An all-new and very mighty creative team of Donny Cates, Nic Klein, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Sabino takes the helm of THOR!
Thor is now All-Father and there is peace across the Realms, but you know what they say: heavy is the head that wears the crown…and things are rarely peaceful for long in Asgard.
Vishal Gullapalli: Hoo boy. The months have come and gone, and finally, finally, Thor #1 is here. Having fallen off a bit towards the end of Aaron’s mega-run, I’ve been real excited for a fresh start and a new tone to the series, and Cates, Klein, and Wilson have brought their A-game to this one.
Chris Eddleman: We’ve been worshipping at the altar of Aaron’s Thor for nearly a decade now and I’ve enjoyed the lion’s share of it. Moving into a new creative team after that long might feel jarring, and certainly there are some boots that will need to be properly filled. The cover of this issue already guarantees some changes, as we have Thor clad in some new duds. Thor is often a comic creators seem to bring their best to, so let’s dig in.
All Hail the King
VG: Jason Aaron ending his run on Thor with Thor as the new All-Father of Asgard was an interesting choice, albeit one he left it to others to explore. Donny has immediately brought in a fun take on the status quo, with Thor as the incredibly nervous and somewhat unwilling ruler – it’s an interesting contrast from Straczynski’s run where he wasn’t exactly ecstatic but he was far more willing to lead. I really love seeing Thor straight up procrastinating his kingly duties – this god has never felt more relatable.
CE: Yeah, obviously Thor couldn’t rest on his laurels for the rest of linear comic book time, but this transition of bored Thor is a really nice way to do it. Even though it was definitely exhaustive, the opening scene where we follow Thor’s hammer through the Ten Realms was a great introduction to this new status quo, followed up by the once adventurer, now throne-sitting Thor bragging about his sick throw.
VG: It really was a sick throw. Klein draws an awesome Mjolnir, and watching it sail through through the Realms into a giant Mole Man monster was awesome. The art on this book is fantastic from the very first page, and the narration over the whole thing feels properly capital-E Epic.
CE: Bringing Matthew Wilson into this as well guaranteed some incredible colors, and he brings brightness and contrast to the new more earthy (but still Rainbow Bridge-adjacent) realm of Asgard, as Thor sits under the World Tree atop his throne. Aside from his boredom with the tedious job of overseeing a kingdom, Thor also seems to be having another issue, one that his very unwelcome brother Loki reminds him about.
VG: Loki as the Lord of the Frost Giants is another really fun status quo shift from the end of Aaron’s run, and one I hope sticks around for a good while. Loki’s just as much of a thorn in his brother’s side as always, but I love that instead of being a conniving jerk like he normally is, he’s killing Thor with kindness and concern. There’s also the other Asgardians taking a toll on Thor’s morale – I can’t imagine having to deal with Volstagg’s voluminous desire for ale.
CE: Or to deal with the very real and scary revelation that Mjolnir is getting heavier. We’ve recently had Thor being unworthy and thus unable to wield his classic weapon but, the new revelation that the hammer is getting weighty adds a creepy dread to this issue. Which parallels the main plot problem.
The Black Winter
VG: The main plot problem being Galactus? Because hell yeah, Galactus rules! For a while after the solicit I figured the Black Winter was referring to Knull, but Cates has really thrown me for a loop. [Ed. note: Thank God.] Everything involving the Black Winter is awesome so far, and both Cates and Klein treat Galactus with the gravity he deserves – he’s imposing as hell.
CE: He enters the scene with a huge double-page splash that looks not unlike me this Christmas accidentally falling down the stairs. The artwork definitely sells him as gnarly and frostbitten, and sets the tone right away. I also thought Knull would be involved, given that Cates tends to build on other stuff he’s written. Granted, we still get some Cates “originals”. Both Cosmic Ghost Rider and Silver Surfer (Black) make an appearance as Thor calls a council of heralds. Vishal, what do you think of the revelation that the Black Winter is what destroyed the last iteration of the Marvel Universe? That’s quite a big revelation/retcon.
VG: I really, really like it. Galactus’s old universe is something that hasn’t been explored as much as I’d like, and the Black Winter is something that makes it far more interesting without having to make up a whole universe on the spot. But even more than that, it’s something that makes Galactus afraid – a trope I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of. [Ed. note: Galactus is always best as a Big Sad Boi.]
CE: It’s definitely a good measuring stick for threat level in the Marvel Universe. If you’re big enough to make Galactus upset, you’re big enough for a great Thor villain. I feel like recently, Thor creators like to kind of create a new villain for Thor to fight instead of using old ones, at least in the first arc. We kind of have yet to see if The Black Winter is simply a force of nature with no guiding will behind it, or if it’s going to be a sapient being. My money is frankly on the second possibility but maybe we’ll have a Thor villain that can’t simply be smashed to a pulp by a magic hammer. I like the adventure tone we’re getting already, especially since quite a bit of Aaron Thor was kind of more event or fight based. Travelogue Thor, here we come.
VG: I’m leaning more toward the Black Winter being a force of nature, but it could really go either way. One of the more interesting parts of this new revelation is Galactus explaining that when one looks into it, they see their own death – Thor looking into this later in the arc will be a hell of a time. But in the meanwhile, what Galactus saw was another really interesting bit of information.
Space Thor? Space Thor.
CE: What’s the cause of death, Dr? Why, it’s the King of Asgard, Thor! Galactus seeing Thor as the instigator of his death has an interesting and unexpected effect on the story. I feel like some stories would have Galactus try to fight Thor to prevent his death but Galactus in this instance shows pragmatism, which I liked as a story choice. He wants to keep his enemies close, and thus decides to keep Thor around for their planet-hopping trip to help him beat the Black Winter.
VG: Thor alongside the rest of Galactus’s Heralds is one Hel of a sight to see. I’ve really grown on his new look, especially given the explanation for how he gets it. [Ed. note: It’s way better than me thinking Cates is just a huge Elric fanboy.] I’m sure once the Black Winter is vanquished or put off, Galactus will take a little time to deal with Thor, but their team-up right now is a direction I was not expecting and am very happy about. This is looking to be an awesome Space Epic, and I am super pumped to see all the cosmic hijinks we’re going to get into.
CE: Thor is pretty wild for a fantasy hero in that he is also kind of a space alien. Some runs tend to go hard in the god direction but I’m also excited about journeying through space. I’m finding it hard to think of anything to gripe about, as this is a great first issue setup. The new Thor look is also growing on me. It’s very ethereal and bright but mainly just reminds me of a space version of Super Saiyan 3 Goku. And frankly, I could have had worse than that. I hope the Yggdrasil hammer sticks around, but as we learn a bit earlier, Yggdrasil itself seems to have caught whatever bug Galactus had. The World Tree is maggot infested, and dying. The clock is ticking for this space adventure—several clocks in fact. Glad to have some frenetic stakes in my Thor comic.
VG: This run has definitely committed to the space direction for Thor, something I don’t think I personally have ever read in the title. The World Tree dying adds some stakes back home, too, keeping me really invested in all of Thor’s mythology. And I just need to say again – Nic Klein and Matt Wilson are doing absolutely incredible work here! Thor’s new look fits the style of this issue so well.
Closing Thoughts
VG: I’m super curious if this is going to tie into the other major cosmic stuff going on this year. 2020 is looking like a very awesome year of Marvel’s space comics, and given Al Ewing’s love of Galactus I’d be super down for him to do something with this WILD status quo. Even without these tie-ins, though – Thor is going in a direction he hasn’t really had in over a decade, and I’m super excited for where it’s headed.
CE: Yeah, 2020 is definitely the year Marvel decides to Embrace the Space, and whether or not that is editorial mandate or simply creative coincidence, Thor is looking to be a bright spot in 2020. I’m hoping for some action and adventure in Issue #2, but I’m glad we got to have an explosive set up for our first installment. Has Galactus been in too many comics recently? Maybe. But also, no. [Ed. note: Never.] I also clowned on this premise a bit when it was announced, and I’m pleased to eat my words here. What a solid start.
Marvelous Musings
- Thor’s Jay-Z references this issue were delightful.
- I like Sif rolling her all-seeing eyes at Thor trying to be a bragging jock
- Galactus has so many heralds.
- I figured I’d be annoyed by Cosmic Ghost Rider showing up, but honestly I liked him here.
- Thanks to editor Allison Senecal!
Vishal Gullapalli is a comics enthusiast studying computer science to enable his media consumption. He’s currently reading through the entirety of DC’s New 52 (for some reason) and logging his experience.
Chris Eddleman is a biologist and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths
Vishal Gullapalli is highly opinionated and reads way too much.
Chris Eddleman is a biologist and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
