[Read as single issues]
The Odinson’s hammer, Mjolnir, is held within the grasp of Jane Foster, the new Thor. But a new hammer, the hammer of the Ultimate Thor, now resides in the ruins of Old Asgard, and this new hammer is about to be claimed. The War Of Realms rages on, but a new player is about to enter the game who knows all about rage. Tremble before the might of the War Thor.
Nothing in Jason Aaron’s long run on Thor is by accident. His Thors mini-series during Secret Wars looked like it was just setting up the events of his Unworthy Thor mini-series, but in fact continues to reverberate through his Mighty Thor run as well, as the hammer of the Ultimate Thor becomes a very important part of this arc. That in itself draws on continuity from the Ultimate universe stretching back years at this point, and it just boggles the mind at how well thought out and how far in advance Aaron has all this stuff planned.
The four main issues collected here give us the origin of the War Thor, which is both heartbreaking and completely understandable. He then proceeds to rampage through Muspelheim in search of vengeance against the Queen Of Cinders, which leads to a collision between himself, the Queen, and then both Thor and Odinson. I especially like how the War Thor’s powers manifest – he’s definitely a Thor, but he’s a very different type, and the way he uses those powers are a direct extension of his rage. On the surface, this arc is a four-way smackdown, but the heart behind it is clear. This could easily have just become a fight scene story, but the emotional core behind the War Thor’s rage really anchors it and makes it worthwhile. Whether we see the War Thor again or not, both he and Thor herself will be profoundly affected by their meeting.
Also included here is a Generations one-shot, which is more of a flashback story for Odinson and Odin. This isn’t a bad issue, and is generally one of the better Generations one-shots (although that wasn’t too hard), but it’s more to do with setting up Aaron’s Avengers run than anything affecting Thor specifically. It’s mostly just included for padding, I expect, but it’s a decent read.
Russell Dauterman steps away for most of this arc, pencilling a few pages here and there, with the bulk of the art drawn by Valerio Schiti instead, finally freed from the shackles of Brian Bendis’s Guardians Of The Galaxy run. Schiti isn’t quite as detailed as Dauterman, but his visuals are still astounding, and the flames, thunder, and storms that permeate this arc are amazing to see. Matt Wilson stays on as colourist, so the book still possesses the same feel as it does under Dauterman. Schiti also did a few fill-in pages during the Asgard/Shi’ar War if I remember right, so readers will be no stranger to him.
The War Thor is like a wartime skirmish – short, violent, and leaves the survivors (meaning us readers) forever changed. Strong character work as always from Aaron as well as a brilliantly illustrated battle from Schiti and Dauterman makes the War Thor yet another step on the road to the War Of Realms, but an important one without a doubt.