Thor #8 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Seriously, HERE BE SPOILERS!  In fact, this review is pretty much the definition of HERE BE SPOILERS!  Consider yourself duly warned.

This issue was as great as I expected it to be.  I forced myself to read it slowly, so I didn't just rush to the end to find out the identity of the new Thor.  It's worth reminding yourself to do that, because Aaron and Dauterman really deliver a crackerjack story.

First, Aaron makes you wonder why Marvel keeps giving Hickman event stories, given how beautifully he handles the multitude of heroes that appear in this issue.  He not only manages to get across their distinct personalities in their brief moments of dialogue, but he also has them interact in a way that reminds you why people read event stories in the first place.  They want to see their favorite characters interact in a way that they haven't seen before.  We're often disappointed with these stories, usually because the authors fail to find a way to manage all the characters.  But, Aaron really succeeds brilliantly in doing so here.  For example, he uses the existing relationship between Carol and Jessica as a proxy for the reader; they discuss Thor's secret identity, and Aaron makes it clear that it's the answer to that question that clear drew everyone to the battle in the first place.  But, he also gives us glimpses into new relationships, such as Sif asking Thor if pig-headedness comes with Mjolnir or if it is an innate characteristic of Thors.  (Heh.  Sif would know.)  Meanwhile, Dauterman makes it all just beautiful and stunning, as some of the most powerful figures in the Marvel Universe try to put a dent in the Destroyer.

But, Aaron and Dauterman remind us that they aren't just good at action scenes.  I waited with baited breath as Odinson spoke with Thor.  It's a fraught and quiet moment, with Odinson pledging to tell Thor all his secrets, including the words that Fury spoke to him, if she just reveals her identity to him.  (I'm starting to wonder if the secret isn't that he isn't Odin's son, meaning that Thor has to discover his own worthiness, something that the current Thor did on her own.)  Aaron conveys strong emotions as Thor struggles under his imploring (and, let's just admit, damn sexy) gaze.  She's (hilariously) saved by Roz Solomon appearing, ruining Thor's list and amping up the anticipation of the eventual revelation as we find ourselves back where we started.  When it comes -- and we learn that Thor is Jane Foster -- it's the perfect end to a great issue.

But, the revelation that Thor is Jane doesn't mean that all our questions are answered and we can just close up shop.  We still don't know why Jane decided to take up the hammer or how she's managing to hide from Odin.  I'm also not sure if her cancer pre-existed her taking up the hammer or if possessing the hammer caused it (as she seems to imply when she said that it's killing her).  Also, Freya finally seems to have lost her patience with Odin, and it seems an open question where they go from here.  That answer obviously has implications for all of Asgardia, Odinson and Thor included.

Of all the series that I'm loathe to see go on hiatus for "Secret Wars," this one is probably it.  We better resume exactly where we left, Marvel, or there'll be hell to pay!

**** (four of five stars)

Thor #7 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Aaron continues to do a great job of building up the tension before next issue's big reveal, where we learn Thor's identity.  So far, he's moved us along this story at a steady pace that hasn't felt like he was just stalling to keep Thor's identity a mystery for as long as he could.  It's all unfolded organically.

As we saw last issue, a frustrated Odin has sent a Cul-possessed Destroyer after Thor because he's furious that she's managed what she's managed in these previous issues.  The battle with the Destroyer probably her toughest battle yet.  I loved her telling herself that she refused to be the woman that wielded the hammer for five days and then died.  But, thankfully, she doesn't have to do it alone, since Odinson uses his list of potential Thors to assemble an army at the request of his mother. (Freya is pretty rightfully furious that Odin has sent Cul and the Destroyer after Thor.)

Aaron is also leading us to believe that Roz really is Thor, seeing the hammer as a way to further her environmentalist crusade against Roxxon.  But, Aaron's a tricky guy, so I'm not sure if it's just not misdirection.  Just one more issue until we see.

(Also?  The art just continues to be amazing.  'Nuff said.)

**** (four of five stars)

Thor #6 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Although Odinson's quest for Thor's identity is the framing device for this issue, Aaron actually tells a number of different stories within it.

First, the Dario part of this issue was great.  We learn that a group of pirates slaughtered his family as they vacationed on his father's island when we was a child.  Dario managed to escape from the pirates and hide in a cave, where he prayed for power near an altar dedicated to the minotaur.  He got his wish, and, well, let's just say, we're reminded why you shouldn't really mess with him.  But, I also loved his present-day deal with Malekith, giving him the Giant King's skull in exchange for the mineral rights for every realm that Malekith conquers.  (Malekith warns him from making deals with powers greater than him, as he did with that god in the cave, but Dario doesn't seem too concerned.)  It's just such a clever reason to keep the two of them in cahoots.

Moreover, as Odinson rants to himself on the moon, we learn that he wants to know Thor's identity so that he can learn why he's unworthy but she is.  It's a solid motivation.  But, that said, he also makes it seem like he became unworthy because Nick Fury told him something about himself that made him feel unworthy.  It makes me wonder how learning Thor's identity is going to change that.

But, it's Odinson's moment with Jane Foster that really steals the show.  It's honestly one of the most emotional sequences that I've ever read in a comic.  She's losing her struggle with breast cancer, but she refuses magical treatment, because magic always comes with a price, as she reminds Odinson by noting his metal arm.  Thor struggles to respect her decision, at one point begging her to let Asgard's healers help her.  Instead, she chastises Odinson for his new name, telling him that he's more than just his father's son.  She then leaves, and Odinson realizes that she's not Thor, given her rejection of magic.  But, he does so wistfully, since he wants nothing more than her to accept said magic so that she can become well.  Seriously, Aaron is just damn good.

Finally, Agent Coulson is unable to help Odinson, because S.H.I.E.L.D. also doesn't have a sense of Thor's identity.  But, suddenly, looking at the monitors, Odinson asks where Agent Rosalind Solomon is, and we see her empty flying car hovering over the Roxxon HQ where Thor just happens to be attacking...and then the Destroyer appears and everything goes to hell.

In other words, this series just continues to be excellent.

 **** (four of five stars) 

Thor #5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Aaron eases us into a routine in this issue, putting the events that catapulted Thor into her new role behind us and getting about the business of establishing the new normal.

He does so first by identifying Thor's friends and enemies.  The enemy category is, not surprisingly, long.  Odin is hellbent not only on discovering her "true" identity, but also destroying her for her insolence.  Perhaps more disturbingly, Odin has brought Cul into the fold, naming him, of all things, Asgard's Minister of Justice.  Aaron plays his cards close to his chest on this one.  He uses Odinson to stress the obvious insanity of this move, but we get no greater clarity on Odin's motivations.  It seems entirely possible that Cul is manipulating Odin, but, if he is, Aaron isn't ready to reveal that right now.  The good news is that the friend category is pretty solid.  Odinson makes clear his support of Thor to Odin, and Freya pays her a secret visit, giving Thor her blessings and warning her of dark tidings.

But, it's not all Asgardian maneuverings.  Thor's fight with the Absorbing Man and Titania is thoroughly entertaining, particularly Crusher's misogynistic ramblings, where he waxes poetic about the old Thor being one of the last manly men.  I loved Titania giving Thor a one-time "girl power" pass.  I can't wait to see Thor make her way through Odinson's rogue gallery.  If we get these sorts of battles every few issues combined with some Asgardian intrigue, I'll be a happy camper.  Meanwhile, Odinson is trying to get to the bottom of Thor's identity, a side quest that promises to keep him prominently engaged in this series, even if it involves skulking around the background.

In other words, we're settling into a good rhythm here.  Aaron is juggling a lot of different characters, but keeping everyone true to themselves.  In the "Batman Eternal" era, that's a fear worth celebrating.

*** (three of five stars)

Thor #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Aaron does exactly what he has to do here, showing us Thor, now Odinson, accepting the new Thor's ascension.  It is both a heart-breaking and heart-warming tale, and it's really a marvel that Aaron got as much done in 22 pages as he does here.

First, the conflict between Odinson and Thor is great.  "Calm thyself down," indeed.  First, Thor is grieved to see Odinson in such obvious pain over the loss of Mjolnir, though she doesn't pull any punches (literally) in fighting for it.  As she says, the hammer called to her and she took it.  But, we also see that she does actually seem to know Odinson.  Is it Jane Forster returned?  Is it Captain Marvel?  The mystery abounds.  Both Freya and Odinson comment on the fact that seems familiar, so it seems more likely than not to be Jane.  (I actually know nothing about Jane, since I only started reading "Thor."  But, I'm intrigued to learn about her if she is, indeed, the new Thor.)

But, the conflict ends when Odinson sees how Mjolnir sings in Thor's hands.  He is convinced of her worthiness, even if he's devastated by it.  Moreover, Thor seems overwhelmed by the realization of the responsibilities that she carries now that Odinson has given her his blessing.  Odinson rediscovering his purpose in life and Thor learning the ropes as a god are clearly going to be the themes of this volume.  But, Aaron reminds us that they're not the only two with dogs in the fight.  I loved the relationship between Freya and Odinson here, from him telling her that he loved her all the more for defying his father in leading troops against the Frost Giants to the two of them seeming thrilled over the fact that Odin will be less than happy about Thor's ascension.  Odinson has always had such a strong supporting cast and, as a new reader, it's really a thrill to get to know them.

It's clear that the introduction has concluded and we're now moving into the stories that Aaron envisions for Thor.  She might have stopped the Frost Giants, but it's really Malekith stirring up trouble.  I trust Aaron to make it as dastardly as possible.

*** (three of five stars)

Thor #2 and #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I somehow missed issue #2 in converting to getting this title digitally, so let's do #2 and #3 at once, shall we?

We get our first real look at the female Thor in issue #2, and we learn a few things about her identity right off the bat.  Our first clue is that holding Mjolnir apparently means you speak Asgardian (cool font and all), whether you are one or not.  This Thor definitely seems not to be, given her "normal" sounding inner monologue.  (Though, I still think that it's possible that it's one of Thor's granddaughters from the future.  Do they speak Asgardian?)  At any rate, it may seem like a gimmick, but, again, it's actually our first clue to her identity, since it rules out Freya or other female Asgardians.  Our second clue comes from her comment that she's previously met Dario Agger, the head of Roxxon.  I didn't read "Thor:  God of Thunder," so I'm not clear on the details of Thor's battle with Agger and Roxxon.  (I did just join Marvel Unlimited to rectify that problem, however.) So, this clue doesn't mean as much to me as it may to other people.

The good news is that this issue isn't really focused on the clues.  Aaron puts them out there, since he knows that he has to service the mystery that he's created in making the new Thor's identity a secret.  But, he really tries to focus on the story of this woman adjusting to becoming Thor.  She's learning to wield Mjolnir, and it's not just a challenge physically; she's also realizing that she now shares an empathetic, if not telepathic, link with it.  (Him?  Her?  Does Mjolnir have a gender?)  She's also got to face the immiedate test of contemplating who she is without Mjolnir, since she's separated from it when Agger hides himself (and accidentally Mjolnir) in an impenetrable safe room.  Oopsie.

The female Thor resolves that problem in issue #3.  In fact, she resolves a lot of problems in issue #3.  The leader of the Frost Giants, Skrymir, freezes and eats her, but a little problem like that doesn't keep down our girl:  she claws her way to freedom via his skull.  (He doesn't survive, if you were wondering.)  However, we learn that she can't be without Mjolnir for too long, or she reverts to her human form.  (I'm assuming that it's her human form, since she's worried that she won't be able to beat back the Frost Giants in it.  You can contrast that with Thor, who maintains his divinity even if he doesn't have the powers that Mjolnir gives him.  It seems to be our third clue and possibly takes out Thor's future granddaughters from the running.)  This desperation inspires her to rip open the "unbreakable" doors to the safe room, get her hammer, and promptly smash Laufrey's skull as Agger and Malekith argue over it.  It's not a bad day's work as Thor, really, killing one Frost Giant king and preventing another one from getting resurrected.  Malekith mutters some dire warning about the Frost Giants getting upset, but, really, when aren't they upset?  Also, didn't she just kill a good number of them?  Unfortunately, the male Thor isn't as easily impressed as I am, apparently.  He appears at the end of this issue, with a new metal arm, and demands that the female Thor returns Mjolnir to him.  Trouble is coming next issue, obviously.

Looking at both issues together, Aaron's challenge at this point is that the mystery of the female Thor's identity is getting in the way of our ability to get to know her.  Introducing a female Thor is obviously a very big deal (as the letters page attest).  We're all going to want to get to know her.  But, it's hard to get to know her when our only access to her thoughts are carefully curated to make sure that we specifically don't get to know too much about her.  It's not going to be all that interesting if she simply waltzes into a room, kills a bunch of Frost Giants, and calls it a day.

In other words, the concept is only going to get us so far.  It's only the third issue, so I'm not saying that Aaron doesn't have plenty of time to develop her character.  But, he runs the risk of favoring the mystery over the characterization, and doing so would unfortunately reduce this experiment into feeling like a sale gimmick.  I'm pretty sure that Aaron doesn't see it that way, so I'm not too worried.  It's there, but hopefully not for too long.

*** (three of five stars)

Thor #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Wow.  I have a lot to say.

I rarely talk about the art first when I write a review, but Dauterman and Wilson deliver one of the most beautiful comics that I've ever read.  It's not just because Thor is prettier than he's possibly ever been.  (I have a thing for brooding.  Sue me.)  They really master small and large moments alike.  The splash page where the Frost Giants attack the Roxxon base is beautiful; the Giants seem to walk off the page into reality.  But, the grief conveyed by Thor's barely open eyes as he begs Mjolnir to move is equally beautiful.  I hope they stay on this title for a long time, imbuing it with the grandeur of the Norse gods but also showing the gods' humanity and thus making them identifiable characters.

In terms of the story, Aaron does an amazing job breathing life into each character.  From Odin's bombast to Freya's wryness to Thor's despair, the characters feel as real as the guy sitting next to you.  They are not simply archetypes, representing a certain type of character.  They feel like honest-to-goodness people.  You can laugh at Odin's haughty cluelessness just as easily as you can identify with Freya's maternal concern.

But, it's not just the dialogue that pops.  Aaron leaves us with a number of questions that will clearly the guide the first few issues of this series.  Most obviously, how will Thor respond to Malekith cutting off his arm and setting him adrift in the Norwegian Sea?  I'll admit that it took me a second read to notice his lonely figuring falling into the depths.  In fact, if I had one criticism of this issue, it's that we seemed to rush to the arm-cutting moment.  It's pretty unexpected for someone to cut off Thor's arm.  As a result, my mind didn't exactly process the moment as it happened, particularly since it's essentially confined to half a page.  Dauterman at least confirms that Malekith cut off Thor's arm by having it lie on the floor next to him, but, in some ways, I felt like we skipped over the brutality of the scene, letting it happen in passing.  If Thor (presumably) survives, how far off the deep end will losing his arm (at least for a while) send him, given that he was already pretty close to the edge?

But, Aaron doesn't just leave us for questions for Thor; other characters' paths are equally unclear.  Has Freya taken up the mantle of Thor?  What artifact did Roxxon find that the Frost Giants want?  What's Malekith planning?

It's a lot of questions for just one issue, particularly one that felt as well plotted and executed as this one.  We weren't lost in long expository sequences trying to get across enough information as possible.  (I'm looking at you, "Bucky Barnes:  Winter Soldier" #1.)  The revelations were organic and one built off the next.

I have to say, as a new "Thor" reader, Aaron makes me wonder why I haven't been collecting this series since I was a kid.  I can't wait to see the stories unfold (and track down some back issues).

***** (five of five stars)