Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Marvel Comics | Tagged: al ewing, Immortal Thor

You Need An Extra Coin To Read Today's Immortal Thor #22 (Spoilers)

You will need an extra coin to read today's Immortal Thor #22 by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua... but it will be totally worth it (Spoilers)

Today is Al Ewing Day, with the release of Absolute Green Lantern #1 and All-New Venom #5. But also Immortal Thor #22 drawn by Jan Bazaldua, and I think it may be my favourite of them all. In his newsletter, Al says, "Nobody's talking about this one yet, but they will, because in order to properly trap Thor in the maze of the Endless City – that's NRGL to you – we're pulling a little storytelling trick, I don't think has been done before. There's a dose of interactivity to this one that I won't spoil ahead of time – don't worry, the comic will tell you how to read it. Whether you choose to fully bind yourself to Utgard-Loki's rules is up to you – if you go all in, it might be a long read for you… but then again, the reader is allowed to cheat."

He's right. The closest might be the Deadpool RPG series that Al Ewing wrote, the POV Mighty Avengers issue that Al also wrote, the choose your own adventure Batman story from Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie in which you had to cheat to get to the end, or possibly How Things Work Out in Tomorrow Stories' Greyshirt by Alan Moore and Rick Veitch, or maybe that final foldout issue of Promethea #32 by Alan Moore and JH Williams. Yes, that was two mentions of Alan. Because while many people have imitated Alan Moore's work when it comes to superheroes, few have used some of the other tools he brought to the medium, including a metatextual storytelling narrative. Al Ewing is one, and in Immortal Thor #22, he uses it with full force.

Because, as well as the $4.99 cover price, you will need a coin. None of this cashless society nonsense for Immortal Thor.

Because at the end of every page, a choice has to be made. Flip a coin, turn left or right, go forward or back. Read the next page… or read the previous page.

So you get this again.

Or you get to move on.

Moving forward and back through the maze, through the book, as the characters themselves despair of the timeline being scrunched up like a paper ball. And as you revisit scenes, so you will get a different reading on them.

Whether you end up back here…

Or you get to move on…

Whether you toss tails…

…or heads…

But, as Al Ewing says, the reader can cheat. As Alan Moore posted, the reader of a comic has the powers of Doctor Manhattan , able to skip back and forward through the pages of the comic as they wish. I do encourage you to play the game a little though, and use an actual coin, They do still exist, I am sure… Immortal Thor #22 by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua is published today by Marvel Comics.

IMMORTAL THOR #22
MARVEL COMICS
FEB250875
(W) Al Ewing (A) Jan Bazaldua (CA) Alex Ross
LOST IN UTGARD! Thor had made his way to Utgard – and there waited the Utgard-Loki, who the Odinson had never yet defeated. And with the Elder Trickster stood his pantheon…beginning with NRGL, Lord of Murder-in-Darkness. He who was his own place of power. This is the story of the IMMORTAL THOR…and the Unforgiving City. RATED T+In Shops: Apr 02, 2025 SRP: $4.99

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