The Mighty Thor #10 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Pasqual Ferry (art), Frank D’Armata (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Heimdall has suspicions about Tanarus, Surfer and Loki try to figure out what to do with Mjolnir, and Thor makes his bid for freedom.

The Review:  Last month, I touched upon how Matt Fraction is playing a dangerous game with Thor at the moment, in that he has so many disparate characters to touch upon in the space of 22 pages that the result can be a little messy.  Well, thankfully, he fairs a lot better this month in finding the appropriate balance.

One of the things that works well in this book is Fraction’s fusing the cosmic with the fantasy/mythological elements.  Everything Thor sailing through the cosmos to the presence of the Silver Surfer fits together neatly.  For instance, seeing Thor and his fellow forgotten gods attempt to break their bonds and battle a monster in space/god afterlife/whatever is a perfect example of this.  There’s the surreal quality of exploring what happens to gods after death, with the fact that, well, it’s a giant monster in what looks like space.  More than that though, it’s nice to see this plot actually move forward after two months in spent in neutral.

But what really gets this issue going is Asgardia and its politics.  The All-Mother remains an engaging addition to the cast, but Fraction has begun to really inject the book with a kind of political intrigue, what with Tanarus being a dick and ruffling feathers, Heimdall’s suspicions, and warnings of unknown assassins to the All-Mother.  The result is a broiling, addictive narrative environment.  As any fan of fantasy novels knows, political intrigue and machinations work wonders in a fantasy setting.  Fraction seems aware of that and the result is that Mighty Thor, this months, is beginning to offer a smarter, more substantial read.

It’s also worth mentioning that while Kieron Gillen is still my preferred Kid Loki writer, Kid Loki/Silver Surfer is a wonderful odd couple.  Their conversational dialogue is fun and their clumsy “team-up” is a nice spot of comic relief that still manages to remain integral to the plot.

Art-wise, Pasqual Ferry’s artwork remains charming, lush, and full of character.  Frank D’Armata has also adjusted his colors a little, to give the book a warmer hue as opposed to the glossy look he gives to Invincible Iron Man and….most everything else he colors.

If there’s one downside to this issue, it’s that there’s still not much of a reason to be overly invested in Karnilla or her plotting, or that of the trolls.  Fraction still has yet to develop that portion of his overall plot and as a result, there’s not much to grab onto with respect to the antagonists.

Tanarus is a similarly imbalanced and ill-defined character.  While in prior issues, he’s come across as a possibly sympathetic figure, this month, he’s pure jackass.  It’s hard, as a reader, to get a handle of the character.  There’s just something a bit amorphous about him and, despite the arc being named after him, I don’t feel like we’ve gotten to know him at all.

Conclusion:  A big improvement over last month and a solid experience overall.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans

 

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Batman #5 – It seemed that all anyone wanted to talk about with this comic was the twisting orientation of the pages, and it was an interesting gimmick, but behind this trick was a really great comic book.  It takes a really gifted creative team to effectively sell madness and insanity, but that’s what we got in this issue.  You really believe that Batman is cracking up!  And the Court of Owls is much more interesting than any of the established Batman rogues just because we don’t know what to expect from them.

Most Anticipated: The Walking Dead #93 – After a slow story arc, Robert Kirkman uncorked a promising new concept in his last issue that may jiggle a status quo that has become stale.  I’m pretty intrigued by the idea of clusters of survivors remaining separate and interacting with each other like the old Greek city-states.  Plus, you just know that something BIG will happen this summer in issue #100 and it’ll probably start building now.

Other Picks: Creepy Comics #7, American Vampire #23, The Unwritten #33.5, Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #1, Elephantmen #37, Captain America and Bucky #626

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Batman #5 – Basically, this comic was insane.  Which is good, given that its story was the gradual loss of sanity. Great art, creepy as hell atmosphere, and a really cool use of the physical medium really made this a comic to remember.  Snyder’s ability to deliver creeping horror is really something to behold.

Most Anticipated: Justice League #5 After one week’s delay….well, after that last page in Justice League #4, I really couldn’t pick anything else. I mean, it’s Darkseid.  I cannot wait to see what happens as the JLA meet their first adversary in the new DCU.

Other Picks: The Flash #5, Aquaman #5, American Vampire #23, Fantastic Four #602, FF #14, Mighty Thor #10