Donald Blake continues his conquest of the World Tree, while Valkyrie attempts to stop his rampage with some much needed All-Father assistance. It’s Thor #13 written by Donny Cates, art by Nic Klein, colors by Matthew Wilson, and letters by Joe Sabino.
Donny Cates writes some radical comics. Not like, politically radical. Like, doing an ollie while drinking a Capri Sun clad in a backwards cap radical. Rule of cool definitely feels like the prevailing feature for many a Donny Cates book, with all manner of Neat Comic Things mashed together like a massive ice cream sundae packed with every topping imaginable. Now, that isn’t to say that isn’t a lot of fun at times but, sometimes I get a stomach ache from his books, metaphorically speaking.
That being said, this arc of Thor is in general showing remarkable restraint, while still having that Donny Cates flair. It’s definitely clear Miracleman is clearly a favorite of the author’s, shown through the conceit of Donald Blake undergoing a mental break and seeking vengeance on those who wronged him. But while I feel like under normal circumstances, we would be assaulted with an Infinity Gauntlet, several Mjolnirs, and maybe a Cosmic Rubik’s Cube— we are simply treated to Thor’s expanded cast, which Cates has buoyed throughout this run.
The beginning scene with Odin is another instance of this run’s motif of having a few opening pages with expository narration, this time with Odin’s attempt to recapture the magic with his wife Freya. Odin’s depression in this issue plays a mirror to Thor’s, as both seem ill-fitted or at least maladjusted towards their current roles. These play nicely as possible foreshadowing, even as it makes the comic feel a tad repetitive. It’s interesting how Thor and Odin snap out of their funks, Odin by being needed to clean up a mess while Thor simply needs to wail on a tree. The more things are different, I suppose.
This issue definitely feels like one of connective tissue, a little moving of the pieces and exposition prior to the grand finale. That’s not to say it didn’t have some very cool moments, portrayed beautifully by Klein and Wilson, the true stars of this run thus far. It was hard to not feel a swell as Throg appeared with an entire crew behind him, only for Odin to join the fray moments later. Klein’s grasp of kinetic action and emotional magnitude are a highlight, and Wilson keeps this moody book from being altogether too dark, leaving it a sense of shadowed fairyland. Even Sabino’s competent lettering got to shine with a little extra flair, as he got to flex his lettering muscles with some big bold SFX, especially in the latter half of this issue.
The weakness of this story is the somewhat one-dimensional nature of Donald Blake. His villainous origin is very engaging (again, a Miracleman) but by this issue his mystique has worn off a bit, and he’s turned more frantic and less capable seeming, which I feel like sets us up for an off conclusion, as Blake already seems poised to start our finale on the back foot.
But as I said, Cates has his moments, with some truly Kool reveals and a Full Metal Alchemist-esque stinger that simply requires a few pumps of the fist. I think this run on Thor is definitely on the upswing, as the first arc was simply moments of attempted one-upmanship, an exercise in superhero escalation as we experienced a Herald Thor, an even greater kind of Galactus, and an exhasuting vision of Thanos with a Swiss Army Knife of Marvel Goodies. This storyline feels unique and interesting for Thor, using his full background and cast to tell a story that truly feels fresh. And while this issue might not have been quite as fun as others in this arc, it’s full of Asgardian goodness, with just a hint of comic magic…and several talking animals.
Chris Eddleman is a biologist and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
