The Mighty Thor #4 – Review

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

The Story: The Asgardians go to war with Galactus, as the big purple guy takes on Odin in a battle of wills.  Also, Volstagg takes on the slavering hordes of Broxton.

What’s Good: If there’s one thing that comic books as a medium lends itself well to, it’s “awesomeness.”  By awesomeness, I don’t mean mere positive quality.  Rather, I’m referring to the jaw-droppingly ludicrous that can be described in no other way, things that are so massive that they beggar belief.

With issues like this, it seems that Matt Fraction is very in tune with this when it comes to his Mighty Thor comic.  I mean seriously, this month, we have Thor and the Warriors Three, dressed in space marine armor, battling the Silver Surfer, “cosmic demons,” and Galactus in freaking space.  The very fact that Fraction doesn’t do anything criminally wrong in his dialogue or storytelling pretty much means this issue is a win due to its concept alone.  The space battle is so massively epic that at some points, you’ve just gotta sit back and enjoy it.

A lot of this is also due to the efforts of Olivier Coipel.  I feel like I’m saying this every month, but this really is Coipel’s best outing thus far.  His Galactus is awesome, his actions sequences are mind-boggling in scale and speed, his characters are likable, and he even does really nifty work in altering his style a bit when depicting flashback sequences, shifting from bombastic space opera to dark fantasy mystery.

Fraction also finds space for other stuff as well, not satisfied with awesome space battling.  We get quality Volstagg comedy, full of the usual hot air and exaggerations that have made the big guy such an easy fan favorite.  There’s Kid Loki’s well-meaning scheming as well, and frankly, Kid Loki has been a winner of a character since his creation.  He also is a fantastic straight man next to Volstagg’s bluster.

I also really enjoyed Galactus and Odin’s mental struggle.  The flashbacks initiated in Odin’s mind were creepy and ominous, and the way Galactus took shape in the All-Father’s mind was pretty cool and subtle, while also giving the whole thing a tinge of horror comic goodness.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Pick

Best From The Past Week: Daredevil #1 – This was easy.  Daredevil #1 managed to feel totally fresh, while also a nostalgic throwback that encapsulates everything that a Daredevil comic should be. If you’ve ever been even remotely curious about Daredevil, I’ll say it again: buy this book!

Most Anticipated: Amazing Spider-Man #666 – That was tough, as there’s so much to look forward to this week.  You get the second issue of the surprisingly excellent X-Men: Schism event, the final issue of Secret Warriors, the first issue of the Brubaker penned, and the WWII ongoing Captain America and Bucky.  Then there’s perennial favourites like Detective Comics, American Vampire, Criminal, FF, and Mighty Thor.

But I’ll go with ASM.  I’ve enjoyed Dan Slott’s run thus far, but it’s felt like ASM has been treading water the past few months, waiting for Spider-Island to begin.  It’s been frustrating at times, but it’s also heightened my anticipation.  Now, here we are, and I can’t wait to see the show on the road.

Other Picks: Captain America and Bucky #620, X-Men: Schism #2, Detective Comics #880, American Vampire #17, Mighty Thor #4, Criminal: Last of the Innocent #2, Secret Warriors #28, FF #7