Published On: 2015-12-16 by Marvel
Artist: Russell Dauterman
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Catch-up on Last Issue
When DR. JANE FOSTER lifts the mystic hammer Mjolnir, she is transformed into the Goddess of Thunder, THE MIGHTY THOR! Her enemies are many, as Asgard descends further into chaos and war threatens to spread throughout the Ten Realms. Yet her greatest battle will be against a far more personal foe: the cancer that is killing her mortal form.
In This Issue of The Mighty Thor #1
In this issue, Jason Aaron is setting all of the chess pieces in place. We get Jane’s current status quo on Earth and on Asgardia. On Asgardia, Odin is feuding with Freyja (well everyone really). Asgard fell apart somewhere along the way, and he’s left with Ten Realms thinking they can run the show better than old One-Eye. Cul Borson makes an appearance. He’s been a pain since returning a few years ago. Finally, we are introduced to the Dark Council. Malekith has assembled is own Masters of Evil, and they are up to no good.
The Comic's Themes
If you had the power to be a hero, but that power was killing you, would you use it? That’s going to be the theme throughout this entire series. We also have a theme of democracy versus cowboy justice versus authoritarian rule. This plays out in the Council of Worlds trying to identify a problem and accomplishing nothing, while Cul marches around with this Thunder Guard.
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How's The Mighty Thor #1's Writing?
The Dialogue
Jason Aaron knows his characters well. Even without the pictures, you can tell who’s speaking. Heimdell sounds like a man dedicated to his post. Cul sounds like a brute. Freyja speaks as an insightful queen. Loki’s dialogue is so solid, I can’t help hearing Tom Hiddleston’s voice in my head. The conversations between the Avengers are a lot of fun; a bit of humor and a few inside jokes for the long-timers.
Showing Versus Telling
Like all the best comics, the story show us everything we need to know and foreshadows things to come. Jason uses Volstagg as the everyday man giving us an explanation for what we’re seeing. Pay special attention to his balloons.
The Vibe
The story is broken down into several sections. Each one moves the overall plot forward. It’s solid comic book style storytelling.
Comic Art Review
The Mighty Thor #1 has an all-star set of creators. Russell Dauterman on pencils. Matt Wilson on colors and VC’s Joe Sabino on letters. Russell is a phenom of original character designs, and he has ample opportunity to show off by drawing characters and creatures from all of the Ten Realms.
Matt’s colors play into all the scenes and particularly powerful when Jane is speaking with Lady Freyja.
Joe uses the lettering to highlight the members of the Dark Council. The frost giants and fire creatures from Muspelheim both have special word balloons.
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On the Cover
If you buy the paper floppy of The Mighty Thor #1, you are in for a treat. We get a wrap-around, three panel cover that’s repeated in glorious black and white lines on the inside. Russell draws amazing character collages and we get everyone in the Thor universe featured on this cover (even some characters that will become important later in the series).
The Comic Panel by Panel
One of Russell’s strengths as an artist is full page designs and non-traditional panels that accentuate the action sequences. There are two full-page splashes of our favorite characters, Thor and Loki. These pages are so beautiful, you could print them 24 x 36 and hang on the wall.
Check out the panel work on this preview page. The satellite is falling, and the panels are a dizzying array. It really sells the chaos in the sky. There are similar pages throughout The Mighty Thor #1.
World Building
Thor’s universe is vast and wonderful. In the first issue of The Mighty Thor, we start on Earth. The Roxx News satellite shows us how big and technologically sophisticated Roxxon has become. Asgardia and the Congress of Worlds is delightful. The Yawning Void is the dark place of bad things (naturally).
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Who's In This Issue of The Mighty Thor #1
- Volstagg
- Roxx News
- Avengers
- Denizens of Asgardia (elves, dwarves, gods)
- Lady Freyja
- Cul Borson (Odin's brother)
- Heimdell
- Thunder Guard
- Dark Council
- Loki
The Big Question for Next Issue
Why doesn't Jane stay as Thor all the time? We get an answer, but it's not a very convincing one.
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If this really is the beginning of some kind of War of the Realms then it looks like the good guys are already losing.
Who Will Like The Mighty Thor #1?
If you are a die-hard, Thor is a guy, you might not like The Mighty Thor #1. If you are that guy, put aside your bias and give this comic a chance. Thor Odinson isn’t far away. When he does appear, this new twist gives his character an opportunity to grow.
I Need More Content like The Mighty Thor #1
Check out Russell Dauterman’s Deviant Art profile. You’ll find all kinds of Thor artwork there.
Should You Buy This Comic Book?
The seeds planted in issue #1 are going to build Thor Odinson's mythology in fantastic ways. I'm not thrilled with the cancer storyline. It feels heavy-handed. Beyond that, the set-up for the War of the Realms is good, and Jane makes a really good Thor. She's thrilled to have the power and we're lucky enough to have two years of stories to enjoy the excitement with her. Buy it.