Thor #801: Illusions

A mortal with a five-dollar hammer playing at being a Norse god isn’t the kind of story that would normally fly off the shelves. That said, Thor #801 justifies itself repeatedly as a “man meeting myth” fable drenched in the mystic Norse symbolism of the Marvel universe.

Al Ewing’s poetic writing and use of that old-timey vernacular found in bedtime stories is the kind of thing that elevates a story such as Thor. Ewing doesn’t cut the character’s rich mythical roots; instead, the issue deeply embraces them like modern-day theology in comic book format.

Every character that briefly inhabits a part of Thor #801‘s stage speaks in elevated “fantasy speech.” However, these are not wasted filler words. When characters talk, they occupy a piece of the story or play a part in its worldbuilding. An excellent example of this can be found in the earlier pages with a set of bickering cadavers Sigurd encounters in Hel, whose remarks about each other’s fates and what they say about their personalities are particularly sharp, setting the tone of the rest of the issue.

Ferry’s art has the incandescent quality of a dreamlike world. Full-page spreads and wide, thin-framed panels enlarge the scenes with a sense of enormity bigger than Thor and darker than his foe. Matt Milla’s colors are an extension of the line art, providing tone through glowing hues and soft shades that discolor the characters as the page turns or the panel changes to a different angle.