The Mighty Thor #3 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Olivier Coipel (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Given an ultimatum, Thor rumbles with the Surfer.  Meanwhile, Volstagg finds himself unwanted in Broxton.

What’s Good: It always feels really good to get your money’s worth with a comic.  I definitely felt like I got a meaty book with Mighty Thor #3.  Despite having no more than the standard number of pages to work with, Matt Fraction covers quite a lot of ground this month.  While the plot progresses at your standard rate, a great deal happens and plenty of characters are visited.  There’s the big Surfer/Galactus plot, of course, but there’s also an amusing scene of kid Loki mischief, a subplot involving Volstagg and the residents of Broxton, and the lingering issue of Thor’s mysterious wound.  All of these elements are, for the most part, disparate which removes any sense of decompression and delivers a more rounded and comprehensive reading experience.

Many characters receive solid treatment.  Loki’s scene with a very naked Sif is admittedly a digression, but it’s a fun one that only continues to make kid Loki one of my favourite Marvel characters right now.  Volstagg is as humorous as ever and his exaggerations regarding the citizens of Broxton’s newfound hostility is a lot of fun, all the more because if ever there were deaf ears for those citizens to speak to, they’d be Volstagg’s.

As far as the main plot goes, I’m still really loving this Galactus/Asgardian clash, as it brings together the high fantasy of Thor with the cosmic in a way that continues to feel fun and fresh.  The fight between Thor and Surfer is awesome, if only due to the participants.  Best of all though, I really liked how Fraction hinges much of the plot on who between Odin and Galactus is less trustworthy.  That’s a major conundrum, to say the least, and one that has me looking forward to next issue.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Invincible Iron Man #505 – Well, there were only two comics for me this week, and while neither of them were at all bad, I’m going with Matt Fraction’s Iron Man.  This issue showed what I wish a lot more event tie-in arcs would do: tie in to the event in question without forgetting or putting aside dangling plot elements and characters.  A fun read all around and that showed that an event tie-in arc doesn’t have to be something to groan about.

Most Anticipated: Captain America #619 – I’ve been absolutely loving everything about Ed Brubaker’s latest arc in its tone, story, voice, and unique structure.  Not only am I excited to see how he ties it all up, but I also want to see how he deals with Bucky’s death and Steve’s return to the shield.  Big things are afoot this month for Cap and Brubaker’s been in prime shape as of late.

Other Picks: Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, DMZ #66, Mighty Thor #3, Wolverine #11

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: 28 Days Later #24 – Endings are hard, so the degree of difficulty on this final issue of the series was pretty high.  The creators really nailed it and gave us a heartfelt finale that bridges the gap between the two films and does some interesting things with two characters that I’ve grown quite fond of.  Now that the series has wrapped, be sure to check out the trades.  Runner-up: Graveyard of Empires #1

Most Anticipated: Dark Horse Presents #2 – It’s a pretty light week for my pull list, so I’ll go with this second issue of Dark Horse’s revived anthology series.  I have no idea what will be between the covers, but chances are pretty high that there will be something good on the menu.

Other Picks: All Nighter #1, Hack/Slash #5, Thunderbolts #159, Wolverine #11, Incredible Hulks #631