Thor #617 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Pasqual Ferry (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and John Workman (letters)

The Story: Thor awakens the resurrected Loki and Dr. Eric Solvang finally finds someone to listen to him as Uthana Thoth continues to expand his dominion.

What’s Good: In all honesty, if you’ve liked Matt Fraction’s first two issues of Thor, you’re going to like this one for pretty much all of the same reasons as the quality remains utterly consistent.  It’s still the epic, quirky mix of fantasy and old school sci-fi that’s had me raving over the last couple of months.

Beyond that though, this issue introduces an elephant into the room: a resurrected Loki.  I’ll admit, while I was curious, I was also a bit miffed; Loki’s death was a big event at the end of Siege and was examined nicely by Kieron Gillen, and he’s already being brought back from the dead?  It seemed hasty.

Well, I was wrong to doubt Matt Fraction, as this is far from simply bringing Loki back.  The Loki Fraction introduces is essentially a new character to the series.  I won’t spoil the surprise, but what Fraction does here is utterly ingenious, essentially making an old character completely new and fresh both in personality and what he stands for.  There’s huge potential here.  Furthermore, Loki’s human alter-ego, a child street hustler in Paris, is an absolute delight to read in all his carnie goodness.

I also was surprised by how well Tony Stark functioned in this book.  It’s a character Fraction knows very well, but one that also works very well as a middle-man between the quantum cosmologist Eric Solvang and the Asgardians.  He’s basically a big name Marvel Universe figure who serves as a bridge between these two very disparate genres who both occupy that same universe.  It’s well-done by Fraction.

Art-wise, Pasqual Ferry and Matt Hollingsworth deliver another knockout, even in an issue that’s a bit more restrained, focusing more on everyday environments.  The work is still brimming with character, both comic booky and incredibly polished.  Art-wise, there’s nothing not to like here and I really loved Ferry’s goblins, who made the last page funnier than it should have been.

Thor #616 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Pasqual Ferry (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and John Workman (letters)

The Story: Volstagg tries to get Thor to listen to a grave warning as the god of thunder comes to a decision about Loki.

What’s Good: One of the things that has me most excited about Matt Fraction’s run is his bringing back the goofy sci-fi element to Thor.  Aside from the odd Marvel Universe cameo, sci-fi has really been wholly absent from Thor since the title’s return under JMS.  Though I’ve liked all of the series since that relaunch, it really is the right time.

Really, when read with a critical eye, that generic return, and earlier absence, are what this comic is all about as Fraction crafts the central conflict of this arc around this battle of genres.  Thoth and his minions, wacky cosmic villains that they are, can sort of be seen as personifications of old school Marvel science fiction.  Thus, it’s very, very effective how Fraction scripts Thor and Balder’s treatment of the quantum cosmologist that Volstagg brings; they’re too busy wandering about Odin’s trophy room, doing very Asgardian type things.  They have come to be in ignorance of those sci-fi threats, and that’s what this arc is all about, really.  When approached by science fiction, Thor rejects it with hostility and incomprehension, preferring instead to stay in the strictly mythological arena that the comic has been hugged to since the relaunch.  Cosmology, science, and sci-fi threats are, well, far too alien and other to the world Thor and his buddies have become accustomed to.

Of course, Fraction’s point is that these elements can’t be ignored.  Thor is going to have to fight these dudes and recognize “quantum cosmology.”  And so, Thor will eventually grow accustomed to the book’s sci-fi elements once again.  It’s beautiful writing by Fraction and very nuanced and I hope most people see what he’s doing.  This story is less about thumping bad guys than it is stamping out Thor’s generic territory and such remarkable writing in mainstream superhero comics needs to be commended.

On a more “down to earth” level, there’s a lot to like here, much like last month.  Volstagg is still a blast to read, Fraction’s take on Broxton’s residents is different from JMS’, but no less charming, and Ferry and Hollingsworth continue to crank out gorgeous, lush artwork that distinguishes Thor from anything else on the stands.  It’s amazing how well Ferry can go from Thoth, to Broxton, to Asgard.  Ferry and Hollingsworth suit each other so well and make for a glorious visual product.  Oh, and the book has one heckuva cliffhanger.

Thor #615 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Pasqual Ferry (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and John Workman (letters)

The Story: A new age for Thor and Asgard begins, as an ominous threat fills Asgard’s void and rages across the metaverse.

What’s Good: Thor fans can breathe a sigh of relief; Matt Fraction arrives and his first issue is a great one.

While it’s difficult to make sweeping judgments after only one issue, I think that it’s fairly clear that Fraction has a very good understanding of the characters and how to use them.  Thor is appropriately brooding and stoic; his bittersweet feelings about Loki, summarized this month in a kind of informal quasi-eulogy, are a highlight of the issue and are very well written and minimalist enough so as to be affecting.

Yet, Fraction also seems aware of the character’s potential as a comedic straight man.  Fraction shows himself to have an incredibly strong handle of the Thor/Donald Blake connection and dynamic.  I had forgotten what a joy this element of the series can be, what with Blake having been absent for some time.  The chemistry between the two is light-hearted and very funny, with Blake even serving as an unlikely adviser.  A couple of his comments on Thor’s behavior even border on making the comic feel amusingly self-aware.  And I’m not even getting started on Fraction’s Volstagg, who can make even the most otherwise boring scenes funny.

Perhaps the most promising aspect of this first issue, however, is what it does generically, mixing sci-fi and high fantasy.  The issue feels like several things elegantly melded together that should be utterly disparate, but somehow come together to form a kind of fresh, sleek, and completely distinct whole.  You have scenes of blue-skinned evils battling sword-wielding demonic barbarians on a snowy plain transitioning to a discussion of “quantum cosmology.”  It sounds utterly insane, and perhaps it is, but it gives the book a unique life and tone that make it unlike anything else out there.