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Thor by Jason Aaron #3-4
Thor: God of Thunder, Vol. 2
The chase is on across the Nine Realms to capture Malekith, former lord of the Dark Elves! To find him, Thor allies with a Dark Elf sorceress, a gun-toting Light Elf, a gargantuan Mountain Giant, a dynamite-loving dwarf and a particularly surly troll! But when one teammate falls, will it mean war for all Nine Realms? As a traitor within the group strikes and Thor prepares to take drastic measures, Malekith stages his final bloody raid - on Earth! Then, Thor battles the multinational super-corporation Roxxon, but has he met his match in its ruthless new CEO, "the Minotaur"? And millennia from now, King Thor and his granddaughters battle to save what remains of Earth from Galactus! Plus: Jane Foster returns! Young Thor vs. Frost Giants! The origin of Malekith! And King Thor's Original Sin!
Collecting: Thor: God of Thunder 12-25
Collecting: Thor: God of Thunder 12-25
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2015
19 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,358 books1,677 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 3, 2022
Re-read 5/31/22 - 6/2/22
So I gave this book 3.5 stars 2 years ago. Now upon rereading it I’m curious as to what mood I was in. Now I feel like this is definitely a 4 star book. Seems like I wasn’t that into the first arc that much. But this go around I was having a blast with it. Hmm, odd.
3.5 stars. This book is broken into two arcs, 6 issues each with kind of like a one shot for each as well.
3 stars for the first arc. Malekiths people broke him out of the prison he was in and now he is out and about laying waste to his own dark elves. The all mother gathers people from all the different realms to form the League of Realms to go after him. This arc was just ok. It was cool to see why and how the League of Realms was created as I read about them in The War of Realms. Some cool characters who happened to hate each other which made some interesting chemistry.
4 stars for the second arc. This was much better plus it didn’t hurt to have more of Esad Ribic’s art. Here Thor is pitted against Dario Agger and Roxxon. Roz Solomon also played a major part in this story. I dug her character. Being as though they had no evidence to the wrong doings of Dario, there was nothing to be done. This put Thor in a tight spot and gave Agger the upper hand to do his nefarious acts against Thor. Really well done arc here.
So as a whole, 3.5 stars with the 2nd half of the book being the best.
So I gave this book 3.5 stars 2 years ago. Now upon rereading it I’m curious as to what mood I was in. Now I feel like this is definitely a 4 star book. Seems like I wasn’t that into the first arc that much. But this go around I was having a blast with it. Hmm, odd.
3.5 stars. This book is broken into two arcs, 6 issues each with kind of like a one shot for each as well.
3 stars for the first arc. Malekiths people broke him out of the prison he was in and now he is out and about laying waste to his own dark elves. The all mother gathers people from all the different realms to form the League of Realms to go after him. This arc was just ok. It was cool to see why and how the League of Realms was created as I read about them in The War of Realms. Some cool characters who happened to hate each other which made some interesting chemistry.
4 stars for the second arc. This was much better plus it didn’t hurt to have more of Esad Ribic’s art. Here Thor is pitted against Dario Agger and Roxxon. Roz Solomon also played a major part in this story. I dug her character. Being as though they had no evidence to the wrong doings of Dario, there was nothing to be done. This put Thor in a tight spot and gave Agger the upper hand to do his nefarious acts against Thor. Really well done arc here.
So as a whole, 3.5 stars with the 2nd half of the book being the best.
September 19, 2023
Enjoyed the Malekith arc more this time than I did when I first read it. It's hard to follow up Gorr with a storyline and villain, and it was all planed to tie in with the dark world (and when they try to tie to the movies it usually doesn't land very well), but I liked it more this time. I still think the Last Days of Midgard is the stronger arc and Old Thor vs Galactus will never not be boring. There's also some good one shot stories in here to break the arcs up a a bit, including one with a talking dragon!
April 22, 2017
Friggin' awesome! I've read half of this volume before, but now, having read all the rest of Aaron's epic Thor run, I enjoyed this volume even more. It's really cool to see so many of the storylines that the current Thor is still dealing with actually start here, in God of Thunder. It seems that Aaron really had the whole thing planned from the very beginning, and it's absolutely brilliant.
July 24, 2015
Entertaining but not as good as volume one.
March 8, 2019
Aaron si udržal vysokú úroveň z prvej knihy. Charakter príbehu sa síce trochu zmenil, ale opäť je to našlapaná jazda. V prvom arcu máme možnosť spoznať "Nine Realms", rôzne národy a Malekhita, ktorý sa stane na pár rokov hlavným Thorovým problémom. Druhý arc jmá trochu eko posolstvo, čo mi moc nesedelo, ale vyvažovala to linka z budúcnosti. Veľmi ešte oceňujem, že Aaron už prakticky na začiatku svojho runu teasuje aktuálny event War of the Realms. Ak teda Thora, tak tohto. A s Aaronom budem určtie pokračovať, lebo jeho svet bohov, mýtov a legiend je úžasný.
November 17, 2015
A little different than Volume 1 in that Volume 1 was a complete story arc. This one is two separate stories.. the first arc deals with Malekith and what his return means to the nine realms. The second arc brings Thor face to face with the Roxxon corporation and their army of lawyers and eco-vultures.
A fun read with clever writing... the art and stories were not as strong as Volume 1 but still enjoyable. The different Thors make appearances too and there is a nice cliff hanger at the end.
A fun read with clever writing... the art and stories were not as strong as Volume 1 but still enjoyable. The different Thors make appearances too and there is a nice cliff hanger at the end.
October 19, 2016
weak at the beginning but got better at the end. Excited for the third hardcover.
February 17, 2017
Jason Aaron continues his fantastic run on Thor with this collection of metaphorical, socially-relevant stories that feel all too ominous in light of the current world political climate. It's a little surprising, but still fitting, that Aaron chose to followup his first volume in this way. The first collection tells a larger story about religion and how it can affect people both positively and negatively depending on what they take from it, and keeps its metaphors subtle as it builds to its climactic battle. This volume's stories are a lot more direct in their allegory, and don't have quite the same level of action surrounding them, but they're still very satisfying in the long run.
First up is a story of Malekith, the Dark Elf, who featured heavily in Walt Simonson's runs way back, and also in the movie Thor: The Dark World. Malekith is usually a chaotic schemer who just loves to sow discord. This time, though, Aaron utilizes Malekith's unconventional, vicious battle tactics and disregard for his own people as a sort of ISIS stand-in, with mixed results. The allegory is blatantly clear, with Thor representing the blunt instrument of America and its allies, while Malekith manages to recruit dark elves using cultural touchstones Thor just can't predict or combat. This one occasionally veers off course, sacrificing story in favor of staying true to its metaphor, but I genuinely loved the ending and the frustrating, realistic storyline Aaron ultimately lays out.
Second is a climate change/corporate greed story that I enjoyed a lot more than the Malekith half of this book. Roxxon and its evil CEO are out to wreck the planet to up their profit margin, and Thor does everything in his power to stop them by sheer force of will and might. We quickly learn this isn't enough, and the story plays out in a similarly frustrating but ultimately realistic way as the Malekith one. The difference here is, the metaphor itself is so direct that it isn't even really a metaphor, just a mirroring of our world but with a thunder god involved. This leaves Aaron plenty of room to tell a satisfying story with countless twists I didn't see coming, yet fully believed every time.
If the quality of these stories is anything like those in his subsequent Thor run, I can't wait to read it. This might be my favorite Marvel run Jason Aaron's done yet, and that's really saying something.
First up is a story of Malekith, the Dark Elf, who featured heavily in Walt Simonson's runs way back, and also in the movie Thor: The Dark World. Malekith is usually a chaotic schemer who just loves to sow discord. This time, though, Aaron utilizes Malekith's unconventional, vicious battle tactics and disregard for his own people as a sort of ISIS stand-in, with mixed results. The allegory is blatantly clear, with Thor representing the blunt instrument of America and its allies, while Malekith manages to recruit dark elves using cultural touchstones Thor just can't predict or combat. This one occasionally veers off course, sacrificing story in favor of staying true to its metaphor, but I genuinely loved the ending and the frustrating, realistic storyline Aaron ultimately lays out.
Second is a climate change/corporate greed story that I enjoyed a lot more than the Malekith half of this book. Roxxon and its evil CEO are out to wreck the planet to up their profit margin, and Thor does everything in his power to stop them by sheer force of will and might. We quickly learn this isn't enough, and the story plays out in a similarly frustrating but ultimately realistic way as the Malekith one. The difference here is, the metaphor itself is so direct that it isn't even really a metaphor, just a mirroring of our world but with a thunder god involved. This leaves Aaron plenty of room to tell a satisfying story with countless twists I didn't see coming, yet fully believed every time.
If the quality of these stories is anything like those in his subsequent Thor run, I can't wait to read it. This might be my favorite Marvel run Jason Aaron's done yet, and that's really saying something.
February 14, 2021
Feb2021:
Genlæsning. Min mening er her, 4,5 år efter at have læst den første gang, tæt på at være det stik modsatte af hvad jeg mente dengang i oktober 16’
Først del god og underholdende, anden del kun ok. Fremtids Thor historien med galactus virkede unødvendig.
Okt.2016:
Første del med malekith var kun ok. Anden halvdel med Roxxon var god, men langt fra godbutcher niveau. Er vild med fremtids Thor
Genlæsning. Min mening er her, 4,5 år efter at have læst den første gang, tæt på at være det stik modsatte af hvad jeg mente dengang i oktober 16’
Først del god og underholdende, anden del kun ok. Fremtids Thor historien med galactus virkede unødvendig.
Okt.2016:
Første del med malekith var kun ok. Anden halvdel med Roxxon var god, men langt fra godbutcher niveau. Er vild med fremtids Thor
February 13, 2021
Entre 4 y 4’5⭐️
En 2019, empecé a leer la Thor/Jane Foster de Jason Aaron y me enamoré del personaje y de esta etapa. Después, seguí leyendo el Thor de Aaron, el evento de la Guerra de los Reinos (que puede que sea mi evento fav), los Vengadores de Aaron y, como no, la vuelta de mi querida Jane en su propia serie: Valquiria; y sip, me hice fan de Aaron, con sus más y sus menos.
Así que, ya era hora de que me decidiera a leer el Thor de Aaron desde el principio, y lo he hecho ahora, aprovechando que Panini acaba de empezar a editar la Diosa del Trueno en tomo y quiero releerla. Y oye, he disfrutado un montón estos dos primeros tomos que marcaron el inicio de la andadura de Jason Aaron en Thor. Me lo he pasado especialmente bien en este segundo tomo con el inicio del arco de Malekith y de todo lo que será la guerra de los reinos, y estoy deseando seguir con mi querida Jane, ahora que ya tengo la visión completa de esta saga ⚡️
En 2019, empecé a leer la Thor/Jane Foster de Jason Aaron y me enamoré del personaje y de esta etapa. Después, seguí leyendo el Thor de Aaron, el evento de la Guerra de los Reinos (que puede que sea mi evento fav), los Vengadores de Aaron y, como no, la vuelta de mi querida Jane en su propia serie: Valquiria; y sip, me hice fan de Aaron, con sus más y sus menos.
Así que, ya era hora de que me decidiera a leer el Thor de Aaron desde el principio, y lo he hecho ahora, aprovechando que Panini acaba de empezar a editar la Diosa del Trueno en tomo y quiero releerla. Y oye, he disfrutado un montón estos dos primeros tomos que marcaron el inicio de la andadura de Jason Aaron en Thor. Me lo he pasado especialmente bien en este segundo tomo con el inicio del arco de Malekith y de todo lo que será la guerra de los reinos, y estoy deseando seguir con mi querida Jane, ahora que ya tengo la visión completa de esta saga ⚡️
July 6, 2021
Když začala linka s Malekithem říkal jsem si "achjo Gorr je pryč, začíná to být nuda". Jakmile se do toho víc připletl King Thor, Roxxon a povídky v minulosti Thora, zase jsem se skvěle bavil. Části s Gorrem to sice nedosahuje, ale pořád jde o skvělé čtení.
November 17, 2017
I'm pretty high on the Jason Aaron versions of Thor, well represented in this collection. In one set of stories a Tolkienesque group - the League of Realms - forms to combat Malekith the Dark Elf, a great villain from the great Walt Simonson run. Yet the variation in characters is rich and wide here. Jane Foster gets a foreshadowing of what is to come. A new girlfriend for Thor, perhaps, and a fascinating environmental agent in her own right appears, SHIELD's Roz Solomon, deserving of more stories. Galactus appears here at the end of time, and he's not at his best. Art by Esad Ribic is amazing. The League of Realms arc is well drawn by Ron Garney. A great intermediate chapter, issue #12, is drawn with humor and verve by Nic Klein. Color art is effective thanks to Ive Svorcina, Lee Louridge, and Agustin Alessio. Additional chapters are drawn and colored by Das Pastoras, R.M. Guera and Gilulia Brusco, and Simon Bisley.
Good stuff! Recommended, especially in an edition like this, well printed in a larger size.
Good stuff! Recommended, especially in an edition like this, well printed in a larger size.
May 11, 2019
Great book not as great as God butcher and God bomb but still a great book. I love Esad Ribics art its so good has such a cool dark tone. Some of the other art isn’t really my cup of tea but Jason Aaron kills it.
January 12, 2021
I enjoyed finishing off the rest of this series via this compilation. With there being different artists involved, I liked the art in some of the stories better than other stories. The author still has stories involved "the three Thors," which also made it interesting to read. I guess I would say that I thought it was a pretty strong finish for this "arc" .
It was a fun series to read, and I am glad that I picked up the second volume so I could finish it off in one reading. I could see myself rereading it again at some later point in time.
It was a fun series to read, and I am glad that I picked up the second volume so I could finish it off in one reading. I could see myself rereading it again at some later point in time.
November 29, 2018
Not nearly as good as the first volume. The very first issue though, which basically had Thor visiting Earth as a Jesus figure, helping random people, was really cool. That was probably my favorite issue of the whole book, and set me up to expect more.
The next arc, about Malekith returning from the land of the dead and killing his own people, while Thor lead a task force of creatures from different realms, was surprisingly boring. I want to like Malekith... but so far he's been pretty whatever. This art was the not that great either, with weirdly garish colors. After that there was a flashback to younger Thor being young and stupid with a dragon, was not very interesting.
The final arc was better, mostly due to Esad Ribic on art, which had a similar feel to the first book. I also like Thor's new love interest, freshly graduated SHIELD environmentalist Agent Solomon. I also really liked the antagonist, the Roxxon CEO... until it was revealed he was actually a demon. Then, all of his bluster about being a mortal defeating Thor, and the idea that a simple man could do so much harm to the Earth (which is, of course, only a small exaggeration from real life) was no longer valid or interesting. I thought that was a huge misstep. Then there was the future sections with Thor and his daughters fighting Galactus. It's a weird thing to say about such a being... but Galactus seemed out of character. I just generally didn't care for these parts.
Overall this book seemed like it existed mainly to set up later stories, and as such was a bit boring on its own. At the end we're just dumped into a shot of Thor unable to lift his hammer... which I think happens at the end of Original Sin? It's been a while since I read that. I should probably skim it before moving on to the next volume, which will have the lady Thor. I am looking forward to that.
The next arc, about Malekith returning from the land of the dead and killing his own people, while Thor lead a task force of creatures from different realms, was surprisingly boring. I want to like Malekith... but so far he's been pretty whatever. This art was the not that great either, with weirdly garish colors. After that there was a flashback to younger Thor being young and stupid with a dragon, was not very interesting.
The final arc was better, mostly due to Esad Ribic on art, which had a similar feel to the first book. I also like Thor's new love interest, freshly graduated SHIELD environmentalist Agent Solomon. I also really liked the antagonist, the Roxxon CEO... until it was revealed he was actually a demon. Then, all of his bluster about being a mortal defeating Thor, and the idea that a simple man could do so much harm to the Earth (which is, of course, only a small exaggeration from real life) was no longer valid or interesting. I thought that was a huge misstep. Then there was the future sections with Thor and his daughters fighting Galactus. It's a weird thing to say about such a being... but Galactus seemed out of character. I just generally didn't care for these parts.
Overall this book seemed like it existed mainly to set up later stories, and as such was a bit boring on its own. At the end we're just dumped into a shot of Thor unable to lift his hammer... which I think happens at the end of Original Sin? It's been a while since I read that. I should probably skim it before moving on to the next volume, which will have the lady Thor. I am looking forward to that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2022
Jason Aaron keeps the hits rolling with the stereotypical but big-hearted League of Realms, the return of Malekith (a great substitute for Loki), a new vaguely interesting corporate villain, and the continued adventures of Young Thor and Old Thor. There's an awful lot of action in these pages, though, and not much character development. The huge exaggeration of everything that was so charming in the last volume is also beginning to grate as the story has a less cosmic focus; there's no tonal or dialogue difference between the epic battle against Galactus and the battle for the town of Broxton, OK. But the art and the ideas are so great that I want them to keep coming.
May 12, 2018
A sequel that owes little to nothing to its predecessor. Jason Aaron has probably written the best Thor series I've read so far. As for its art, Ribic's work is once again at the same level as the previous volume but I have to say that the other illustrators were somewhat subpar not only to Ribic but to Aaron's story itself, which deserved top artwork. The series end with a teaser regarding what will follow for the God of Thunder; a new Thor appears when Odinson himself appears to have become unworthy of wielding Mjolnir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2020
This big collection groups 2 story lines. One about the return of Malekith and one of Thor's feud with the CEO of a big corporation. Both again very well written stories. I feel that I'm going to enjoy Aaron's run.
May 11, 2017
Jason Aaron writes compelling Thor stories and actually makes me care about the character. Something I never thought I would
July 6, 2017
Část s Malekithem byla slabší, ale pořád ok. V Roxxor části se snaží pracovat s aktuálními tématy, ale přišlo mi to už dost slabé.
September 10, 2018
Decent to bad art with a convoluted and actually pretty boring story. Just leave this series after volume 1 and don't look back.
July 1, 2020
While nowhere near the heights of the first story arc, nor what comes after, this is not bad work.
April 29, 2023
It doesn’t beat Gorr, but this was a great read
September 21, 2025
Not as good as the first one. The dark elf felt a little forced. But they suing bit felt like an interesting take to wrap it up.
November 14, 2021
Besting Gorr the God Butcher’s arc was always going to be super hard, so I’m not too upset about this one being a letdown…
Anyway, in this book we get three main stories:
1) Thor and his team from the Nine Realms try to (re)capture Malekith, the evilest of the Dark Elves.
2) Thor also has to battle the Minotaur, the CEO of the multinational, super-corporation Roxxon.
3) Lastly, millennia from now, King Thor and his granddaughters have to battle Galactus to save what’s left of Planet Earth.
Out of the three stories, I was most invested in the King Thor storyline. The arc for the Last Days of Midgard was entertaining and very imaginative. Seeing Thor go against Galactus was pretty darn cool.
Overall, a fun read. 7/10 for the story and art.
Anyway, in this book we get three main stories:
1) Thor and his team from the Nine Realms try to (re)capture Malekith, the evilest of the Dark Elves.
2) Thor also has to battle the Minotaur, the CEO of the multinational, super-corporation Roxxon.
3) Lastly, millennia from now, King Thor and his granddaughters have to battle Galactus to save what’s left of Planet Earth.
Out of the three stories, I was most invested in the King Thor storyline. The arc for the Last Days of Midgard was entertaining and very imaginative. Seeing Thor go against Galactus was pretty darn cool.
Overall, a fun read. 7/10 for the story and art.
October 12, 2016
I decided to wait for Aaron's well regarded Thor run to come out in as near to entirety as possible, the prospect of enjoying Esad Ribic's art in the first two volumes in oversize definitely one of the main deciding factors. The first volume, comprising both parts of the story of Gorr, a man driven mad by the indifference of his gods who gains access to a weapon that allows him to slaughter deities and extend his own life through the ages was heady stuff. Aaron clearly aimed for High Myth and coupled with Ribic's incredible linework and colours by Ive Svorcina it truly felt like one of the grandest bits of storytelling from a Marvel book in years.
Volume 2, sadly, is something of a step down from the opulence and cosmic vengeance of Gorr's story. It's really two stories, the first of which 'The Accursed' being the main let-down. Although setting up many players and plotlines for future instalments, The Accursed feels like a marked drop in quality on all sides; Aaron seems to be in a rush to get somewhere and the art feels equally pressured. Coming in after Ribic is a hard ask for any artist, but Ron Garney's art for the main event (bookended by two one-shots by Nic Klein and Das Pastoras whose work fares better) feels oddly cartoonish and Ive Svorcina's colours seem glaringly unbalanced, odd hue choices and saturation levels making the pages seem messy and underworked.
However, Malekith is a mad and dangerous enemy so hopefully there will be some future pay-off as Aaron lets him ruthlessly murder his own people, Thor's rag-tag band of realm-picked heroes ineffectually railing against the machinations of an intellect impossible to predict.
Luckily, things pick up once more in the second half of Volume 2, 'Last Days of Asgard' as Ribic returns and Aaron switches up the narrative. Thor and is she/isn't she? girlfriend, S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Roz face down Dario Agger, CEO of Roxxon, one of Marvel's gloriously evil multinational corporations. Agger takes a rather dim view of Thor's dismantling of Roxxon assets and drops lawsuits and subpoenas on the God of Thunder who finds it comically difficult to grasp the nuances of modern legal warfare.
At the same time, Aaron regales us with another broad strokes myth when King Thor, in many thousands of years' time, takes one last stand for Midgard and faces down the eternal hunger of the World Eater Galactus.
Two time-lines, two forces of evil determined to suck the Earth dry, and one Thunder God who would die before letting it happen. The magic returns.
3 & 1/2 stars.
Volume 2, sadly, is something of a step down from the opulence and cosmic vengeance of Gorr's story. It's really two stories, the first of which 'The Accursed' being the main let-down. Although setting up many players and plotlines for future instalments, The Accursed feels like a marked drop in quality on all sides; Aaron seems to be in a rush to get somewhere and the art feels equally pressured. Coming in after Ribic is a hard ask for any artist, but Ron Garney's art for the main event (bookended by two one-shots by Nic Klein and Das Pastoras whose work fares better) feels oddly cartoonish and Ive Svorcina's colours seem glaringly unbalanced, odd hue choices and saturation levels making the pages seem messy and underworked.
However, Malekith is a mad and dangerous enemy so hopefully there will be some future pay-off as Aaron lets him ruthlessly murder his own people, Thor's rag-tag band of realm-picked heroes ineffectually railing against the machinations of an intellect impossible to predict.
Luckily, things pick up once more in the second half of Volume 2, 'Last Days of Asgard' as Ribic returns and Aaron switches up the narrative. Thor and is she/isn't she? girlfriend, S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Roz face down Dario Agger, CEO of Roxxon, one of Marvel's gloriously evil multinational corporations. Agger takes a rather dim view of Thor's dismantling of Roxxon assets and drops lawsuits and subpoenas on the God of Thunder who finds it comically difficult to grasp the nuances of modern legal warfare.
At the same time, Aaron regales us with another broad strokes myth when King Thor, in many thousands of years' time, takes one last stand for Midgard and faces down the eternal hunger of the World Eater Galactus.
Two time-lines, two forces of evil determined to suck the Earth dry, and one Thunder God who would die before letting it happen. The magic returns.
3 & 1/2 stars.
January 25, 2016
I have to say - I was a little disappointed with this book. The art is five star and with Ron Garney doing the first main multi-parter and Esad Ribic doing the other one. Both do jaw dropping beautiful art capturing the strength of Thor and the magic of his surroundings.
The first multi-part story is Thor leading a band to try to recapture Malekith the Dark Elf. Great story but then...the ending. Depressing and setting the stage for more depressing stories.
The second multi-parter is even MORE depressing Roxxon is willfully destroying the planet with their waste, with the hopes of profiting when the world needs them for clean water. Oh, and the CEO of Roxxon happens to be a Minotaur. Which is never explained. It is also never explained why the US government allows Roxxon to poison America, or the employees of Roxxon are okay with their CEO being a monster - literally.
I admit - I turn to super hero stories for escapism not to read about super villains poisoning the Earth for fun and the American government allowing them to do it. Or for elves who have been slaughtered by a mad elf then elect him as king. Not only are these depressing stories they are frustrating since they make no sense.
Even the cool character of Roz - environmental SHIELD agent turns into an idiot being unable to defend Thor against lawsuit even though she knows the CEO suing him is destroying the environment and is a damn Minotaur!! Wow SHIELD - you are lame.
And Jason Aaron...please seek some therapy. Anyone writing stories this negative must have some issues they need to work out. Yes negative things happen like this in the real world all time (reelecting Bush; oil companies changing laws so they don't pay for the environmental damage they cause) but that doesn't mean I want it in my fantasy worlds.
The first multi-part story is Thor leading a band to try to recapture Malekith the Dark Elf. Great story but then...the ending. Depressing and setting the stage for more depressing stories.
The second multi-parter is even MORE depressing Roxxon is willfully destroying the planet with their waste, with the hopes of profiting when the world needs them for clean water. Oh, and the CEO of Roxxon happens to be a Minotaur. Which is never explained. It is also never explained why the US government allows Roxxon to poison America, or the employees of Roxxon are okay with their CEO being a monster - literally.
I admit - I turn to super hero stories for escapism not to read about super villains poisoning the Earth for fun and the American government allowing them to do it. Or for elves who have been slaughtered by a mad elf then elect him as king. Not only are these depressing stories they are frustrating since they make no sense.
Even the cool character of Roz - environmental SHIELD agent turns into an idiot being unable to defend Thor against lawsuit even though she knows the CEO suing him is destroying the environment and is a damn Minotaur!! Wow SHIELD - you are lame.
And Jason Aaron...please seek some therapy. Anyone writing stories this negative must have some issues they need to work out. Yes negative things happen like this in the real world all time (reelecting Bush; oil companies changing laws so they don't pay for the environmental damage they cause) but that doesn't mean I want it in my fantasy worlds.
April 20, 2021
I really loved Aaron's first Thor arc and liked this one much less. Vol. 2 is still grand, epic, and ties Thor across multiple time periods in one large story line that continues the set up for War of the Realms.
There is A LOT going on in each arc. The first reads like--as someone said to me--a "Dungeons and Dragons" adventure story which isn't necessarily bad but has less depth story-wise. Thor assembles a team to battle Malekith with some galactic politics getting in the way. The second arc is generally about Thor battling a big, evil corporation on Earth (yeah, sounds kind of dumb) to save Broxton with some nods to climate change, and how Earthly politics can stop a god. What I did enjoy was the further development of Thor's love for Asgard and Midgard and thoughts about how they shaped him into the god he is today. Weaving through these arcs is a ridiculous story set in the future where Thor battles Galactus for the fate of a planet. Jane Foster, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Warriors Three, the All-Mother, Dark Elves, and Frost Giants make appearances that aren't mere cameos but pieces needed to help Thor when mere smiting isn't a solution as well a required elements for Aaron's builds up to War of the Realms.
Overall, this volume is enjoyable but not as good as Vol. 1. It does end on a cliffhanger that leaves us wondering about Thor's worthiness and what epic adventures Aaron has planned for the god of thunder.
There is A LOT going on in each arc. The first reads like--as someone said to me--a "Dungeons and Dragons" adventure story which isn't necessarily bad but has less depth story-wise. Thor assembles a team to battle Malekith with some galactic politics getting in the way. The second arc is generally about Thor battling a big, evil corporation on Earth (yeah, sounds kind of dumb) to save Broxton with some nods to climate change, and how Earthly politics can stop a god. What I did enjoy was the further development of Thor's love for Asgard and Midgard and thoughts about how they shaped him into the god he is today. Weaving through these arcs is a ridiculous story set in the future where Thor battles Galactus for the fate of a planet. Jane Foster, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Warriors Three, the All-Mother, Dark Elves, and Frost Giants make appearances that aren't mere cameos but pieces needed to help Thor when mere smiting isn't a solution as well a required elements for Aaron's builds up to War of the Realms.
Overall, this volume is enjoyable but not as good as Vol. 1. It does end on a cliffhanger that leaves us wondering about Thor's worthiness and what epic adventures Aaron has planned for the god of thunder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2016
I picked this up when it was on sale (thank the gods above) after I had read--and totally adored--the newest Thor. Turns out Dude-Thor is kind of a sexist, drunk douche, and the storylines are whack. Mind you, this is only my first foray into the Dude-Thor comics, but at this rate I'll happily stick to the new Thor. No friggin' wonder Dude-Thor was unworthy. Gods. Also, a reminder why I've generally tread VERY lightly when it comes to reading comics for fear of boring, poorly written, sexist crap like this. Ugh. *proceeds to re-read new-Thor to cleanse palate*
January 1, 2016
I loved this, as usually Aaron didn't disappoint! The story was entertain interesting and as always intriguing. The twists and turns and the way he draws all three different times of hors life together just stellar! I loved it!
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