Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Jan Bazaldua
Color Artist: Matt Hollingsworth
Cover Artist: Alex Ross
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
With Earth under threat from the elder gods of Utgard, Thor needs answers and his brother-in-arms Hercules had a way to find some. By seeking out the diminished goddess of the night, Nyx, they might find an answer behind what this “wheel” Toranos spoke of. But not only did they, and Loki, find the night goddess rejuvenated, the were caught up in one of Loki’s “tests”. In Immortal Thor #14, the God of Thunder and All-Father of Asgard comes face to face with the king of the Olympians, Hercules’ father, Zeus, who is consumed by a blood rage madness.
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Review:
Well, in the last issue Thor and Hercules got dragged into a void space where they’re trapped with the vengeful Nyx, primordial Greek goddess of the night, and a mad Zeus who’s itching for a deathmatch with Thor and Hercules. On the surface, this all seems like a great recipe for badass godly action worthy of a Thor series. What we get here is anything but that. There will be SPOILERS in this review. Let’s get into it.
First, we get a flashback to when Gaea played her role in helping Zeus topple his mad father Cronus. Where she essentially uses him as a template for Thor in the far future, the present day. Then the comic shifts back to the confrontation of the Skyfathers and Nyx, and…Not much happens. Or rather nothing fun or truly of substance happens.
See, Al Ewing really is his own worst enemy here because this take on Zeus is entirely on him and no one else. He writes Zeus as a literal power mad god but he does nothing interesting or compelling with this setup and Zeus’ dialogue just comes off like he’s an edgy villain trying to sound menacing. But neither Thor or Hercules ever truly feels threatened by him or his attacks, especially Thor. See, Ewing just has Thor command Zeus’ lightning bolts to avoid hitting him. Literally, every time Zeus tries to strike Thor, he just says “turn”, and they do, and for an entire page and a half it feels like a running gag.
What’s more, there’s a whole lot of rushed resolutions involving the characters, especially between Hercules and Nyx. I won’t go too deep into her backstory, but let’s just say Nyx should be mad as hell after what Zeus, Hercules and the Avengers put her and her kids through. But here, she’s calm as can be and in a single page Hercules is able to successfully talk no jutsu Nyx to not only abandon her quest for vengeance but also take up residence in the void they’re all “trapped” in and make that her personal kingdom.
Then there’s the big “fight” between Thor and Zeus and, I won’t lie, it sucks. It not even a fight. No matter what the synopsis, the cover, or anyone else says, there’s no real fight here. Nothing exciting happens here. Thor is in absolutely no danger, he’s not challenged by an unhinged bloodthirsty Zeus. When he’s not telling Zeus’ lightning bolts to avoid him, he basically tanks Zeus’s direct electric attacks to solve Loki’s ridiculous riddle and pass their test by absorbing all of Zeus’ power which leaves Zeus drained and emaciated.
Also, Thor and Hercules, and by extension us the readers, didn’t get the answer to the question behind this whole thing: What is this “Wheel” everyone keeps talking about? When Thor & Hercules ask Nyx, she flat out says she doesn’t know. The flashback with Gaea doesn’t answer it, only drop cryptic abstract hints. And we don’t get an answer by the end of the issue either but the title of the issue revealed in the art credits suggests we’ll get it soon. Suffice to say, the answer will be revealed in the next issue and hopefully it’s interesting and drives the plot forward.
Final Thoughts:
Immortal Thor #14 celebrates its legacy numbering as the 775th issue of Thor. However, the actual fight showcased on the cover doesn’t live up to it. The actual confrontation between Thor and Zeus in his mad state is sadly underwhelming and the fights between them aren’t as engaging as you’d like them to be. There’s a bit of rushed resolution with Nyx. However, the comic does have some cool double-page spreads, as well as a couple of unintended laughs here and there. Also, the ending leaves some promise to finally getting some answers for the main plot in the next issue.