War of the Realms #1
Publisher: Marvel
Story: Jason Aaron
Pencils: Russell Dauterman
Colors: Matthew Wilson
Letters: Joe Sabino
Cover: Arthur Adams & Matthew Wilson
War of the Realms is finally here and what you most likely want to know is if the hype is worth it. Well I’ll officially say that this issue kicks things off almost perfectly and is definitely worth picking up if you’ve been reading the recent issues of Thor.The build up to the event has been a series of highs and lows for our heroes as Malekith has masterfully taken each realm and amassed a powerful army that’s finally ready to come to Earth and give Midgard that work. And by “that work” I mean an invasion that is a straight blitz involving frost giants, trolls, elves, and more as they lay waste to everything in their path in NYC.
Now if you’re new to the party, Jason Aaron does a fine job at easing you into what’s going on before everything hits the fan. The realms are introduced and he places you in a barren and desolate Asgard as Odin sits lonely upon a crumbled throne. As the Allfather talks to himself more is revealed about where the Asgardians have gone right before Aaron drops a shocking sequence on us. From here on out the story’s pacing picks up a bit as some of the major players begin to make an appearance. But none are more major than the Avengers and when they show up things get crazy.
Once again, Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson bring dynamic visual storytelling to Aaron’s narrative which is what many of us have come to expect when they team up to tell a story. The opening sequence with Odin fighting assassins sets the momentum and is a great series of panels. Wilson’s colors enhance the mood and hit hard at that moment of impact that makes a big moment even bigger. The double page spreads are always great and offer so much detail it will take a while to pick out every cool moment happening inside. When the bad guys strut out of a portal is just a cool looking entrance that is made even better as Malekith is popped in the face by Cap’s shield during his villain monologue.
War of the Realms also sets up several of the tie-ins coming out soon but Aaron mainly sticks to moving the main narrative along. So whether you are new to the fight happening here or if you’ve been following for a while now, you should pick this one up and enjoy the ride!
Infinite Speech
infinintespeech@comicattack.net
