Journey into Mystery #632 – Review

by Kieron Gillen (writing), Mitch Breitweiser (art), Bettie Breitweiser (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Loki gets a very special present from Hela, courtesy of Garm.

The Review:  This was originally advertised as something of a Christmas issue, but ultimately, while Gillen delivers on that promise, we get something a little more subtle.  While there definitely is a nice message and a certain Christmas-y atmosphere, outside of an opening scene, it’s never overtly a Christmas issue.  Rather, it’s a charming one-shot that feels appropriate for the spirit of the season.

The first thing you’re going to notice about this book is the art.  It’s a pretty big departure from the look Doug Braithwaite established for the book and yet, it’s utterly gorgeous and totally appropriate in its own way.  Much like the Allreds, the Breitweiser husband/wife duo are perfect artistic compliments to one another.  They come together to bring you a book that feels, well, mysterious.  It’s a book that’s heavy on atmosphere and one really gets the feeling of a fantastical wintry wonderland.  And then there are the little puppies which are the core of the issue, and the Breitweisers do an absolutely adorable job on them, making them little bundles of malcontented fur.

And really, those puppies sum up this issue: completely and utterly charming and adorable.  This is a comic with a big heart, but one that also has mature sensibilities when it comes to its storytelling.  Loki, Leah, the puppies introduced in this issue, all of them are just so bloody lovable.

This helps Gillen in getting the reader to really become emotionally invested in the issue.  On the one hand, yes, the ending was predictable and yet, in spite of that, I was still crying out at “Loki, don’t do it!”  The fact that I was so desperate to get the ending I expected/wanted and that Gillen kept me on the hook throughout says quite a bit about this book.  When I finally got that ending, it was all too satisfying.

There are a lot of laughs to be had this month as well.  From Leah and Loki’s always wonderful relationship, to Volstagg’s honorary Christmas job, to the ridiculously murderous quips of Loki’s new pet puppy, you’re guaranteed to laugh out loud with this comic and all of the jokes are of the good-natured sort.

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.

Mighty Thor #2 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Olivier Coipel (penciller), Mark Morales (inker), Laura Martin (colorist), and Joe Sabino (letterer)

The Story: Thor and Sif begin training a new team of heroes, Odin may be up to no good, and the Silver Surfer brings Asgard an ultimatum from his purple-hatted master.

The Review: Now that’s more like it. I was one of the, apparently, few people who enjoyed Fraction’s arc on Thor.  That said, there was something vaguely underwhelming for me about the first issue of Mighty Thor, something I wasn’t quite able to put my finger on.  This time out though, I got a rock solid experience.

As I noted last month, I continue to enjoy Matt Fraction’s use of Sif.  She’s the major cast member she’s supposed to be and, as Thor’s significant other, she’s frequently in the thunder god’s company.  Between this, the new “brigade of realms” Thor forms out of a motley group from the various worlds, a brief but humorous Volstagg cameo, and a tense scene of dialogue between Odin and Heimdall (plus Destroyer!), this is becoming more than just a Thor comic.  It’s becoming almost a “Thor family” title, or an Asgard comic.  Thor is a major member of the cast, but he by no means carries this comic.  The result is a very satisfying package that feels like it has more meat on its bones.  It’s one thing to have a comic where you get to read Thor, and it’s another thing entirely to have a comic that lets you read Thor’s world, or at least his corner of the Marvel Universe.  Character-wise, Fraction is doing a solid job of using almost all of the tools at his disposal.

But hey, I’ve not even touched upon the Surfer/Galactus stuff.  I love Fraction’s bringing the old school sci-fi/cosmic stuff into what is otherwise a fantasy comic.  It ends up feeling like a jam session of sorts.  More than that though, after dealing with monsters and, earlier in the issue, a “stone colossus,” there’s something very cool about having the Asgardians facing down someone like the Silver Surfer.  They’re facing something so far out of their world, that it’s out of their genre.  When Heimdall says that the Surfer comes from “beyond” or calls him a “star-bastard,” it’s just really, really cool.  It’s akin to, say, a group of Predators showing up in the Hyborian Age to challenge Conan the Barbarian.  It shouldn’t work, and yet it does, and it’s awesome due to the weirdness.

Mighty Thor #1 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Oliver Coipel (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin, Justin Ponsor, & Peter Steigerwald (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Thor and Sif go on a dangerous mission to the heart of the broken World Tree while Silver Surfer searches for a new target for his master’s hunger.

The Review:  In this first issue, Matt Fraction gives us several things that Thor fans will most likely enjoy, things that have been lacking from the series for some time, certainly more than a year.

First off is Fraction’s heavy inclusion of the Marvel cosmic.  The Silver Surfer and Galactus get a healthy chunk of attention this month.  It’s well-written stuff that shows that Fraction has a solid grasp of writing the Surfer, reflecting his burden and the gravity and entrapment of his endless quest.  More than that though, these scenes continue the dose of the cosmic that has been the strongest point of Fraction’s run on Thor thus far.  However, unlike in his previous arc, the use of recognized Marvel cosmic characters like the Silver Surfer make it even more palpable than the brand new World Eaters.

And hey, Sif actually plays a fairly substantial role this month.  Despite being resurrected and, presumably, in a relationship with Thor, Sif has been almost completely absent for so long that I was expecting to start seeing her on Broxton milk cartons.  While her dialogue is fairly run-of-the-mill, Fraction’s use of her was exciting in and of itself, particularly since it seems to hint at a long-term commitment to the character and her place in the series as a major member of the cast.

Fraction also does fantastic work with Loki.  His mixture of childish glee and old-beyond-his-years determination and insistence on helping make for a charming character that you can’t help but like.