Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: asgard, asgardia, fantasy, hercules, HRL, jane foster, jason aaron, Marvel Comics, odin, russel dauterman, sci-fi, superheroes, the avengers, the odinson, thor, volstagg
Thor #702 Review: Thor and Hercules Together Again
The War of Realms continues to intensify, and the Mighty Thor recruits the Incredible Hercules to aid her in restoring peace to the Nine Realms. The Unworthy Odinson brings ill news, though, as Volstagg has just been found, barely alive.
The Odinson pushes Thor to acknowledge her illness and remedy that so she will not soon fall to it. She takes his advice — in a way. She relinquishes Mjolnir to approach All-Father Odin in her dying human form. He answers.
I'm a bit late on the Jason Aaron Mighty Thor train, but damn does he tell a powerful tale of Thunder. The chaos of the War of Realms, the desperation of Jane Foster's health, and the terror that is Odin's furthering madness all come together for a comic you don't want to take your eyes away from.
Plus, I'm quite happy to see the partnership of Thor and Hercules be rekindled in this issue. I adore Marvel's version of Hercules. Greg Pak's well-meaning oaf always appealed to me, but Dan Abnett and Mark Waid's recovering alcoholic Hercules is a compelling evolution of the character.
I was pretty surprised to see Volstagg still alive after the ending to the last issue. That isn't disappointment, as Volstagg is easily one of the best Asgardians that doesn't wield a hammer (usually).
The scene wherein Jane stands at Odin's doors, calls him out, and even stands strong before his brother, Cul, is a powerful and defining moment for this Thor.
Russel Dauterman's artwork brings all of this to life in an effective manner with a style that brings the magic of Asgardia to life and shows the disease eating away at Jane in heart-breaking detail. Dauterman does great work here. Matthew Wilson's color art is dazzling and otherworldly. The two make this a gorgeous comic.
The Mighty Thor #702 continues the War of Realms and "The Death of the Mighty Thor" with another enthralling installment. The walls are closing in around Asgardia, and Jane Foster and the Odinson may be the only ones keeping this from happening. Aaron, Dauterman, and Wilson do some phenomenal work here, and this comic comes highly recommended.