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Thor (2020) (Collected Editions)
Thor, Vol. 4: God of Hammers
Mjolnir, the powerful Uru hammer that Thor has wielded in battle for centuries, has gone missing! And nobody, not even the all-seeing Lady Sif, is able to locate it. So Thor must turn to the last person he wants help from: Odin. For until the hammer is found, nobody is safe! Because it turns out that Mjolnir is on a rampage across the Ten Realms — leaving only death and destruction in its path! The fatal prophecy of the God of Hammers is about to be unleashed, and Thor must act fast to save his kingdom! Donny Cates continues his action-packed Asgardian saga, and artist Nic Klein is back for twists and turns that not even the All-Father can possibly be ready for!
Collects Thor #19-24
Collects Thor #19-24
200 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2022
25 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
July 28, 2022
The God of Hammers has taken Mjolnir and is murdering people across the ten realms. We finally find out what's going on with Mjolnir and it's a doozy. Some major things happen that change Thor for the foreseeable future.
The last issue is a 60th Anniversary issue and the #750th issue. A bunch of famous past Asgardian creators return to tell stories like Walt Simonson, J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel, and Al Ewing and Lee Garbett.
The last issue is a 60th Anniversary issue and the #750th issue. A bunch of famous past Asgardian creators return to tell stories like Walt Simonson, J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel, and Al Ewing and Lee Garbett.
July 28, 2022
"Ravens Eye, that is getting old..."
I'm a big fan of Cates, but this story arc felt super generic for me, it came out of nowhere and it climaxed too soon, just like his two previous story arcs, and I just don't get it, these storylines had so much potential, if Donny took his time to build it up with smaller arcs, this could easily become one of those epic character-defining runs, but when you choose such over-the-top plotlines and then crammed it in a couple of volumes, it feels cheap and bland, and he's not the only Marvel writer doing this, Jason Aaron, Mark Waid, Al Ewing, they're all doing this, their work is getting stale, formulaic and forgettable, it's always about the next big crazy thing, the villain is always the next world destroyer, the build up is close to none, there's always some crazy new concept, new character/power mashups, the original characters get reconstructed until they end up with a shift in statuos quo to spin off a new run, with a new gimmick, big crossover event, rinse and repeat, I mean, these have been entertaining, but rarely great, I'm calling it the Hyperbolic Age of comic books, or maybe it's just me and I'm going through a phase where I much rather read stories with a slower pace. Anyway, the ending of this book is actually quite alright, I'll give you that, Donny, but let's see how long the Mjolnir stays that way.
I'm a big fan of Cates, but this story arc felt super generic for me, it came out of nowhere and it climaxed too soon, just like his two previous story arcs, and I just don't get it, these storylines had so much potential, if Donny took his time to build it up with smaller arcs, this could easily become one of those epic character-defining runs, but when you choose such over-the-top plotlines and then crammed it in a couple of volumes, it feels cheap and bland, and he's not the only Marvel writer doing this, Jason Aaron, Mark Waid, Al Ewing, they're all doing this, their work is getting stale, formulaic and forgettable, it's always about the next big crazy thing, the villain is always the next world destroyer, the build up is close to none, there's always some crazy new concept, new character/power mashups, the original characters get reconstructed until they end up with a shift in statuos quo to spin off a new run, with a new gimmick, big crossover event, rinse and repeat, I mean, these have been entertaining, but rarely great, I'm calling it the Hyperbolic Age of comic books, or maybe it's just me and I'm going through a phase where I much rather read stories with a slower pace. Anyway, the ending of this book is actually quite alright, I'll give you that, Donny, but let's see how long the Mjolnir stays that way.
November 4, 2022
This story was so epic the way it turns out!
It starts with the coming of this starnge god of hammers and he is smashing everything in its path and when Thor confronts him he might not be safe and I love how the battle turns out especially when the revelations happen of who and what it might be and the way it connects to a previous story by Jason that was awesome, and particularly what happens to Odin in the end and how it changes things for Thor. The way Thor unmakes Mjolnir was like one of my favorite moments ever and just shows you how awesome a god he is!
Its one of the most truly epic stories and one of my fav Thor stories easily, it gives moments both big and emotional to Thor and Odin and that last issue which showed you a son grieving for a father but that strange twist was wonderful and like I am interested to see where they go from here. It has huge potential and the big war with Thanos still to come!
It starts with the coming of this starnge god of hammers and he is smashing everything in its path and when Thor confronts him he might not be safe and I love how the battle turns out especially when the revelations happen of who and what it might be and the way it connects to a previous story by Jason that was awesome, and particularly what happens to Odin in the end and how it changes things for Thor. The way Thor unmakes Mjolnir was like one of my favorite moments ever and just shows you how awesome a god he is!
Its one of the most truly epic stories and one of my fav Thor stories easily, it gives moments both big and emotional to Thor and Odin and that last issue which showed you a son grieving for a father but that strange twist was wonderful and like I am interested to see where they go from here. It has huge potential and the big war with Thanos still to come!
July 21, 2022
Thor finds himself facing the God Of Hammers, a familiar face that promises to destroy everything he knows and loves, starting with Mjolnir itself.
After a shaky first arc, Cates' Thor run is really shaping up to be a worthy (ha!) successor to Jason Aaron's. These five issues bring back some plot points from Aaron's run in a neat way that serves up some consequences for both Thor and Jane's actions, as well as changing the status quo in a way that we've not seen before, even if how we get there has most definitely happened in the past.
Nic Klein returns to draw the heck out of this arc, and his style is perfect for the brutality of the battle scenes. His God Of Hammers is a spiky ball of murder, and such a simple design is elevated by his skill as an artist.
Another excellent entry into the Thor canon, spinning a yarn from plot threads sewn years ago while upending everything Thor believes to make sure that the impact from this one will be felt going forward for the rest of the run.
After a shaky first arc, Cates' Thor run is really shaping up to be a worthy (ha!) successor to Jason Aaron's. These five issues bring back some plot points from Aaron's run in a neat way that serves up some consequences for both Thor and Jane's actions, as well as changing the status quo in a way that we've not seen before, even if how we get there has most definitely happened in the past.
Nic Klein returns to draw the heck out of this arc, and his style is perfect for the brutality of the battle scenes. His God Of Hammers is a spiky ball of murder, and such a simple design is elevated by his skill as an artist.
Another excellent entry into the Thor canon, spinning a yarn from plot threads sewn years ago while upending everything Thor believes to make sure that the impact from this one will be felt going forward for the rest of the run.
January 18, 2023
Sturm! Drang! and Anthropomorphized talking frogs!
Not a whole lot of substance amidst the flash, though. I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the conclusion of the arc, and the additional material collected from issue 25 wasn't of much interest either.
Not a whole lot of substance amidst the flash, though. I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the conclusion of the arc, and the additional material collected from issue 25 wasn't of much interest either.
August 3, 2022
4.25
I didn't love the god of hammers story. But some good characters-driven story, particularly regarding Thor and Odin's relationship in context of the new status quo.
I didn't love the god of hammers story. But some good characters-driven story, particularly regarding Thor and Odin's relationship in context of the new status quo.
February 9, 2023
It's been awhile since I've stuck my toe into a new Thor comic. I truly enjoyed the Jason Aaron run. Donny Cates? Meh not so much.
So this is a rather odd story about Mjolnir. Apparently, it isn't just a Uru hammer, inside Odin has trapped some entity known as the God of Storms. Now Thor, who is King of Asgard for some reason, and Odin must face Mjolnir in conflict. The concept ought to make you wince and the story wasn't much better. Thor and Odin fight Mjolnir and then with Odin's sacrifice, the day is won. Oh BTW Odin is dead. Which means he's only dead for a few issues or until some other guy starts writing the series. Hell even Thor vaguely mentions Odin probably not being truly dead.
Then in a poor homage to the "Sandman" comics excellent funeral issue, we have a funeral for Odin. Thor acts the fool and Loki , who is good now, acts like a true son of Odin.
Then we some random stories- one is an origin story of sorts what look like Beta Ray Bill. Then another reto art story about Thor being tempted by some mystical gear that has nothing to do with Mjolnir.
The artwork for the "Benedictions" story was excellent, but the story itself is banal (Thor writes a will..a Asgardian God has written a legal document applicable only in the nation it was written and expects the next Asgardian to abide by this dumbfuckery).
Then some wretched story about 15 year old looking Loki and his change of heart and transformation into a good character. SMH.
The artwork for "Who Wields Who" is similarly top notch and the story is decent enough.
The final stories are one about the funeral (not good) and an Enchantress trying to seduce Odin story which was ok.
Nothing to rave about here. Not terrible but not really good either.
So this is a rather odd story about Mjolnir. Apparently, it isn't just a Uru hammer, inside Odin has trapped some entity known as the God of Storms. Now Thor, who is King of Asgard for some reason, and Odin must face Mjolnir in conflict. The concept ought to make you wince and the story wasn't much better. Thor and Odin fight Mjolnir and then with Odin's sacrifice, the day is won. Oh BTW Odin is dead. Which means he's only dead for a few issues or until some other guy starts writing the series. Hell even Thor vaguely mentions Odin probably not being truly dead.
Then in a poor homage to the "Sandman" comics excellent funeral issue, we have a funeral for Odin. Thor acts the fool and Loki , who is good now, acts like a true son of Odin.
Then we some random stories- one is an origin story of sorts what look like Beta Ray Bill. Then another reto art story about Thor being tempted by some mystical gear that has nothing to do with Mjolnir.
The artwork for the "Benedictions" story was excellent, but the story itself is banal (Thor writes a will..a Asgardian God has written a legal document applicable only in the nation it was written and expects the next Asgardian to abide by this dumbfuckery).
Then some wretched story about 15 year old looking Loki and his change of heart and transformation into a good character. SMH.
The artwork for "Who Wields Who" is similarly top notch and the story is decent enough.
The final stories are one about the funeral (not good) and an Enchantress trying to seduce Odin story which was ok.
Nothing to rave about here. Not terrible but not really good either.
July 30, 2022
Thor is trying to find out what happened to his hammer.
But as he's going down the path to find out what happen to his hammer he finds trails of bodies. Ones who have been struck down by his very weapon. When he finds out who wields the hammer, things get even more messy, and he might need friends to help him.
I didn't love this arc. Some cool moments, great art, fun fight scenes but overall...the villain reveal? Kind of wack. I also didn't love the funeral issues, very disjointed, and not all that well done.
While I still enjoy Thor by Donny Cates, this is slowly becoming one of his weaker series.
But as he's going down the path to find out what happen to his hammer he finds trails of bodies. Ones who have been struck down by his very weapon. When he finds out who wields the hammer, things get even more messy, and he might need friends to help him.
I didn't love this arc. Some cool moments, great art, fun fight scenes but overall...the villain reveal? Kind of wack. I also didn't love the funeral issues, very disjointed, and not all that well done.
While I still enjoy Thor by Donny Cates, this is slowly becoming one of his weaker series.
January 20, 2023
Another pretty awesome outing in this series. The Cates arc has been awesome. The only reason this gets 4 starts instead of 5 is because the one shots included in this volume are total crap.
June 5, 2022
There's some interesting stuff here, and even some actual consequences, but none it landed for me, sadly. For a story with this much ambition, it felt rushed and half-baked. None of the interesting ideas have time to breathe, and most of the significant moments of tension or drama are blink-and-you'll-miss-them. Klein and Wilson's art is still great and gives the comic the vibes of an 80s-heavy metal band, which I love.
I've enjoyed Cates' run on Thor thus far, so it was surprising to start reading this one and realize pretty quickly that I didn't care about anything going on. The lead-up to this story was done well, making it even stranger that the execution comes off as half-hearted as it did here. It leaves things off in an intriguing place, so I'm obviously sticking around for what's next, but yeah, this was a major miss for me.
I've enjoyed Cates' run on Thor thus far, so it was surprising to start reading this one and realize pretty quickly that I didn't care about anything going on. The lead-up to this story was done well, making it even stranger that the execution comes off as half-hearted as it did here. It leaves things off in an intriguing place, so I'm obviously sticking around for what's next, but yeah, this was a major miss for me.
July 24, 2022
This gets a big boost from the "rule of cool" alone, as this is one giant battle, but is it a spectacle to behold. Klein is drawing some of his best stuff, and Cates' gets to wax poetically about god's and stars. There's a big status quo shift here I was surprised they took, and fortunately it has potential so I don't mind it. Thor is a good fit for Cates' style, and I can't wait to read more, since he's meeting Hulk next
March 14, 2022
Shallow genericness with nice art
July 29, 2022
God of Hammers is probably the best the Donny Cates Thor arc has been, but this character has been in absolute stasis mode since the God Butcher arc. Each brief storyline follows roughly the same trajectory of introducing a new big bad, not developing them at all, and having a bunch of crossover characters show up for literally no reason other than fanfare. The big bad is put down with little-to-no issue. Everything is so underdeveloped that it isn't engaging. There are no storylines being developed or characters being fleshed out. It's so unfortunate because these story arcs that Cates is writing really do have potential if they were actually developed; they are always resolved almost instantaneously.
The Thor of the last eight years is purely a visual spectacle. The art is gorgeous, but that's really all it has going for it. Thor not being able to wield his hammer has never been a good storyline, so I can't understand why they have been drawing it out and recycling it for almost a decade. Mjolnir has lost its significance with how many people have wielded it recently. I hope that one day Thor can return to interesting, well-developed plotlines with real stakes. There is a major character death in this issue, and it wasn't done effectively in the least. The ending does leave me hopeful for the future, however.
The Thor of the last eight years is purely a visual spectacle. The art is gorgeous, but that's really all it has going for it. Thor not being able to wield his hammer has never been a good storyline, so I can't understand why they have been drawing it out and recycling it for almost a decade. Mjolnir has lost its significance with how many people have wielded it recently. I hope that one day Thor can return to interesting, well-developed plotlines with real stakes. There is a major character death in this issue, and it wasn't done effectively in the least. The ending does leave me hopeful for the future, however.
January 12, 2023
Thor's hammer has been acting wonky for a few volumes now, but the wonkiness reaches truly mind-boggling levels in God of Hammers. It's kind of a sudden change in the nature of Thor's hammer and the repercussions also feel very abrupt.
Lots of spoilers there, but God of Hammers is a volume filled with shocking revelations. Perhaps too shocking - it doesn't quite feel earned. There are some stunning battle scenes included (stellar art from Nic Klein), but the heart is missing amidst all the sturm und drang.
The lengthy final issue brings back several former Thor authors/artists for story time. You'd expect this to be a "best of" whirlwind, but it's actually pretty dull and disjointed. There's no consistency between the stories - they feel like they blew in from the middle of some other, longer series.
Donny Cates' Thor run has had easily as many huge changes as Jason Aaron's run, just without the runway that makes the changes feel earned. Enjoyable enough, but you get the sense that the status quo is going to return as soon as Cates departs.
Lots of spoilers there, but God of Hammers is a volume filled with shocking revelations. Perhaps too shocking - it doesn't quite feel earned. There are some stunning battle scenes included (stellar art from Nic Klein), but the heart is missing amidst all the sturm und drang.
The lengthy final issue brings back several former Thor authors/artists for story time. You'd expect this to be a "best of" whirlwind, but it's actually pretty dull and disjointed. There's no consistency between the stories - they feel like they blew in from the middle of some other, longer series.
Donny Cates' Thor run has had easily as many huge changes as Jason Aaron's run, just without the runway that makes the changes feel earned. Enjoyable enough, but you get the sense that the status quo is going to return as soon as Cates departs.
February 19, 2023
Thor confronts Mjolnir. And Mjolnir kinda sees the son of Odin as a nail...
Another good epic volume, cleverly using plot threads from years ago- and spreading ominous new ones- with huge consequences for Thor, Mjolnir and Odin. All this wrapped up in 5 clear and legible issues. Not bad I’ll say. Not bad at all.
Nic Klein’s style is somewhat looser here, which I tend to regret a bit, but remains very good nonetheless and perfectly fits the story.
Matt Wilson’s colors are simply excellent
Another good epic volume, cleverly using plot threads from years ago- and spreading ominous new ones- with huge consequences for Thor, Mjolnir and Odin. All this wrapped up in 5 clear and legible issues. Not bad I’ll say. Not bad at all.
Nic Klein’s style is somewhat looser here, which I tend to regret a bit, but remains very good nonetheless and perfectly fits the story.
Matt Wilson’s colors are simply excellent
December 16, 2022
This one has its entertaining moments but never quite works for me. I like the tie in to both Aaron's and Simonson's work, but I don't like where Cates goes with Mjolnir, partly just because I don't like it, but largely because I don't think the story works.
The anniversary material was like these things always are, a mishmash of stuff that's worth reading but not all that essential.
The anniversary material was like these things always are, a mishmash of stuff that's worth reading but not all that essential.
March 11, 2022
Genuinely thought we were gonna get a hammer-less Thor going forward. A fun status quo change up for the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2022
This feels like the end of Act 1. It ties together the other issues written by Cates and culminates in putting Thor in a different place, although not exactly a status quo that hasn't been done before. Trying to keep this spoiler free, but the answer to why Thor has had trouble with Mjolnir gets answered and is filled with some shocking visuals, however feels very short lived. Some of Thor's previous supporting cast are also brought back, for how long or how prominent a role is yet to be seen. The end of this volume also includes a few short stories of varying importance but featuring previous Thor creatives: Simonson; Jurgens; Straczynski, Defalco and Aaron.
This volume ties together many loose ends but clearly puts pieces into place for the upcoming storylines.
This volume ties together many loose ends but clearly puts pieces into place for the upcoming storylines.
Read
January 15, 2023Picked up from the library because it contained the anniversary issue, with other, better creative teams from the past of Marvel Asgard revisiting their turf. Simonson and Ewing did not disappoint, and even JMS was having his good days.
But because the 'previously' suggested a key role for Throg, I also read the main story, despite having abandoned Cates' run after the evil Donald Blake mass murder storyline. And this time the plot is evil Mjolnir mass murder instead! So much of what ensues recalls other, fairly recent Thor stories that it isn't even shocking, just superfluous and vaguely icky in a worrying teenage boy sort of way. And there's barely even any Throg! Utter bullshit.
But because the 'previously' suggested a key role for Throg, I also read the main story, despite having abandoned Cates' run after the evil Donald Blake mass murder storyline. And this time the plot is evil Mjolnir mass murder instead! So much of what ensues recalls other, fairly recent Thor stories that it isn't even shocking, just superfluous and vaguely icky in a worrying teenage boy sort of way. And there's barely even any Throg! Utter bullshit.
September 23, 2024
Jak dla mnie, to Gromowładny ma teraz świetną passę. Jego przygody czyta się z ogromną przyjemnością, wizualnie jest bardzo zróżnicowane - potrafi być i kolorowo, i mrocznie. A cała historia też dużo miesza w życiu bohaterów Marvela. Warto sięgnąć, ale jednak zalecam zacząć od serii z Gromowładną i śledzić całą historię!
July 30, 2022
I have the feeling that Donny Cates is a little messy with his storyline.
September 22, 2023
The last issue is a clip show!! Like TV shows used to have!!!! With a framing story and everything!!! They tried to bring the clip show back in comic book form!!!
April 20, 2024
Great comic. Excellent addiction to the series.
The artwork is amazing!
The destruction of mjolnir and 'death' of odin and the surprise ending with valhalla were fabulous!
The artwork is amazing!
The destruction of mjolnir and 'death' of odin and the surprise ending with valhalla were fabulous!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2025
Series started out amazing and is oh so slowly losing itself. The art being so good is what has kept me going.
September 13, 2022
I have had a bit of a roller-coaster ride through this run on Thor by rising-star scribe Donny Cates who, hot on the heels of his acclaimed run on Venom, has taken over both Thor and Hulk. He had big boots to fill with both series and today we're talking about Thor, where he picked up after the almost universally loved, multi-year run on the series by Jason Aaron.
*Be warned: Some minor spoilers ahead!
Overall the series had a banging start with Thor becoming Galactus' Herald (a.k.a, The Herald Of Thunder!) and he's had a lot of challenges since then - all pretty much leading up to this story arc.
The overarching story has had Thor dealing with his new mantle as King of Asgard and trying to find his place, part of that being what is the future of his relationship with the Thor he used to be and his worthiness to be the carrier of Mjolnir.
In the wake of his battles out in the cosmos as a Herald, the Black Winter, the return of Donald Blake and bloody, emotional trials aplenty, our embattled hero starts this story off simply enough as Asgard takes a breath to celebrate their victories and their survival. But Thor is not happy and not the least of it all is the fact that for some time now, Mjolnir has been... misbehaving... and so he abandons it to the care and security of the Avengers as he tries to find out who and what is King Thor.
Overall this was a story rife with striking concepts and ideas and had more than a few great moments - Thors reunion with Freya and Odin alongside Angela being a memorable one in particular and I must admit, Freya redefining herself from what she used to be was an intriguing and fun new direction for her. Also for a change, the Angela character was actually amusing through this series and I wanted a bit more of THIS Angela than I have any version of her from back before her migration to the MU. Essentially we can see a big under-current in this whole run and especially in this arc deals with the former-King Odin seeing all his past decisions come back to haunt him and by default, his son. We see Mjolnir taken to a new direction after the revelations in the previous run of the God Storm and Odin capturing it and binding it to the Uru hammer - this too comes back to haunt everyone in this story and across the realms.
Even as I recap the core storyline (without giving too much away), I have to say that for me, the actual story did not live up to the concept. I could time and again see what Cates was trying to tell us but in the end it was all luke-warm at best. Adding yet another layer onto Mjolnir this soon after the big changes to it's mythos in Aarons run felt boring and just kind of re-hash-y and not in a fun way. It was perhaps built up with too much mystery over 20-odd issues and then the actual big reveal+showdown, etc was like a deflating balloon that was inflated just a tad too much. It was also yet again Thor spending too much time and emotional effort wallowing when we've seen him go through so much and become a better, stronger person for all his trials and I had hoped we would see a more confident and sure King of Asgard here - which need not have impacted the story of his anger at Odins past choices as King threating the known worlds and Thor having to clean it up. It might even have made for a more interesting father-son dynamic.
Lastly, I have to give a mention to the final issue which was a farewell to the former All-Father and it brought back a star-studded set of creators to tell stories - and this too was a flop, in fact I think it was the biggest flop of it all. Literally the only good part was some of Thors initial speech and the story involving the reality hopping younger incarnation of Loki who made me look forward to the upcoming sequel to the amazing recent Defenders mini-series. The majority of the mini-stories were at best loosely to do with Odin and (for eg:) the one by Walt Simonson was a great retelling of Beta Ray Bills origins but had literally nothing to do even with Asgard, let alone Odin. It felt oddly planned, somewhat pointless and more of a "going through some motions" than what possibly should have been an emotional goodbye to the All-Father Odin Bor-Son who had been such a powerful influence in every Thor comic since the beginning.
From the first time I read a comic by Cates, I have never been disappointed, no matter the ups and downs (as happens even with the best of writers) but this story arc was genuinely boring, derivative and left me uninterested in reading more Thor comics for now - which is saying something since I have read every single issue of the Aaron run and probably a massive chunk of the older comics, especially the ones where Simonson was involved.
I'm sure there are folks who will enjoy this story but for me it was a beautifully drawn and well-intentioned let down from start to finish.
*Be warned: Some minor spoilers ahead!
Overall the series had a banging start with Thor becoming Galactus' Herald (a.k.a, The Herald Of Thunder!) and he's had a lot of challenges since then - all pretty much leading up to this story arc.
The overarching story has had Thor dealing with his new mantle as King of Asgard and trying to find his place, part of that being what is the future of his relationship with the Thor he used to be and his worthiness to be the carrier of Mjolnir.
In the wake of his battles out in the cosmos as a Herald, the Black Winter, the return of Donald Blake and bloody, emotional trials aplenty, our embattled hero starts this story off simply enough as Asgard takes a breath to celebrate their victories and their survival. But Thor is not happy and not the least of it all is the fact that for some time now, Mjolnir has been... misbehaving... and so he abandons it to the care and security of the Avengers as he tries to find out who and what is King Thor.
Overall this was a story rife with striking concepts and ideas and had more than a few great moments - Thors reunion with Freya and Odin alongside Angela being a memorable one in particular and I must admit, Freya redefining herself from what she used to be was an intriguing and fun new direction for her. Also for a change, the Angela character was actually amusing through this series and I wanted a bit more of THIS Angela than I have any version of her from back before her migration to the MU. Essentially we can see a big under-current in this whole run and especially in this arc deals with the former-King Odin seeing all his past decisions come back to haunt him and by default, his son. We see Mjolnir taken to a new direction after the revelations in the previous run of the God Storm and Odin capturing it and binding it to the Uru hammer - this too comes back to haunt everyone in this story and across the realms.
Even as I recap the core storyline (without giving too much away), I have to say that for me, the actual story did not live up to the concept. I could time and again see what Cates was trying to tell us but in the end it was all luke-warm at best. Adding yet another layer onto Mjolnir this soon after the big changes to it's mythos in Aarons run felt boring and just kind of re-hash-y and not in a fun way. It was perhaps built up with too much mystery over 20-odd issues and then the actual big reveal+showdown, etc was like a deflating balloon that was inflated just a tad too much. It was also yet again Thor spending too much time and emotional effort wallowing when we've seen him go through so much and become a better, stronger person for all his trials and I had hoped we would see a more confident and sure King of Asgard here - which need not have impacted the story of his anger at Odins past choices as King threating the known worlds and Thor having to clean it up. It might even have made for a more interesting father-son dynamic.
Lastly, I have to give a mention to the final issue which was a farewell to the former All-Father and it brought back a star-studded set of creators to tell stories - and this too was a flop, in fact I think it was the biggest flop of it all. Literally the only good part was some of Thors initial speech and the story involving the reality hopping younger incarnation of Loki who made me look forward to the upcoming sequel to the amazing recent Defenders mini-series. The majority of the mini-stories were at best loosely to do with Odin and (for eg:) the one by Walt Simonson was a great retelling of Beta Ray Bills origins but had literally nothing to do even with Asgard, let alone Odin. It felt oddly planned, somewhat pointless and more of a "going through some motions" than what possibly should have been an emotional goodbye to the All-Father Odin Bor-Son who had been such a powerful influence in every Thor comic since the beginning.
From the first time I read a comic by Cates, I have never been disappointed, no matter the ups and downs (as happens even with the best of writers) but this story arc was genuinely boring, derivative and left me uninterested in reading more Thor comics for now - which is saying something since I have read every single issue of the Aaron run and probably a massive chunk of the older comics, especially the ones where Simonson was involved.
I'm sure there are folks who will enjoy this story but for me it was a beautifully drawn and well-intentioned let down from start to finish.
August 30, 2022
3.5 Stars.
The previous Volume led to this one and this one leads to the next, but the contents of this Volume seem almost trivial... and I don't know why... just my opinion.
Highlights:
- Mjolnir goes on a killing spree, claiming himself the prophesied "God of Hammers", revealing he combined with the essence of Man-Gog while inside the sun.
- Odin sacrifices his life, combining part of his soul with Mjolnir, taming it, as well as finally transferring all of the All-Father energy to him, giving Thor a huge power up
- Thor destroys Mjolnir, but it is recrafted by the angels of Heven.... but the spirit of Odin still inhabits it
- They have Odin's funeral, but Odin doesn't fully pass on, revealing that Valhalla is empty and gone
I look forward to see what is next... it does finally feel like Thor is evolving as a character. This Volume just sat with me as too much of a middle story. I hope I am wrong.
Either way, recommend.
The previous Volume led to this one and this one leads to the next, but the contents of this Volume seem almost trivial... and I don't know why... just my opinion.
Highlights:
- Mjolnir goes on a killing spree, claiming himself the prophesied "God of Hammers", revealing he combined with the essence of Man-Gog while inside the sun.
- Odin sacrifices his life, combining part of his soul with Mjolnir, taming it, as well as finally transferring all of the All-Father energy to him, giving Thor a huge power up
- Thor destroys Mjolnir, but it is recrafted by the angels of Heven.... but the spirit of Odin still inhabits it
- They have Odin's funeral, but Odin doesn't fully pass on, revealing that Valhalla is empty and gone
I look forward to see what is next... it does finally feel like Thor is evolving as a character. This Volume just sat with me as too much of a middle story. I hope I am wrong.
Either way, recommend.
June 15, 2022
I dont know how he does it. Every volume, the first issue makes me think "this is it, this is where he loses his footing." Ane then Cates pulls it off.
I dont know how he does it.
I dont know how he does it.
November 27, 2022
This really seems like it should be a big, epic story, but it's all stripped-down and told in a couple of issues and the emotional beats that really should be there, just...aren't. The artwork's okay. I wasn't too excited by the big mashup issue with contributions from a whole rogue's gallery of famous Thor writers and artists. Just kind of blah, when it should have been OMG!
December 16, 2024
Con este arco argumental, Donny Cates termina de cumplir gran parte de su propuesta argumental con el Thor rey dejando claro cuál es esa "mano negra" que ha marcado para mal su precoz reinado como Padre de Todos. Los "Pecados del Padre" nunca han tenido más sentido que con tantos act0s pasados de Odín. Incluso los más benignos como auspiciar la faceta heroica y responsable de Thor con cosas como el Mjölnir. Ese martillo del que en años recientes hemos sabido más cosas que la simple coletilla de "estaba encantado". Y es que en la etapa de Jason Aaron se estableció que Odín atrapó una tormenta viviente primordial como "motor mágico" de la herramienta. Y Cates vuelve a encarar esta cuestión de cómo otra "creación" de Odín busca vengarse de tantos años de manipulación artera por y para Thor. Así que quien está detrás del paso de destrucción por los 10 Reinos se asume como . Esto es una idea bastante poderosa que aunque no creo que se haya narrado de forma realmente adecuada (habría dado para extenderse al resto de la etapa). Sí que marca otro gran punto de emoción para estas historias del Dios del Trueno. Al punto de no solo alcanzar un clímax con el mismo Odín. Con una curiosa revelación final parece establecerse una mejor perspectiva para la monarquía Asgardiana de Odinson.
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