Thor #8
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson
Cover: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson
If you’ve been able to avoid any spoilers concerning the identity of the new Thor up until this point then I would like to applaud your ninja-like maneuvering of social media. However, if you were one of the people who just couldn’t wait to see who was under the helm then hopefully you were surprised as some of us were. But before we get into all of that let’s see if the story was worth checking out aside from the big reveal!
Well of course the story is worth checking out! Aaron and Dauterman have been on a roll since the first issue introduced fans to our new Thor. He’s been putting her through her paces and brings things to a climactic conclusion as she receives a little help from some newfound friends. Freyja and Odinson have arrived with a plethora of Marvel’s female characters to try to do the impossible in stopping the Destroyer. Odin is still determined to retrieve the hammer from this woman and is using his brother to control one of the most dangerous weapons in the Marvel Universe to get it.
The massive battle is packed with guest appearances but they don’t overshadow Thor or her struggle in this fight. Aaron even makes it known that some of them only showed up to see the new Thor in action and are very impressed. In those little moments he captures the voice of the those characters and helps make this another great battle to read as well as watch. When Aaron brings the conflict to an end it’s in a way that was expected but also pretty emotional as Freyja forced Odin’s hand and did it without flinching. Her presence is a bit of a show stealer here but it’s necessary and might foreshadow some upcoming issues between her and the All-Father. Aaron seems to have channeled every fanboy who was enraged at the new idea of a new Thor into his Odin which made the end result all the more satisfying. So maybe those guys can take a page from Odin’s book and just accept it.
Dauterman once again has drawn a great looking issue as he gives you a battle that is worth it’s weight in fun. It’s huge, brutal, and filled with some really good moments that will keep your eyes moving and enjoying every detail. The emotion he brings to the characters has been consistent and he really hits all the right beats here. The last two panels with Freyja and Odin really are telling and he’ll probably be sleeping on the couch for a few decades or so. When Thor is listening to Odinson admit some hard truths he fills those opaque eyes of hers with some strong emotion that suggests she really wants to reveal her identity to him but she can’t. And as good as Dauterman’s art is let’s not forget how great the colors are yet again from Matthew Wilson.
It is too bad the reveal of the character came the day before the issue hit the shelves but there’s more to this than her secret identity. This creative team has made sure to give us quality and reason to read the series beyond just finding out who Thor really is. Though it might seem a little early to some for the revelation just remember that we still don’t know that secret that Nick Fury told Odinson to cause him to be unworthy in the first place during Original Sin! But we’ll have to wait a bit longer for that since this is the last issue before we get into Secret Wars. However, we’ve got a new Thor and series that’s worth coming back to when its’ all said and done!
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