Immortal Thor #10: Immortal Thor vs. Immoral Thor

Sometimes, a fictional character is so lifelike that they might jump off the page at any moment. In this month’s Immortal Thor, that’s just the problem. Two weeks ago, Marvel published Roxxon Presents: Thor, an in-universe special which saw Roxxon (Marvel’s stand-in for all of capitalism’s ills) remake Thor in their own image. Last month’s Immortal Thor left off with Thor picking up Roxxon Presents: Thor and this month’s issue begins with him finishing the comic only to find “Roxxin’ Thor” leering right in front of him. It’s an exciting opening, followed by a number of other equally unexpected twists. Simultaneously, Thor must fight off thoughts symptomatic of him becoming Roxxin’ Thor—all of which are cliché quips even Thor is aware of (e.g. “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?”). It’s a clever concept and often warrants a chuckle, but acts as the bulk of the comic’s comedy. Ultimately, writer Al Ewing’s dialogue and comedy in Immortal Thor #10 struggles to meet the high bar set by the rest of the series, though the underlying ideas and story remain compelling. 

Fill-in artist Carlos Magno creates an effective dramatic shift in emotional tone from the off, filling the page with striking swathes of black shadow. Magno’s other Marvel work includes the horror series Capwolf and the Howling Commandos, where this shadow-heavy approach feels perfect. In Immortal Thor #10, however, these shadows can feel heavy-handed and don’t always work contextually. Magno’s moody work also feels at odds with Matt Wilson’s colors, which evoke the golden hours before sunset. During the final third of the issue, jumbles of taupe-colored, photorealistic buildings in the background distract from the central action. Where the earliest issues of this series showcased a team working in perfect unison, Immortal Thor #10 tends to feel stylistically disjointed and narratively inharmonious. When Ewing’s, Magno’s, and Wilson’s creative visions align, however, the reader catches a glimpse of something grim and gorgeous.

The comic’s artistic highlight is Alex Ross’ striking cover, which depicts Thor and Executioner fighting in the foreground while Minotaur and Enchantress do water cooler talk in the background. The piece is dizzying in its complexity and beautifully showcases Ross’ mastery of color theory, composition, and visual storytelling. The cover’s only failing is in promising both visually and emotionally a story the rest of the book rarely delivers.