The Mighty Valkyries #5: Here Be Dragons

In the series’ action-packed denouement, Jane Foster and Runa face their final adversary: the mythological dragon Fafnir. Fafnir returns to Marvel comics in the form of a giant fire-breathing skeleton dragon, which is both as silly and as awesome as it sounds. Every panel of The Mighty Valkyries #5 is meticulously rendered by Mattia De Iulis, who employs tricks like rim-lighting and directional blur to make the issue’s lengthy action sequences feel energetic and enthralling. 

Previous issues of The Mighty Valkyries could be narratively unbalanced, a flaw which was emphasized by the jarring shift between the art of De Iulis and Erica D’Urso every time the book moved from following Jane to following Runa on their separate journeys. In this issue, Jason Aaron and Torunn Grønbekk spend little time developing the two valkyries further, but tie up a multitude of dangling story threads. No longer moving between two disjointed narratives or incredibly distinct art styles, the finale feels narratively coherent, well-paced, and satisfying. 

In all respects, De Iulis’ artwork feels cinematic, whether that’s in terms of page composition or lighting. He takes each character’s appearance beyond consistency to specificity, as if each character were an actor chosen for their role. The issue’s cover (also by De Iulis) feels like an awkward family portrait, capturing the book not at its most breathtaking but at its most human. While the scenes featuring Fafnir or More (as a giant wolf) are breathtaking, intimate character interactions — between Jane and More, or Hela and Karnilla, for example — still shine. Aaron and Grønbekk write their comic’s large cast of (often morally ambiguous) characters with empathy. De Iulis’ close-ups on these small moments amplify these characters’ every emotion: their fear and triumph and tragedy. As a result of its creative team’s efforts, The Mighty Valkyries #5 is engrossing — and perhaps even at its best — at its quietest.