There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we’re taking a look at the latest trials of the heroic Korbinite known to many as Beta Ray Bill. Writer and artist Daniel Warren Johnson is in the pilot seat of Skuttlebutt alongside colorist Mike Spicer and letterer VC’s Joe Sabino. After his hammer Stormbreaker was shattered in the recent “Thor” series Beta Ray Bill is starting to lose his confidence. The relationship between Bill and Thor is incredibly tense. Now that Thor is fighting the Symbiote God Knull as part of “King in Black” it’s up to Bill to protect Asgard against any threats that stand in the way. There’s even a romantic subplot involving Bill that is incredibly tasteful. If you aren’t reading “Beta Ray Bill” we’re here to share why you should not miss this series.
Who Is This By?
Daniel Warren Johnson is a writer and artist who made waves with numerous Image projects stretching back to 2017 with “Extremity.” Johnson also worked on the previous “Cable” title at Marvel alongside a few other projects. However, Johnson’s presence at The Big Two has become more exciting recently as Marvel and DC have started giving him his own mini-series. “Wonder Woman: Dead Earth” served as an outlet for Johnson to both write and draw a mini-series for DC. “Wonder Woman: Dead Earth” went on to become a highly acclaimed comic that I have no doubt started opening the doors for other projects. Johnson has finally gotten a Marvel mini-series as well starring Beta Ray Bill and the results are stunning. Johnson is joined by his longtime collaborator Mike Spicer on colors. Spicer even jumped with Johnson across publishers as the duo worked together on Wonder Woman and Beta Ray Bill together. VC’s Joe Sabino is no stranger to Marvel either having worked on countless titles for The House of Ideas.
What’s It All About?
“Beta Ray Bill” is a modern story for the acclaimed Thor supporting character first introduced in “Thor” #337 by writer and artist Walter Simonson, colorist George Roussos, and letterer John Workman Jr.. Bill battled Thor to earn his respect and was provided the gift of Stormbreaker from Odin. Bill has had a strong reputation to this point and has been an ally of Thor for years. Recently Thor served the role of Herald of Galactus causing much controversy among Asgard, Thor’s home. Thor and Bill had a fight so bitter it ended in a massive brawl. Thor shattered Stormbreaker, Bill’s hammer that was gifted to him from Odin. The hammer allowed for Bill to change his form. Bill’s Stormbreaker was more than just a weapon for him. Bill is doubting himself and the others around him as a result. Thor’s character flaws don’t allow for him to empathize with Bill. Bill ends up feeling isolated in Asgard as a result.
What Makes It So Great?
Daniel Warren Johnson is what makes “Beta Ray Bill” great. The best part of the series is Warren’s fascinating art. Johnson makes incredibly bold choices on the page. Some of his panels are incredibly detailed while others are draped in a thick shadow that builds the tension of any scene. Johnson’s characters are always expressive and never hide back from sharing their feelings. In scenes with lots of characters, Johnson doesn’t hold back from capturing as much detail as possible on-panel. Johnson’s attention to the anatomy of all the characters on-panel is impressive. It feels like we are seeing an artist at the apex of his career who is able to render incredibly detailed work. Johnson’s work in this issue is so focused on huge battles that there is an undeniable manga influence in this series as well. Mike Spicer’s colors capture so much of the additional detail that Johnson carefully illustrated on each page. Spicer’s colors aid the complicated texture work in Johnson’s illustrations. Marvel’s current series are typically structured at a much quicker pace that can take some of the nuances away from a story. Johnson’s “Beta Ray Bill” feels like an essential read due to Bill’s importance in the overall Thor world as this series is in Marvel’s continuity.
Continued below
There’s clearly no debate that “Beta Ray Bill” has a wonderfully unique art direction that suits the story perfectly. However, the writing is impressive here as well. Bill is written as a very shy hero who has some regrets. The dialogue is really sparse as well compared to the average Marvel series which is usually filled with long patches of dialogue. The comic has a more cinematic feel than your average Marvel series as well with the aforementioned sparse dialogue and sequences of the panels. Johnson is able to pace this story in an incredibly specific way thanks to his control of the art and writing. Bill is just getting started on his adventure and this series already looks like it is planning on covering more ground than just Asgard.
I was glad to see Johnson use a couple of older Thor heroes in this story and hope he continues to work on fleshing out Asgard through Bill’s eyes. It is refreshing that “Beta Ray Bill” is also still in continuity within the Marvel Universe. This story feels like it will at least have ramifications on the main “Thor” series and will set the stage going forward for this character. Ultimately it would be fantastic to get an ongoing series from Johnson with the hero. Anyone familiar with Bill can see that he has a lot of potential for great stories. For now, it feels good that Marvel’s fan-favorite Thor supporting cast member finally has a new mini-series with such a high level of quality.
How Can You Read It?
“Beta Ray Bill” is five-issue limited series published monthly by Marvel Comics. The first two issues are available now wherever the finest comic books are sold.
