Immortal Thor #24: Slings and Arrows

Next month marks the final issue of Immortal Thor, with a swift relaunch—simply titled Thor and written by Immortal Thor writer Al Ewing—slated for August. Immortal Thor #24 picks up moments after the previous issue leaves off, Loki having just saved Thor and his comrades from Kemur. Now, devoid of Kemur at its heart, the Living City/god of death Nrgl is crumbling around them. As one might expect from the second-to-last issue of a series, Immortal Thor #24 is crackling with energy, the strong sense of forward momentum in Jan Bazaldua’s artwork pushing characters and readers ever onward. While there are a few lazy eyes here and there and the line art is on the sketchier side, Bazaldua has a strong sense of composition and flow, making the issue exceedingly readable. Matt Hollingsworth’s color palette inside Nrgl the Living (now Dying) City is still quite queasy-looking, but his color choices on the whole beautifully convey the comic’s emotional arc. 

In an era of superhero comics seemingly defined by shock cliffhanger endings, every moment of Immortal Thor #24 feels exquisitely choreographed. Ewing’s script nods playfully to Lord of the Rings and his own work on Loki: Agent of Asgard. However, its emotional core feels far more like the Doctor Who finale “The End of Time.” The dialogue and narration are forceful yet achingly poetic. Ewing himself feels like a sort of magician, providing everything necessary to understand how the trick works before releasing some well-timed, distracting doves. Where exactly the final issue will leave us when the adrenaline wears off and the smoke clears remains a mystery. For now, there’s nothing better than to sit back and enjoy the show.