Writers: Al Ewing & Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Martin Cóccolo
Color Artist: Matthew Wilson
Cover Artist: Alex Ross
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
Thor has been many things over the years: a warrior, a hero, an Avenger, and is now the king of Asgard. But even as he reigns as All-Father, Thor is still a hero at heart and is always there to fight and protect others against evil no matter its form. But now Thor will be tested as he faces forces of a more ancient nature, ancient even to him. Read Immortal Thor #1 to see this new tale of the Might God of Thunder begin!
Review:
Now, this is a Thor book! One thing that Thor has needed for a while is some life and energy to make the character feel fun again instead of the sulky warrior he’s been ever since Jason Aaron’s Unworthy Thor phase. What’s more, if you’ve been itching for the next comic by Al Ewing in a similar vein as Immortal Hulk, at least when it comes to the writing style, then you might be in luck here too. As the synopsis says, this creative team is giving Thor the “Immortal” treatment, so hopefully we’re in for a great ride. There will be some slight SPOILERS here and there in the review, but not much.
The comic starts with an ominous introduction of a new villain, one who later appears in the comic and is a prelude of the dark forces to come. But the comic doesn’t linger for too long on this and shifts to Asgard as it’s under attack. But before devastation can ensue, the Mighty Thor arrives and ends the threat in epic fashion the way only Thor can. There’s merriment and soon enough confusion as Loki arrives – in line with Al Ewing’s portrayal of Loki in Loki: Agent of Asgard and Defenders: Beyond. But instead of bringing more chaos, Loki helps Thor reform the broken Bifrost Bridge, paving the way for Thor to return to Midgard and for this story to really kick into gear.
So, there’s a lot to cover, but I will go through the essentials. Firstly, Al Ewing and Martin Cóccolo deliver a great first issue, particularly for a Thor comic book. Al Ewing says it best in his opening letter at the end of the story, where he’s trying to truly portray Thor as the mighty god and warrior-hero that he is in body, power, and spirit. To distinguish Thor and his stories in ways that make them Thor stories. And I believe he succeeded in this first issue at least. We see this in Thor’s characterization as well as his interaction with the rest of the characters. Now to some, he’ll seem like he’s been reset back to factory settings, but it’s not that, it’s just his attitude that’s been changed. Al Ewing focuses in on Thor’s heroism, his jubilant demeanor, what makes him a hero and tempers it with his past experiences to portray him as a seasoned character who’s enjoying his life for a change.
The only real con I can think of for this issue is the abrupt change to Loki’s demeanor, appearance, and current status quo back to how Al Ewing portray’s Loki in his stories such as Defenders: Beyond being the most recent. Plus, the fact that Ewing just has Loki abandon the throne of Jotunheim so that he can have Loki follow that whole “freeing everyone” storyline he introduced at the end of the same series. Hopefully, in exchange for just dropping the idea of Loki as ruler of the Frost Giants out of the blue, Al Ewing will deliver something big with this storyline here.
Then there’s Martin Cóccolo’s art, which just nails it. Cóccolo’s art displays the characters’ facial expressions and body languages very well, to the paneling of the pages. Whenever Thor is in action, the comic art knows how to make his blows and movements look and feel huge and powerful. What’s more, this doesn’t stop with just the characters, but the locations look good too so far. Whether it’s on Asgard, the different spots in New York on Earth, or even the dark realm where the new villains come from. They all look great and feel distinguished from each other in the comic.
Now, the G.O.D.S. one-shot by Jonathan Hickman is just like all the others that’ve come before it: weird, purposefully enigmatic, and very short-lived to the point you wonder why it’s there. It’s a tease and one that doesn’t instill too much intrigue in this reviewer, but it does a little because of the character featured in the one-shot.
Final Thoughts:
Immortal Thor #1 from Al Ewing and Martin Cóccolo is an excellent first issue and a great jumping on point for new and longtime Thor fans. The comic starts a brand new journey for the God of Thunder as it eases readers into Thor’s current life as All-Father of Asgard but the familiar Avenger we all know and love. Thor’s heroic characterization is strong in this comic and maintains a presence throughout the comic. Al Ewing & Martin Cóccolo set the stage for a brand new story for Thor as there are familiar friends and allies, Loki being Loki, and new threats emerging to face him. At the end of the day, this is an excellent first issue and a solid Thor comic.