Starlight #1 – Review

By: Mark Millar (writer), Goran Parlov (art), Ive Svorcina (colors) and Marko Sunjic (letters)

The Story: An aging former space hero finds life on Earth to be depressing.

Review (with SPOILERS): This was a really touching first issue. Back in the old days, I used to actually go on comic message boards.  God, what a horrible experience.  Fun at the time, but…. Ugh!  Mark Millar was always an active discussion topic on those boards.  Saying that you actually liked Mark Millar comics on a comic message board was like admitting that you picked your nose and ate the boogars.  The intellectual minority of the minority of comic fans that go on message boards likes to deride Millar as being a hype-machine who is just interested in doing shocking things to get a reaction.   I actually see a lot of experimental brilliance in his edgier works like Wanted, Kick Ass and Nemesis.  Sure….Millar can be offensive sometimes, but I think he is just interested in exploring artistic boundaries – and when you rigorously explore the boundary, you will cross the line sometimes.

But, dismissing Millar as”hype-machine who writes exploitative comics” really discounts some of his other works.  Did you ready Superior?  There were some really touching moments in that story.  How about Secret Service?  All that stuff about how poor the main character grew up?  That was pretty affecting.  There are even some powerful moments in Kick Ass (the original series).  Millar really can do a touching and heart-felt comic if he wants to.

I think Starlight is one of those more touching works.  If you don’t enjoy the “extreme” Mark Millar…..you should definitely give Starlight a try because it is very different.

It tells the story of Captain Duke McQueen who once had a very John Carter-esque experience of being sucked through a wormhole to a very Barsoom-like place where he fought villains with swords, saved a kingdom, was honored by scantily clad princesses, rode dragons, etc……but gave it all away to go back home to Earth and be with his lady love.  Only, when he got back to Earth, nobody really believed his story and he lived a mundane life with his wife.  And he was happy because he loved his wife….

The issue picks up with a very sad story of how Duke’s wife dies.  We only see her in flashback, but I love how Parlov draws her.  Duke himself looks like an old American football player who has kept himself in shape: big, broad-shouldered, but still gray haired and wrinkled.  His wife (in contrast) looks like one of those ladies who you first assume Duke has a trophy wife who is 25 years old, then you realize she’s just one of those ladies who has held onto her youthful beauty by virtue of hard-work, lifestyle and good genes.  She’s like the idealized version of what you thought your mom looked like as a kid: beautiful, not sexy, just beautiful.  And, since this is just Duke’s flashback memory, who knows if she really looked like that, or if she just looked like that in his mind because he loved he so much?  It doesn’t really matter.  Duke loved her and we get to see the moment where she finds a lump under her breast after a lovely evening out to dinner.  It is really painful and touching because in just those few pages, you get the feeling that she was someone who was a special light in the world and didn’t deserve to die young.

Thor: God of Thunder #19 – Review

by Jason Aaron (Writer), Esad Ribic (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Let it be known that Thor does not like fancy and arrogant CEO’s, especially those who threaten the planet and pretty ladies.

The Review: The wait has been long for this one. While the previous story arc, for all its faults, has been enjoyable in general, it simply did not reach the height of quality the Gorr story reached. Due to many factors, the story revolving around the nine realms and Malekith the accursed seemed like a downgrade in terms of themes and evolution, which made the announcement that Esad Ribic would return for a new arc a rather welcome, yet anticipated thing worth waiting for. However, with the artist returning and a new arc beginning, does this issue bring back the grandeur the title once had?

Doing something decidedly different in terms of themes, Jason Aaron mostly succeed in setting up a new problem for the god of thunder to tackle. There are a few problems along the way, yet most of what makes this series work is still very much present for fans to enjoy.

One of the better aspects of this run has been Aaron’s take on Thor himself, portraying him in various ways throughout time. Focusing mostly on the present day Thor in this issue, the writer presents him as the confident, gallant, yet also somewhat obtuse person he is in most of his incarnations, playing with his very nature and the clash it makes with the more normal situations he is in. Bringing a great lot of fun and humor to the character with his penchant for alcohol, violence but also good-natured heroism, his Thor is still one of the best take on the character. With a small, yet important scene with the future King Thor, there is also a very good comparison in his evolution, with the surly, prideful, yet nostalgic and caring god being a very apt transition of the version heavily featured here.

Thor: God of Thunder #17 – Review

by Jason Aaron (Writer), Ron Garney, Emanuela Lupacchino (Artists), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Thor brings the pain to Malekith as the final fate of the league of realms and the dark elf criminal is revealed.

The Review: Not all titles are winners. There will always be an arc, a character or a certain addition to the story that readers will dislike or certainly not appreciate as much as the rest. Quality is not something consistent in most titles after all, nor is personal appreciation. We may love something, but there must be highs and lows in order for the better elements to be easier to perceive.

It is then, to my surprise, rather nice to see that while this arc might have begun in the most obvious of ways, with Malekith being presented just in the time for the movie, there was an actual direction to the story. While the general progression to this point had some good and bad parts, Jason Aaron does show that he can actually do something with some less-desirable elements in the book.

The first thing that Aaron manages to do is actually surprise readers, throwing twists after twists in this issue alone, providing for a great number of satisfactory scenes for those who had no idea of the actual direction the story could go for. With the story being rather straightforward before, the writer makes for a nice use of what had been set up earlier to provide for something rather inventive and expansive for the nine realms and its future in the Marvel universe.

Thor: God of Thunder #16 – Review

by Jason Aaron (Writer), Ron Garney, Emanuela Lupacchino (Artists), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: There is a traitor in the league of realms. Who could it be?

The Review: I am currently less than impressed by the current storyline in the book. While it is obvious that Jason Aaron is doing the best he can with some elements that aren’t nearly as good as those he introduced in his first mega-arc, this one still seems to be a manner to properly introduce Malekith to a new readership because of a very specific release a month ago. From the beginning of this story, a lot of the best elements were simply thrown to the side in order to tell a story about a serial-killing dark elf, with Thor now sharing the spotlight with other characters.

However, despite my initial negative overview of this whole thing, I do have to admit that this issue did provide plenty of better elements to the story. With some inner conflicts in the league of realms, the return of how mythology is presented in the Marvel universe alongside a good dose of humor, this issue does raise the bar in terms of quality and enjoyment.

The first thing that Jason Aaron does right is in how he portrays the failings of the league of realms, which was a nice idea, yet poorly executed. Showing just how the group could not really work due to some distrusts and to how politics can influence things in the nine realms, the group disband here due to not only the fact that they aren’t very effective together, but also due to an error from the god of thunder himself. This results in something more beside the cyclical and constant chase for Malekith that the group did in the previous issues, which is a change that is most welcome.

Infinity #6 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Jim Cheung, Dustin Weaver, Mark Morales, Guillermo Ortego, Dave Meikis, John Livesay (Artists), Justin Ponsor, Ive Svorcina (Colorists)

The Story: The fight against Thanos and the Black Order reach its crux as close to every players gets to weigh in on the ongoing action.

The Review: Well, this is it. Many events in Marvel’s history had a rather great premise, yet always failed to deliver on their ending, rushing things along to prepare for the next big status quo or to simply lead to the next big thing. However, with Infinity being rather different in many aspects when compared to the likes of Siege, Secret Invasion and Avengers vs. X-Men, does it actually delivers on the good with every players being in the grand finale against Thanos and his Black Order?

Surprisingly, Infinity goes for the unexpected as it manages to both create new possibilities for stories along with a new status quo, but it also conclude very well on some of its themes. Bringing a sense of evolution and change to some of its key players, the event does fulfill some of the promises that every events bring forth to readers. It doesn’t accomplish this without any sacrifice to some elements of the story, but it is still rather impressive nonetheless.

One of the biggest draw of this issue would be the action, with a good chunk of this book dedicated to the fight against Thanos and his lieutenants in the Cull Obsidian. These scenes, despite them not featuring most of the Avengers, are quite striking as members like Thor, Hyperion, Captain Marvel and other heavy hitters are along for the rather brutal, yet diverse enough slugfest. Other parts of the action are also divided amongst the Illuminati and the group fighting in space, but the main feature is the battle against the Mad Titan.

Thor: God of Thunder #15 – Review

by Jason Aaron (Writer), Ron Garney (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: The league of realms has got to start cooperating seriously. Perhaps a bit of debauchery would do them good before fighting Malekith?

The Review: It’s always a bit frustrating to follow a book that started off very strong, only to see it falters after a while. It may be due to a change of artist, or perhaps some tie-ins to events from other books, but whatever the cause it is always disappointing to see something cherished become something less.

It is unfortunately what seems to have happened to Thor: God of Thunder under Jason Aaron’s pen, as the impossibly grandiose story arc that introduced this new take on the popular character had been simply too good. With big stakes, time-travel and some powerful themes, it was simply too big to be simply followed on, especially with an arc focusing on Malekith the Accursed, a character popularized by Walt Simonson in his legendary run. Simply put, this arc isn’t big enough to properly take advantage of the ideas first introduced in the ”God Butcher” and ”Godbomb” arcs.

To his credit, Jason Aaron do try to make this story about a league with members from most of the realms fun, with plenty of absurdity and fantasy put forward. There is a bigger emphasis on some of these individual characters alongside how they interact, with some like Screwbeard, Sir Ivory and Lady Waziria coming out as a bit more fleshed out. The only one that is coming off as rather boring and one-note is Ud the troll, who could truly benefit from something more beside violence and pettiness. When even the mute giant comes off as a more entertaining character than the always whining troll, there is a bit of a problem here.

X-Men: Battle of the Atom #2 – Review

By:  Jason Aaron; Brian Wood; and Brian Michael Bendis (writers), Esad Ribic; Giuseppe Camuncoli; Kristopher Anka; Chris Bachalo (pencils), Andrew Currie; Tom Palmer; Mark Irwin; Victor Olazaba; and Wade von Grawbadger (finishes), Ive Svorcina; Andres Mossa; Guru eFX; and Matt Milla (colors)

The Story: Fifty years ago, Professor Xavier assembled a team of young mutants, the original X-Men, to protect the world from evil mutants. Today, Xavier has assembled a team of young mutants to eliminate the original X-Men and protect evil mutants from the world. Happy anniversary, guys; hope you survive the experience.

The Review: At long last “Battle for the Atom” has come to a close. Can you believe that this event only started two months ago? At times it seems like it’s always been here.

When I opened this issue, I was surprised to see Jason Aaron’s name on the credits page. Brian Michael Bendis does manage to get the last word, but it’s Aaron who handles most of the heavy lifting. Bendis hasn’t shown his best self on this event, but Aaron was behind the rather abysmal last installment in Wolverine and the X-Men #37. Many of the flaws present in that chapter reappear here, but stronger plotting and more valuable subject matter allow this issue to escape the sins of its predecessor.

Though justifying the sheer amount of time and energy this story has subverted would require a pretty astonishing ending, taken on its own merits, X-Men: Battle of the Atom #2 is a strong issue that closes the book on one tale while writing the first lines of several others.

Thor: God of Thunder #14 – Review

Jason Aaron (Writer), Ron Garney (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: The league of realms is formed as they try to hunt down Malekith before he does too much damage to the nine realms.

The Review: New ideas are dangerous. It’s not a particularly pleasant thing to say, but capes comics aren’t always known for their originality as they rely a lot of times on certain tropes to thrive in the market. Nostalgia sells, so it’s usual to see things that are familiar, yet not blatantly so that it becomes tedious or unoriginal. A book with familiar characters or with a title that is already a proven seller will always have a better chance at growing rather than an entirely original book with newer characters. It’s not exactly the market as it is now, but it could be described pretty closely as such.

It is why I am both glad and a bit disappointed to see Jason Aaron trying to play with many elements of the Thor mythology from the Marvel universe. There is a sense of fun and exploration to what the nine realms are with some of the concepts brought forward by the writer, with the league of realms, the fact that there is a council of realms and so forth. The willingness of Aaron to mess around and to introduce some new elements to Thor’s mythology speak well for him as a writer.

Unfortunately, it would be better if some of those elements worked a bit better, as there is perhaps an abundance of suspension of disbelief needed for some of the additions to truly shine. While the idea of a league of realms with a composition of denizens from multiple realms is an entertaining one, it is a bit baffling to see it go forward considering two facts. The first one is the simple truth that Thor, as a character, is known as the hero of the nine realms, which is not a self-proclaimed title but an actual one given to him, meaning that he is most probably trusted by a great many to be a person that can protect others. The other reason can be seen in the previous arc, as Thor had to deal with a god-killer through time and space. Simply put, Malekith doesn’t really seem like much of a challenge, or even one that can really compare to Gorr in terms of scope. He is more defined and can become an apt villain in terms of interest, yet he just doesn’t seem to be a foe as worthy as the previous one.

Guardians of the Galaxy #6 – Review

Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Sara Pichelli, Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales (Artists), Justin Ponsor, Ive Svorcina (Colorists)

The Story: Star-Lord continues his discussion with Thanos, as the rest of the team face-off against Angela.

The Review: As Bendis continues his huge tale featuring the X-Men from the past, present and future, it would be hard to remember the fact that he has another team book under his sleeve. With this book seeing a particularly harsh delay in its release (with the latest issue being released at the end of July), it kind of got lost in the shuffle of big events that is up with the bit two. However, with Angela supposed to be properly introduced in this arc, does Bendis manage to convince the readers that the wait was worth it?

Unfortunately, not so much as this issue simply doesn’t seem to know what it wants to achieve. There are interesting tidbits, to be sure, yet those moments don’t amount to much for both this simple issue and in the long run of this comic, or so it seems. While the discussion that Star-Lord and Thanos share is indubitably captivating, with Bendis actually writing the voice of Thanos in a much better way this time around, it amounts to build up toward Infinity, an event that has already seen its third issue being released. On its own merit, it does manage to play well into the current version of Thanos that is being pushed by Marvel.

Another character that seems to be thoroughly pushed by Marvel, albeit it is a somewhat-new yet not-so-much one, is Angela. While the action certainly do push certain qualities of the character to the forefront, it does not amount to much in terms of readers investment, as her characterization is almost non-existent. Despite a few lines here and there and being generally very angry, Angela just has no presence that justifies the big push she has been getting. Besides beating the tar out of the whole team in an overly log action scene, she gets one line of dialogue, which is exactly one word: ”Demon”. Not the best introduction to a character, especially not one that Neil Gaiman is consulting for.

Thor: God of Thunder #13 – Review

by Jason Aaron (Writer), Ron Garney (Artist) Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Malekith the Accursed comes out of his prison and cause some chaos.

The Review: Well, here we are again. Another story that is set to tie-in many elements from a movie for the new readers. While this does not necessarily means that the story including those elements will be bad, the more pessimistic readers might see this as an editorial obligation. The more optimistic ones might think that the writer can be skilled enough to incorporate those elements in his story without hurting the narrative flow and the themes. Between the two, who would be closest to the realities presented by this issue?

There’s a little bit of both here, as unlike the amazing last issue, most of the ideas revolving around the ideas of godhood in the Marvel universe are dropped in order to provide a story featuring Malekith the Accursed. It is a bit disappointing to see such a novel approach to the god of thunder being dropped in order to showcase a character that never was the greatest or most impressive foe in a line-up that include such antagonists as Loki, the Destroyer armor and the Enchantress.

Still, Jason Aaron makes for the most of it as he uses the nine realms and some of the ideas of including some of the actual Norse mythology from Walter Simonson in his tale. The scenes with the dark elves going to rescue Malekith from his prison in Niffleheim are well-paced, show plenty of action and delve into the mythology with enough depth as to bask the readers in the more fantastical angles of Thor’s corner of the Marvel universe.

Thor: God of Thunder #11 – Review

Jason Aaron (Writer), Esad Ribic (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: The godbomb explode as Thor fights to preserve godhood for all divine beings in the very heart of this object of destruction.

The Review: After a good deal of issues of build up, of confrontation and character work done with multiple eras of the god of thunder and this new foe of his, the very first storyline of this title has reached an end. With the road toward that point being made of a lot of great moments, does the conclusion of the conflict between Thor and Gorr satisfy?

In terms of concepts, it is a very satisfying issue, as the dialogue and the narration delivers on the scope of such a cataclysm in terms of godhood. The various descriptions truly relate the large ordeal that each Thor has on his shoulders, with the present-day one trying very hard to make sure the bomb does not destroy everything he fought for. Most of the incredible ideas are rendered very well as the pacing allows each page to fully wallow in just what happens in this issue means. Not everything is on the same tone, though, as Aaron also add humor to the mix, without interrupting the flow or disrupting the tone.*

However, there are some aspects of the conclusion that are rushed or left perhaps a bit too vague to feel satisfactory. The way Gorr is actually defeated is awe-inspiring, yet the explanation is perhaps too quick, as it seems there could have been more told about just how this might have developed. There is also the fact that the transition between the defeat of Gorr and the awakening of Thor around his others selves is not explained in the best of terms. It is written that old king Thor used his powers to put everyone back to their own times, yet it sounds a tad unsatisfying and perhaps a bit far-fetched. If he could manipulate time with his powers, wouldn’t it had been smart of him to use it during the battle against Gorr in any way?

Thor: God of Thunder #10 – Review

Jason Aaron (Writer), Esad Ribic (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: As the three Thor lay defeated, Gorr prepare to unleash his plan to murder every divine beings out of existence.

The Review: As readers, we can be sometime be witness to the beginning of what we could call a great tenure on a title. No doubt, when Brubaker began writing Captain America or when Mark Waid began his tenure on Daredevil, we knew we were in for something special. It’s when a lot of elements come together to create a vision on a certain character that we know and love that it becomes very rewarding for fans of a certain superhero universe or a certain character and I do believe we have that with this current run on Thor.

What Jason Aaron, Ribic and Svorcina have done with the god of thunder is something that was true to the character, giving us an expensive story about divinity, religion while adding adventure on an epic scope. As Gorr was a colossal menace for each version of Thor, this had escalated to a huge battle on a cosmic level that was something that had been built upon ever since the introduction of the book’s antagonist. Now that we had such a satisfying issue full of action, how could the book capitalize on that climactic conclusion in a satisfying way?

For better or worse, Aaron does so by putting more in context the surroundings around Gorr and by pushing the irony of just what he has become in order to complete his goals. Still playing in the grand scope he has developed for this series, we get the almost mythical* approach to Thor’s conflict against Gorr as the themes are clear and concise, yet big and intense enough that we get that this is not a problem just any Marvel character could solve.

As we get more insight into just how far Gorr has gone in his quest, the stakes gets higher as we see just how the gods may have to react in order to survive or go out with dignity. It’s that elevation of tension and of stakes that makes what may happen next so pleasant for us readers, as Jason Aaron does give us some surprise as he continues to play with his different versions of Thor, with the ever rebellious and arrogant Thor from the past, the surly yet highly capable and confident King Thor and the one we are most used to, the Avenger Thor from the present time period. How they continue to react toward what is happening and how they try to do battle is still quite something to behold.*

Dexter #1 – Review

By: Jeff Kindsay (writer), Dalibor Talajic (art), Ive Svorcina (colors) and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: A comic Dexter story just in time to cash in on the show that started Season 8 last week!

Review: Let’s be succinct: Don’t read this comic.

This is actually the kind of comic that offends me.  “They” have a popular property and “they” decide to shovel out a comic series that is low-quality merely because they know they don’t have to try any harder since people will buy it based on the name alone.  It’s the same problem that plagues video games that are related to a summer blockbuster movie or novelizations of movies or new versions of Monopoly based on licensed properties.  This stuff is usually crap, yet we buy it because we kinda like one media property with that brand name, so we might like another.

Thor: God of Thunder #9 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (Writer), Esad Ribic (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: The three Thors from the past, present and future decide to bring the fight to Gorr. An epic and cosmic fight ensues.

The Review: Well, this issue was quite something. With the way the three Thor had been united in the last issue, I had thought that Jason Aaron would make their big conflict against the god butcher the climax of his story, giving us a big epic denouement that would rock the heavens. As it turns out, the plan was different.

Indeed, as if Christmas had come early, we’re given the big battle with the Thors from different eras against Gorr and it is glorious. Some writers tend to depower the god of thunder a bit sometimes, in order to give a chance for the other characters to show their stuff too. After all, it wouldn’t make for a very interesting comic to see Thor solve everything with his huge strength, since he has always been written as being an intensively powerful hero that had powers that could rival many in the Marvel universe. Here, Jason Aaron let the three Thor show just how much of a powerhouse the character is and it quite something to see.

Thanos Rising #3 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (Writer), Simone Bianchi (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Thanos goes away from Titan and tries to leave a normal life as analyzed by him, which somehow mean being a pirate and siring as many offspring’s as he can.

The Review: How were you introduced to Thanos, the Mad Titan?

It may seems like a pretty simple question, yet it is a vital one considering the potential point of view one may have on this issue and the part of the series as a whole. Me, I was presented to this stunning villain by a pretty great story called The Infinity Gauntlet where I was shown a character that seemed to be caught in a moral conundrum unique only to his being, one that made him act in ways that seemed logical, yet also insanely. In this story, he acquired ultimate power only to be deprived of the only thing he wanted, resulting in him going mad with powers and fighting cosmic beings and entity. It was a grand tale that gave me a character that was truly fascinating to see, as we could understand his motivation even though he was committing universal genocide on a scale unheard of in comics.

Thor: God of Thunder #8 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (Writer), Esad Ribic (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Present and Future Thor sails the cosmos in order to bring the battle to Gorr as the young Thor from the past learn how the slaves of Gorr fare and what are his plans.

The Review: Praise to the bearded writer of greatness for his adventures of the god of thunder, even though he seems to be unable to even come close to this level on his other titles, be it the tale of the Mad Titan or the stories of young mutants in school. May Jason Aaron find in his own mind the way to make this title consistent and he shall have a follower to buy this sublime book of the mighty shelves of his local comic book shop.

*Ahem*

So yeah, another pretty great issue of Thor: God of Thunder has been released, featuring the continuing tale of the gods of thunder from three ears converging to fight the god butcher. In this issue, we see two plotlines as we see just how young Thor fares as he has been captured by Gorr and put into slavery. Right there, we get to see his impetuous and arrogant side as he tries to rebel against his captor, never minding for once what it might entail for the others. As we see three new female characters (whose identity I shall not spoil) go toward him as they try to calm him down. In a way to teach him humility and the error of his current ways, the three females shows just what happens when a divine being rebels, as it leads to a pretty powerful scene showing just how far along in his plans Gorr has gotten.

Thanos Rising #2 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (Writer), Simone Bianchi (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Thanos grows tired of school and a lot that entails to it as he tries to make his own discoveries at his own paces, leading to some revelations about just what kind of a person he is.

The Review: These are strange times for Jason Aaron. With multiples series written by him coming out at the moment, we are treated to superb books like Thor: God of Thunder or to books that are struggling like Wolverine and the X-Men. This mini-series about Thanos, though, has been unfortunately much more akin to the latter, with the first issue of this mini-series being kind of a letdown. Considering the talent behind it, can this issue redeem the direction and the general atmosphere that we know both the artist and writer can deliver?

Thor: God of Thunder #7 – Review

Jason Aaron (Writer), Esad Ribic (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Present Thor meets his future self to prepare for battle against Gorr, as Young Thor gets abducted by the god butcher.

The Review: I fear that I’ll get redundant. That people might disregard any future review I might write on this title as I sing the praises of Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s work on the adventures of the god of thunder. How could I not, though, as the duo has given us not just one of the best versions of Thor in a long time, but they have given us three great and different versions of the same character as well. The exploration of how Thor would have changed throughout the years is something that is incredibly fascinating and that Jason Aaron has handled quite well so far.

Just the way he handles the older Thor as a man that is hardly impressed by all that is going on around him speaks volume about how such a long-lived being could change and adapt to such a thing as the Marvel universe. There is a particular exchange between the present-day Thor and the old Thor that is funny, yet utterly in character with what we might expect from both characters.

-‘’You…I mean, me…we are the All-Father.

-‘’I am the All-Father. You are still just…What are you again? An Avenger? Guardian of the Galaxy? The head of that ridiculous little order of yours? Have you moved to the sun and become a cosmic god cop yet?’’

-‘’What? No.’’

-‘’Oh. Then forget I said anything.’’

Such an exchange is both silly, yet speaks volume in mythology, heroics and just the overall importance of Thor as both a character and god in the Marvel universe. This shows that Jason Aaron just gets who Thor is and what he could very well be, showing the very idea that as a god and a hero, Thor is versatile, capable of adapting himself in both a meta-fictional and literal way to whatever task is needed of him. He also does get the voice of what kind of evolution a being like Thor had over the numerous centuries of his existence, as the way the three Thor speaks and acts speaks volume about their characterization.

Thor: God of Thunder #6 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (Writer), Butch Guice, Tom Palmer (Artists), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: The tale of Gorr is told, telling us how he got from feeble child to god butcher.

The Review: Transition issues between arcs are tough for readers. Most of the times, they are used for the benefit of the readers or to put several elements in the right place for a further story down the line, yet it does not necessarily amount to a satisfying issue for the readers. A series that can be used as an example would be Earth 2, which begun rather strongly, only for it to falter with less than admirable efforts for three consecutive issues before the next arc could be properly presented. It amounts to them being presentations of some other characters or elements of the setting, as if you had been bombarded by a huge information dump before the next important chapter.

Thor: God of Thunder #5 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (Writer), Esad Ribic (Artist), Ive Svorcina (Colorist)

The Story: Gorr explains much of his motivations for killing deities as present-day Thor meet future old king Thor.

The Review: Jason Aaron does it again. He has, once more, invigorated his mythical version of divinity in the Marvel universe with his adventures with the god of thunder, Thor. With but a simple concept as a serial murderer of gods, he has created a brutal, yet utterly beautiful myth worthy of the legacy of this character who has gotten a lot of talented writers to write him.

The one character who has received the most from this issue is the actual character at the heart of the deceptively simple concept of the story: Gorr the god butcher. In his start, the character was very simple with not much originality to him, be it his design or his motivations. Thankfully, the whole issue deepens him on a whole new level, giving us the exact reasons for his actions with Thor and what are his desires and goals as he decimates gods with glee. This makes him so much more than a simple foe, a mere threat: it makes him a nemesis, a character central to the whole series so far. He has gone from simplistic to complicated, from insignificant to central and it makes the series stronger for it.