Review: The Mighty Thor #3

Written by Matt Fraction
Illustrated by Olivier Coipel

The fate of the world lies in the hands of the Asgardians, for Galactus is coming…and he hungers! Thor and the Silver Surfer must determine what to do with the Galactus Seed, the artifact with the potential to end the entire universe. And what deal is being struck between Odin and Galactus himself, behind closed doors?

Journey Into Mystery has claimed universal praise at this site, essentially being everything we want in a Thor comic book. The only inherent “problem” about that, though? It doesn’t actually star Thor. At all. It’s about Loki (and, to a lesser extent, Kieron Gillen being awesome/clever).

So what about Thor? After the relaunch, we’ve been neglecting him a bit. That’s why I’ll be tackling the Mighty Thor for you today with issue #3.

Check after the cut for some thoughts.

Matt Fraction’s Thor is not like the other Thor’s you are likely to read. Since being brought back from “the dead” by JMS, Thor was a very outwardly compassionate character who sought to bridge the gap between God and Man in as constructive a way as possible. Even during his brief reign as king, Thor had a very strong sense of humility, let alone humanity. When the baton was passed to Kieron Gillen, Thor became more of a mythological warrior, incredibly stoic and steadfast in his endeavors to battle Doctor Doom, the Siege of Asgard, and Mephisto’s legions.

Matt Fraction’s Thor, however? Well, he’s kind of a dick.

This isn’t new information. Since Fraction took over Thor back when there was just one title (called Thor), his characterization was immediately different. Thor was now a character who was very self assured and in charge, leading with his hammer as a great warrior. This characterization wasn’t wrong; in fact, Thor had started off as a rather petulant and hot headed warrior, and the previous time that Fraction had written the character was similarly “pre-JIM #83.” Despite it not being new, though, the characterization still feels rather definitively off within this title, and this issue especially.

I believe I’ve worked out why: if we are willing to admit that Fraction “regressed” the character a bit (not in a bad way, mind you), then it stands to reason that Fraction’s Thor should stay fairly hot-headed throughout every situation where Fraction is writing him. Generally speaking, Thor – being an Asgardian God – never feels too out of place as a character who wants to swing his hammer a bit and go on an adventure. It’s when we look at Fraction’s event Fear Itself that the real clash occurs. Let’s completely ignore “where in continuity” this story takes place, as that doesn’t matter right now. Instead, look at how Thor is portrayed in Fear Itself: this is a God who is still quick to action but is 100% for protecting humanity once again. Whereas on the flip side, Fraction’s first Thor arc was very Asgardian-centric, yet between that and Fear Itself there were constants: Odin was a dick, he and Thor didn’t get along once he returned, Thor generally liked everyone else, and Thor would essentially go against his father’s wishes not because he thought his father was wrong but instead because he didn’t think his father was right (there is a difference). It was constant, and it made sense.

In Mighty Thor #3, we’re beginning to see the opposite of this. Thor comes against the Silver Surfer and, despite the two (to my knowledge) not having any strong resentment to each other in the past, he decides to toss a hammer in the Surfer’s face before the Surfer can even really explain why he’s come about. Thor is quick to anger, but not really for a good reason. Then Odin shows up as a level headed being who listens to the Surfer, but still kicks him to the curb with no opposition from Thor; the two actually get along quite well within the issue. Now Thor has lined up a bunch of the other Gods to go fight Galactus, yet the Surfer’s explanation of what the Galactus Seed is and why Galactus wants it seems like a fairly reasonable request to ask of Thor. At the very least, it seems like the kind of thing the two cosmic beings could work together to find a solution to.

I like Fraction’s Thor, but I also really enjoyed the Thor that had compassion. JMS’ Thor was quite a brilliant little run with the character, and Gillen adding a very stoic nature to the character was pretty pitch perfect for where it seemed the book was heading. When we look at Fraction’s work as a whole and not in individual format, a shape begins to form with how he’s lining characters up, but it still feels out of place with his other work. It doesn’t really make a lot of sense that Thor would be the kind of man who wants to help everyone in Fear Itself, yet in this title he’s just kind of a jerk. When we isolate the story of Mighty Thor to just itself then yes, it does get better in that regard, but unfortunately it does get weighed against it’s peer titles and it just doesn’t really add up. It just appears that this book cares more about the story and how grandiose it is as opposed to a continued characterization of Thor, which has it’s ups and downs to a degree. It’s always fun to read “big” comics, but if the character doesn’t make sense within the story then what’s the real point to follow along? Every story does not have to have an intense growth of character, but they do have to have consistency.

That being said, of course, this week’s issue of the Mighty Thor was still good, if only because it was entertaining. In fact, I’d go so far to say that it was the best issue of the series. The first two issues were interesting, but rather slow. This issue is right to the point with it’s action, it’s plot, it’s own inner seeding of larger story lines, and especially it’s humor. Fraction is writing the Mighty Thor as a big Thor story, and it shows both in the execution as well as the plot. Everything about this story is rather grandiose, and it’s that much more entertaining because of it. Seeing Thor duke it out with the Surfer (even if I don’t agree with the reasoning) is a fantastically plotted scene, and as the story continues and Thor gets his magic space armor while Loki sneaks into Sif’s room, the issue becomes a great mix of plot elements. Sometimes it’s perfectly fine to just sit back and enjoy a comic book for what it is, as is the case here ultimately.

There’s also a lot that Fraction gets right in the issue. This issue more than the others is actually quite humorous (Odin saying “By my beard!” is amazing). Fraction may be mixing and matching characterizations, but he’s not doing it in a way that becomes unenjoyable. When Fraction took on the Iron Man gig back in 2008 he stated that his goal was to write an Iron Man book that his own mother could enjoy. That’s basically the same thing here: the reason Thor is relaunched like this is so that people who saw the movie can enjoy it, and I don’t see any reason why the average incoming fan wouldn’t be able to get into this. It’s like the film: the characters speak with precise eloquence and in a nature not regularly of this Earth to show their rather intense nature, but enough to humanize them; the humor is timely and snarky in a fashion, dealing with the miscommunication between God and Man; the scale is rather grandiose and thusly weighed on a scale with more depth to that regard. Fraction is crafting a book for new readers, so by comparing it specifically against older work we do the book a slight disservice. For new fans, this is a great way to get into the book. (It just so happens that, as an older fan, the inconsistencies are still an irk.)

Let’s not forget Volstagg, either. Volstagg is usually the highlight of the Thor books these days, and this issue is certainly no exception. The secondary plot of this book is that Broxton is fed up with the Asgardians due to their destructive nature, and Volstagg is the only character really involved with that storyline. It works well for the book to actually establish a parallel nature of the two storylines, and while the quiet riot had been brewing for a few issues now this is the first time that its effect is really felt. As the Asgardians prepare to go to war in space, Volstagg prepares to go to war on Earth over his dispute with the towns folk. In a very sly way, Fraction is actually counteracting his major grandiose space-God epic with the ridiculous one of a fat man who wants to cook, somewhat in a way to just point and laugh at the very nature of these conflicts. Both wars are essentially from profound misunderstandings and fear-induced tirades, and it’s certainly amusing to watch the two play off of one another: a fight for survival between a realm of Gods against a cosmic being with a tremendous appetite is literally the same as a fight for territory between a God with a tremendous appetite and an entire town (minus maybe one shop owner or so). Fraction’s black humor prevails, and is dually noted and enjoyed.

Of course, sometimes a book is simply elevated by it’s art, and that could easily be the case here. There are few people in comics that draw as good a Thor as Olivier Coipel. Such was the case when JMS was writing the book, such was the case when Bendis wrote Siege, and such is the case now: Coipel’s work is fan-freaking-tastic. It’s hard not to gush over his line work, but very few take advantage of the page in the way that Coipel does. There is so much detail displayed in so many panels crammed between each set of two-page spreads that you could stare and enjoy the density of the work for quite some time. The book is primarily made up of splash pages, allowing Coipel to work across the page and direct your line of eye sight as he wants, retaining complete control of the visual element. Along with Morales and Martin on the inking and coloring team, the book stands as one of Marvel’s artistic highlights this week. So really, if you needed one reason to buy this title, it would be because of Coipel’s work; it is quite literally worth the $3.99 alone.

Fraction clearly has a long term goal here, and it’s very felt within the pages. This is the kind of story that you have to let sit and watch play out before you put final judgement on it. Fraction has proved in the past that he’s a creator that is worth trusting (just look at Invincible Iron Man), and it just so happens that he is working with one of the most talented teams in the business with Coipel, Martin, and Morales. While in the temporary form on an issue to issue basis the book is not as good as it’s counter books, it stands to reason that this second arc of Fraction’s could definitely be quite an epic in the making. Think about it like this: the first arc of Invincible Iron Man was great, but it was only in the second arc that things got really intense; it stands to reason that the same could happen in the Mighty Thor. There is certainly enough here to like, and while the title feels like a slow burn as opposed to Journey Into Mystery’s swifter nature, there is no reason not to stick through the end of this arc given what’s to come.

(Heck, at least do it just to see Coipel drawing Gods clashing; there is no way whatsoever that won’t be incredible.)

Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy