Hey gang! Welcome back to yet another edition of Pulp, Forte’s premier home of all things comic books. Even though I haven’t picked up a monthly comic in quite a while (I literally couldn’t keep up with my pull list week-to-week), I’ve still been keeping an eye on the developments in the Big Two. As such, I noted that Marvel have finished up Jane Foster’s arc as Thor a while back, and as nothing ever really changes, Thor Odinson is back wielding the hammer as Thor. This week, I’ve picked up volume one of the new era of Thor, God of Thunder Reborn – hopefully the first of many trades in the latest chapter of Jason Aaron’s epic Thor saga.
Thor Odinson has reclaimed his mantle. With the Mighty Thor – a.k.a. Jane Foster – nearly slain at the hands of the Mangog, and Mjolnir flung into the heart of a star to defeat him, only the Odinson can bring peace to the realms that have been shattered by an ongoing cosmic war. Malekith the Accursed and his armies rage across the Nine Realms, bringing chaos and bloodshed. Thor must face Sindr, the Queen of Cinders, in Hel, and prevent her from bolstering Malekith’s armies with the armies of the dead. Thankfully, he’s not alone – Hel is home to many a brave soul, and none is braver than Balder, long-lost son of Odin and brother of Thor. With the Odinsons reunited, few will stand against them, but the armies of Malekith are poised to claim victory. Meanwhile, in the far future, as the universe begins its death throes, King Thor reunites with an old ally – the new host of the Phoenix Force: the Wolverine.
Boy, there’s a lot going on in Thor these days. The last time I picked up a Thor comic, the Mighty Thor arc was well underway, and the War of the Realms had just begun raging. Jason Aaron has really left his mark on the Thor mythos – I realised today that he’s been writing Thor since 2012! It seems like Aaron isn’t anywhere near close to done with the War of the Realms, and I am very curious to see where he takes the God of Thunder next. That being said, God of Thunder Reborn is very much a classic Marvel #1 – there’s a lot of flash, and fighting, but not much in the way of actual plot progression. It’s nice to see lesser-known Thor characters like Balder (and Tyr!) pop up as well as the seemingly contractually obliged Loki appearance, but other than that, the overarching plot doesn’t seem to move much. That being said, it’s a first volume and there’s plenty more to come.
Probably the most interesting aspect of this volume is the backup story following King Thor at the death of the universe. Thor’s future is a tale that Aaron’s been telling for a while, and if I’m being completely honest it outshines the rest of this volume in a big way. There are so many interesting developments that I am genuinely interesting in reading a compilation of all of the King Thor stories.
All things considered, the backup story alone makes God of Thunder Reborn worth it, but if you’re a Thor superfan, you won’t want to miss it.
Written by Alastair McGibbon