The big finale of “Journey into Mystery” has come, and the little seeds Gillen has been have begun to bloom as he and Fraction team-up to — well, destroy everything.
Good thing I’m a pyromaniac.
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Carmine Di GiandomenicoPart One of EVERYTHING BURNS
– Rebellion against Asgard! The start of the second Aesir/Vanir war!
– What dread power has the Vanir harnessed to stand against Thor?
– Loki’s mischief is revealed. Will he or Asgardia survive?
– Thori’s unconventional plans to counter everything burning.
When Kieron Gillen’s run on “Thor” began in 2009, it was safe to say that most of us were unsure to what extent it would go. Truth be told, Gillen was brought in to replace J. Michael Straczynski, who had effectively deserted the book, and then navigate it through “Siege” before one Matt Fraction could take over. The gods were good, however, and an additional bounty of issues was delivered, which in turn led to the relaunch of “Journey into Mystery” and a new run all of its own. It was through this which the story of Loki was told, from Gillen’s initial fill-in through “Siege” and Loki’s death (and beyond), to the resurrection of Loki as a child and his development as a new form of character. With “Fear Itself” and the return of Surtur, it was only a matter of time before the giant fire demon’s claws and flames revealed themselves — which brings us to “Everything Burns.”
The only reason to re-relate this story, of which most are probably familiar, is to reiterate just how amazing it is to have watched the run build up to this point. There are very few runs in mainstream comics that, when you look back at a final arc, truly look like that was always the direction the book was going in. Truth be told, most long modern runs at Marvel — such as Brubaker’s “Cap” or Bendis’ “Avengers” — seem like they could’ve conceivably ended some time ago, but not Gillen’s journey into “Mystery” and “Thor.” No, it was always going to end with everything burning, with Surtur rising to make a mess of it all, and it’s vividly apparent from but this one issue — and while the book is good of it’s own merits, that quality makes it that much better
So as “Everything Burns” kicks off, the various foul actions by Loki that we’ve seen since the beginning of the book (and a few before) are brought to the surface via a series of unfortunate events — most notably, the World Tree igniting. In many ways, the issue is almost a literal version of Chekov’s gun, if the eponymous gun was a sword, and knowing the history of a character like Surtur and how Simonson unveiled his role during his run on “Thor,” it’s very satisfying to see Gillen taking a similar approach here. Surtur is behind everything after all, yet he never makes an appearance in the issue; instead, his message is carried throughout, and the appropriate destruction follows in its wake in true fashion towards the grandiose villain. And while the World Tree might be the only thing actually on fire in this issue, you can see the sparks begin to ignite that will tear everything down, as two runs come to an end and the future of Marvel Now is able to be born from the ashes.
However, the most pleasant element of the kick-off to “Everything Burns” is how well Gillen and Fraction’s two stories seem to intertwine. Fraction’s “Thor” has seemed fairly episodic in it’s run, focusing on arc by arc storytelling, and yet there was always a heavy focus on mythology and the importance it holds. Gillen’s run, as noted, has all been one long journey towards this point, but when the title brings in Thor, Gillen misses no beats in the collaborative nature of the story, offering up an issue that reads very much in line with what Fraction was doing on his book. There’s a sense of synergy being accomplished here, and the coalescing of these books into a singular Thor epic timed for the character’s 50th anniversary is quite a sight to behold indeed.
Continued belowThe only inherent detriment, however, is the art. Carmine di Giandomenico has lofty shoes to share in his own right, as while Gillen and Fraction collaborate on the script, Giandomenico is trading off issues with legendary Alan Davis, and by comparison (when taking into consideration “Mighty Thor” #18, the prologue) Giandomenico doesn’t measure up quite as well. Davis is great at big, bold characters, of which there are a-plenty in Asgard, and Giandomenico’s characters seem weak throughout, despite their lofty stature, more often than not featuring awkward faces — which is especially apparent in the case of young Loki. It’s unfortunate that the comparison is there, but the two artistic styles do not mesh nearly as well.
However, there are elements that Giandomenico does excel at. While his character work is lacking, Giandomenico shows a great sense of pacing throughout, with a good eye for blocking and drawing the eye towards specific elements of a panel, as evident in the scene where Loki calls out Wilson, the Manchester God. The book’s main action sequence is another moment that Giandomenico shines, because while his character work is still a bit peculiar in a few scenes (especially with characters in the background), the overall setting and execution of the aggravated crowd sequences work in his favor, with his more chaotic lines (in comparison with Davis) are spread out throughout to truly evoke the sense of discord held within a battle. So while Giandomenico may appear to be the weaker link within the assembled team, he still does manage to adequately measure up when the call arrives.
For the opening shot in a war, “Everything Burns” is certainly off to a bang. It seems that the odds are against our heros in this one, but in most great stories of a heroes journey they often are. Fraction’s “Thor” has reveled in the glory of classic mythos and Gillen’s “JiM” work has sung with bold character development towards otherwise seemingly unlikable characters. With the two styles combined, it looks like “Everything Burns” may just be the true major Marvel event of the year. Fingers crossed.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
