years, and there is a great sequence between him and Lady Sif at the start of this issue.
Donny Cates has also been blessed with some of the best artists in comics right now across all of his Marvel storylines. The work that Nick Klein has done on Thor with Cates’ has been incredible. Previous issues have afforded him the opportunity of drawing a whole host of Marvel characters, and this issue proves to be no different, with several different, unexpected characters, all of whom have a long history with Thor, make an appearance. A typical Klein panel is so intricately detailed and incredible it almost beggars belief, and that’s before we get onto the double-page spread or whole page reveals near the end. It’s the art as much as the twists that give the reader a reason to pause, lost in it all.
Then we have Matt Wilson’s colours. He’s just as comfortable drawing the brightly coloured rainbow bridges as he is the greens of Yggdrasil as the darker colours during the Black Winter’s confrontation. But it isn’t the dark colours that stand out, rather it’s Thor’s blue lightning, or Galactus’ glowing red, which really stand out and catch the readers eye.
Yet another incredible issue in a run which is promising to live up to the high standards that Jason Aaron set before, Cates is using his own brand of magic to make Thor his very own while paying homage to everything that has come before. Twists and turns abound in this issue, showing the reader to expect the unexpected, and the cliff-hanger ending promises an incredible conclusion. The art and colours are truly spectacular and worthy of much praise.
A Look Inside
