The Immortal Thor: All Weather Turns To Storm hits stores March 12th from Marvel, collecting the first five issues of the series. The book is by writer Al Ewing, artist Martín Cóccolo, colorist Matthew Wilson, and letterer Joe Sabino.
The “Immortal” title holds a lot of weight for Ewing. Immortal Hulk, the writer’s 51-issue series with artist Joe Bennett (among others), was beloved by both critics and fans. It’s lauded as a modern classic, and an iconic run for the Green Goliath. So when Marvel announced that Ewing would be writing a new Thor series under the “Immortal” title, expectations were high. Luckily, if there’s one character that can carry the burden of legacy, it’s the Odinson.
As All Weather Turns To Storm opens, Thor is living the good life. He’s splitting his time between being ruler of Asgard and being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and he’s loving every minute of it. That’s when the Utgard come knocking. The Utgard are to Asgardians as Asgardians are to those on Earth: they are the gods’ gods. Consequently, when Toranos, the Utgard-Thor, arrives on Earth and attacks Thor, the King of Asgard realizes he has his work cut out for him if he is to save everything and everyone he holds dear.
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Despite being completely different tonally, Immortal Thor succeeds in the same way that Immortal Hulk succeeded prior, in that both series hold deep reverence for the histories of their respective heroes. The story being told in Immortal Thor isn’t just a fun and exciting story in its own right—it’s also a celebration of over 60 years worth of storytelling. That’s not to say you have to possess a deep knowledge of Thor’s comic book history to read Immortal Thor; you can jump right into this volume and have a blast. However, the more you do know about Thor’s history within Marvel Comics, the more you will probably get out of this story.
Ewing has a strong grasp on these characters, their histories, and their voices. They all feel like the characters we’ve come to know and love over the decades, while the writer also adds fresh and interesting characteristics to each. Thor, Loki, Sif, Beta Ray Bill, and the rest of the squad are all at new stages of their lives, and there’s a sense of growth to their characters that’s not always seen in superhero comics.
There is an epicness to the writing, as well. Ewing’s narration reads like poetry. Reading Immortal Thor, you feel as though you are seated around a fire, being told this tale by an old and wizened storyteller. It adds to the sense of mythology that a title like THOR necessitates—it’s meant to feel like a grand fantasy. And yet none of that takes away from the fact that this is a genuinely fun read with plenty of humor and levity between the characters themselves.
That epicness carries over into the artwork, and (truthfully) is amplified greatly by the art team. Cóccolo’s character work is soft and full of love, but when the big moments hit, they hit hard, and these are the moments worth talking about. When lightning crashes (this is a Thor comic, after all) it crashes HARD, and you feel it in your bones. It’s a full team effort between Cóccolo’s work, Wilson creating the light, and Sabino’s sound effects. The battles in Immortal Thor feel momentous.
Toranos is a truly menacing presence, one who will send literal shivers down your spine. Cóccolo creates a sense of scale with the villain that gives off overwhelming dread, and when Toranos comes around, Wilson sucks all of the light out of the world. The colorist is no stranger to working on Thor comics, and he typically fills the world with brightness and color, giving off a magical vibe. By removing this vividness when coloring Toranos, Wilson not only creates unease in the reader, but he emphasizes the destructive threat that the Utgard-Thor poses.
The Immortal Thor is a mighty good read, one perfect for die-hard Thor fans and newcomers alike. Ewing, Cóccolo, Wilson, and Sabino are bringing the Odinson to new heights, and it’ll be a joy seeing how high he flies.
