Thor God Of Thunder #4
Story By: Jason Aaron
Art By; Esad Ribic
Jason Aarons work on Thor thus far has been great. Focusing on Thor in three different points in his life has provided a very unique and fresh take on the character. The God Butcher arc this far has been pretty bleak for The God of Thunder. This new villain is creepy and down right cruel towards the gods. Treating them as mere sport for him to slaughter. Thor has made it his responsibility to stop The God Butcher from killing any other gods and that seems to be the basic premise thus far.
As I said earlier whats nice about this story is seeing young Thor and Old Thor also dealing with the God Butcher. It gives this story an epic scope that fits nicely into Marvel Now’s relaunch strategy. I especially like seeing an Old Thor as King of Asgard. He’s not the confident and defiant god were familiar with. Instead he is actively hoping to seek a Vikings death and welcomes the God Butcher and his shadow pets to take his life. I appreciate the lengths at which Jason Aaron has went to make Thor his own without losing all the myth of the character.
Just as important is the art of Esad Ribic. Ive been a fan of his work ever since I saw him on art duties for Silver Surfer Requiem . His work here again reminds me that he is one of the most talented artists working in the industry. Each page is constructed beautifully behind whatever backdrop suits the action. He invokes feelings of Frank Frazzetta’s art but still stays true to his style. Every facial expression reads perfectly and the action never feels stale. Each version of Thor reads and feels different and this is as much a testament to Ribic’s rendering of the character as it is Aaron’s writing. This is a very pretty book. Also wanted to give a special mention to I’ve Svorcina the colorists. He juggles a lot this issue introducing us to three different worlds making sure each one has its own unique color palette.
At the end of this issue it seems that the three separate stories being told are staring to come together. It will be interesting to see what Thor thinks of his older self and what he’s become next issue. I’m thoroughly enjoying this book and appreciate what Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic are trying to with each issue. If you haven’t yet check out this series it does a great job of capturing all the elements that make Thor such a great character while injecting some new life into Asgard as well.
Review Score: 8/10
Mike DeVivo
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