Thor #6
Bethany W Pope
Recap
Future-Thor and Old Man Phoenix have an epic old-man fight at the dying edge of the universe while the All-Father’s three delightful daughters square off, defending New Midgard from a nigh-omnipotent Doom. The two ancient friends settle their differences long enough for the Phoenix Force to meld with Thor and the two ancient warriors, Doom, and the All-Father, plunge into the heart of the earth and do battle for a century. Meanwhile, the invisible worm whispers madness into the grinning skull of Ego until the Necro-Planet eventually succumbs and the work emerges from the wreck. The worm reveals itself as Loki. He is bearing the last and greatest cosmic weapon. And he is finally heading back to Earth.
Review
I am continually surprised by Jason Aaron’s writing. The character Thor has always, at his best, been a mixture of operatic drama and hilarious absurdity. Life as a god is the human experience, permanently cranked up to eleven, and when a writer understands that balance, and masters it, Thor stories become very special indeed. Jason Aaron absolutely gets it.
In this issue, we see Ancient Man Logan acting perfectly in character, speaking with the extreme weariness appropriate for a fella who has come to the end of all things and just wants it all to stop. And you feel the pathos of this character. You, as the reader get it. It’s painful. But you also can’t help laughing at the contrast between the epic setting Logan inhabits and the character’s maintained-across-millennia (somehow) Canadian roughneck diction.
In this issue, you see one of the few, mortal new-men defending his husband against a creature that is basically a god. This guy faces unimaginable power that wants to obliterate the person he cares about the most and he responds with enormous bravery. That’s remarkable enough, noble enough, in and of itself, and he does it with a rock.
Oh. And this brave mortal? He’s one of the first humans made after Thor re-creates the earth. His name is Adam. He lives in a paradisiacal place known as The Garden. And he’s married to Steve.
Adam and Steve. That happened.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and it’s constructed with a deliberate, delicate, complexity. Humor is layered with tragedy, stupid hope is contrasted with inevitable decline. Thor gets older, not wiser, but he tries. Literary references overlap with toilet humor, and it is magnificent.
As for the art: Christian Ward continues to bring his A-game to this extended guest appearance. His trippy, psychedelic style is totally appropriate for the story and subject matter, but the abstract quality of his line work doesn’t limit the expression of his characters, and his coloring is absolutely on point.
This is a wonderful issue, of an interesting arc. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Final Thoughts
A lushly drawn narrative set against a cosmic backdrop told with humor and a twist of pathos. This book is one to pick up.
Thor #6, Adam and Steve, at Home in The Garden
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 7.5/107.5/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10