Via Polygon, Marvel have announced writer Al Ewing, artist Martín Cóccolo, and colorist Matt Wilson will relaunch the God of Thunder’s solo series as “Immortal Thor” on August 23. The series will pit the Asgardians against ancient gods seeking to judge Earth, and, in the words of Ewing, King Thor is “going to need to be his absolute highest self to face them. And even then, he might not make it through. The omens are sinister. The storm is at the gate.”
Ewing said giving the series the same adjective as his critically acclaimed Hulk run was intentional, describing it as a self-challenge, “to write something that goes as far and as hard and as powerful as the other book did.” However, while “Immortal Hulk” was a horror book, “Immortal Thor” will lean “more toward fantasy and hope,” with Ewing comparing the two to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. He says Thor’s struggle here is not his self-doubt over his recent ascension to the throne of Asgard, but rather how he “responds to king-size challenges.” Like “Immortal Hulk,” Ewing has planned out a 50-issue run for the series.
Cover artist Alex Ross was consulted on the look of Thor for the new series, which harks back heavily to his original design by Jack Kirby. Cóccolo states, “Alex really wanted to connect with the energy of Jack Kirby’s original design, and he also thought that revisiting Kirby’s costume was fitting with the concept of ‘Immortal Thor.'” The artist, whose previous credits include last year’s “Hulk” and “Thor” crossover ‘Banner of War,’ said he was concentrating on “making Al’s story as beautiful and as powerful as I possibly can.”
The current “Thor” series, launched by Donny Cates and Nic Klein after the conclusion of Jason Aaron’s run in 2020, will conclude in the meantime with issue #35 by Torunn Grønbekk, Juan Gedeon, and Sergio Dávila next month. A “Thor Annual” by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Ibraim Roberson will also be published in the interim on July 5. For more from Ewing and Cóccolo in the meantime, head to Polygon.
