Thors #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Of all the "Secret Wars" tie-in series, this one has been the one most centered around one main character, namely Ultimate Thor.  Most of the other series are connected to previous events and, as a result, feature sprawling casts.  (Even "Amazing Spider-Man:  Renew Your Vows" focused on the nuclear Parker family instead of just Peter.)  But, "Thors" has really been Lief's story.

That story comes to a fitting end here, as Lief confirms that it was Rune Thor that murdered the Janes and Donalds as well as Beta Ray Bill.  We learn that he did so to hide the truth that Doom isn't god.  The interesting twist that Aaron puts on this revelation is that Runey didn't try to hide the truth from some sense of allegiance to Doom:  he merely enjoyed wielding the power of Thor.

We learn that these events were set into motion when he found a Jane Foster helping a group of refugees crossing a border.  He saw the fear in her eyes that she knew the truth, so he killed her and began killing every Jane that he found.  My only complaint with this revelation -- one that I generally buy -- is that Aaron doesn't explain why the Janes (and, apparently, the Donalds) see the truth any better than anyone else does.  What makes the Janes special in this regard?  Is it because the "prime" Thor is a Jane?  It's an important piece of the puzzle to be missing, since the entire plot really revolves around that question.

However, Runey's grasp on the situation deteriorates since, as we saw in "Secret Wars" #7, our Thor convinces the other Thors of the truth, that Doom isn't god.  Although we get the more extended sequence showing this conversation that I identified as lacking in my review of that issue, it still feels a bit rushed.  The Thors just allow themselves to believe Thor.  An answer could be that they're able to see more clearly because Doom's power is fading; for example, we see Runey lose his grip on his hammer because his faith in Doom (as opposed to Asgard) makes him unworthy.  But, I don't know why Doom's power would be fading.  We don't see anything in "Secret Wars" #7 to imply that it is.  Maybe it's in issue #8?

Despite the issue's flaws and loose ends, I still enjoyed this series.  Aaron did possibly the best job of all the "Secret Wars" authors of creating a fun supporting cast, and I still find myself hoping to see a "C.S.I. - Thor" series in the future.  As I said in a previous review, it's one of the series -- like "Amazing Spider-Man:  Renew Your Vows" or "Civil War" -- that made me wish some areas of the "Secret Wars" Universe would continue.  That's saying a lot, since usually, at this point in an event, I'm just hoping it all ends soon.

*** (three of five stars)

Thors #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Despite everything that we've learned at this point, we still don't really know anything.

In the interrogation room, Loki tells Lief that he put the bodies of Jane Foster and Donald Blake where Lief could find them so that he'd stumble upon the truth.  Said "truth" appears to be the realization that Doom has upstaged the Asgardians' godhood, since Loki complains that his status as Prince of Lies was stolen from him.  He tells Lief that someone moved all the bodies after they discovered what he'd done, and he sends Lief to the Badlands to find them.  Confronting the skeletons, Lief admits to himself something that he denied when Loki pressed him on it, that he feels a surge of emotion every time that he hears Jane's name.  However, before he can reflect on that, "Runey," one of the other Thors, arrives with his partner, the Destroyer Thor, and reveals that he's the guilty party.  He beats Lief to a pulp and leaves him to the zombies, only for Odinson to arrive and save him.

Again, despite everything we know, we're still far from the truth.  We have no idea why Runey is killing Jane Fosters and Donald Blakes or how Loki thought that Lief discovering the truth would somehow lead to him regaining his powers.  But, I certainly trust Aaron to get us there, given how solid of a police procedural he's writing here.  As I said in previous reviews, I would really love him to continue writing some sort of Thor Corps meets "C.S.I." series in the new Marvel Universe.

*** (three of five stars)

Thors #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Not surprisingly, the plot thickens in this issue.

In the wake of Beta Ray Bill's death, the Thors round up the "usual suspects" that might have had something to do with his death.  Meanwhile, Lief stays on the trail of "Jane Foster," shaking down a clerk at a clinic where she worked.  (I'm not sure how he knew to go to that clinic, but I'm just assuming, in a dictatorship like Battleworld, that the Thors have access to a database that keeps track of everyone.)  The clerk tells Lief that Jane disappeared months ago and someone had already picked up her stuff.  Enter Thor the Unworthy (a.k.a. Odinson).  He tells Lief that he was the one to gather her possessions and cryptically warns Lief to forget her name unless he wants to end up like him, stripped of his hammer.  Lief is then called to the scene of another murder, this time of a Donald Blake.  Dun-dun-DUN!  Unlike last time, Lief's able to catch a suspect fleeing the scene:  a bedraggled Loki.

Again, if Aaron wants to get into the police-procedural business, I really think that he has a future.  He really captures Lief's frustration at knowing so little about the case, particularly since the stakes continue to get higher.  I'm also not sure where we're going, particularly with the Donald Blake revelation, but it's part of the fun.  Along the way, the "Secret Wars" setting is starting to feel more and more comfortable, since it's so integral to the story.  "Thors" is really the only tie-in series that spans the domains, so it really helps flesh out some of the details of how the domains interact and how Battleworld works.  Again, I find myself almost wishing that Battleworld would stay, given the seemingly endless number of stories that Aaron could tell in "Thors."  Needless to say, it's great stuff, definitely one of the best tie-in series right now.

*** (three of five stars)

Thors #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

When I started this issue, I didn't expect to be reading a police procedural.  But, it's exactly what we get here, and it's a good thing.  If Aaron decides that he's done with comics, he has a future writing for "C.S.I."

The Ultimate version of Thor, known as Lief, and Beta Ray Bill are investigating the fifth in a series of murders spanning several domains.  As they examine the body, they learn that Odin has declared it an "Allthing," meaning that all Thors are put on the task of solving the mystery.  Lief and Ray have no leads until Throg (the frog Thor that serves as the Thors' lab technician) reveals that they're all versions of the same woman.  (I was particularly pleased with this revelation, since it's really the first time that a "Secret Wars" issue has addressed the fact that multiple versions of the same person exist throughout Battleworld.)  Lief goes through mission-persons reports while Ray goes to talk to a contact who reveals himself to be Loki.  The Thors recognize Ray's clap of thunder, and they follow it to the source, discovering him dying in the alley where he encountered Loki.  Ray tells Lief that the woman is Jane Foster (dun-dun-DUN!) and then dies.

Seriously, I loved this issue.  I really don't have much to say about it, since it was solidly written and just a joy to read.  We still don't know why someone is killing Janes, whether Loki killed Ray, or how Ray actually got Jane's name, but Aaron is clearly going to get there.  In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy the unexpected journey to that point.

**** (four of five stars)