By Robin Jones
Written By Jason Aaron
Art by Dan Pastoras
He’s the God of thunder. Slayer of trolls, elves, dragons and monsters, Avenger, Prince/King of Asgard (The realm eternal), wielder of Mjolnir and a feasting behemoth. So why is the young Thor waking up hungover in the mouth of a Dragon? Jason Aaron is looking to clear that question right up with Thor: God of Thunder #18.
Instead of going straight into the next story arc, Aaron decides to concentrate on the younger of the three Thors from his epic God Butcher/Godbomb stories, giving us a nicely rounded tale of a hotheaded young Thor, a drunk dragon trying to find its place in the world, Viking maidens, mead and the dangers of consuming too much troll grog. With #18, Aaron is making up for (in my eyes anyway) a rather lack luster arc with the previous story involving “present day” Thor, Malekith and the possible decimation of the Dark Elves. But then I suppose nothing could really top the simply stunning showdown with Gorr, could it? Back to #18 though, as Aaron delivers to us a character driven story, as we witness one of Thor the younger’s defining moments in his early life. Aaron litters the script with fun, charming and frivolous moments, reflecting the younger Gods more carefree and foolhardy attitude. Thor isn’t burdened by the weight of ruling Asgard, the threat of Ragnarok or the impending doom of Midgard, and Aaron’s writing reflects this. However, we see Thor’s honour and his morality shine through as he comes of age, and what is initially a lighthearted and fun tale turns into a dramatic and intense showdown at the end. A friend on twitter (Chris Hogan) best summed it up by saying “Thor God of Thunder #18 was probably the best Viking/God/dragon/coming of age/after school special story ever told.”
Dan Pastoras’ art is, for the most part, captivating and a genuine joy to look upon and take in. It’s only flaw is that his character work and facial detail is occasionally off. Several panels seem a bit off as we focus on the detail, but then the detail work that Pastoras puts into his art is brilliant and deserves heaps of praise. There are several stand out scenes, such as Thor returning to Asgard to Heimdall’s castigation, the stand off with the Dragon, Thor and several trolls or the final moments involving Thor and his former acquaintance fighting amongst one another. You can get lost in Pastoras’ art as it is so impressive, which is what makes the flawed panels stand out so much. But as with the limitations of “The Accursed” storyline, the art of Godbomb and God Butcher (mainly by Esad Ribic) was massive in scope and lethal in execution, making it a tough act to follow. Pastoras however, gives a damn good effort.
Thor #18 is a great stand alone story, giving us another insight into the brash, younger God’s life. It’s because of Aaron’s series that I have become such a massive Thor fan, searching out earlier runs. He has taken a guilty pleasure and thrust it into the mainstream, dripping in mead, maidens and heavy metal, and this issue does not disappoint. being a stand alone yarn, there is no reason for any of you not to check it out. It is a captivating read, much like the whole of Aaron’s run has been, full of fun, genuine laughs, action and everything that makes a damn fine fantasy saga. If you aren’t reading this series, you should be.
I give this 8 out of 10
You can get your armour clad paws on the Thor: God of Thunder series HERE… but put away that axe first…
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Posted on January 31st, 2014
Category: PULP FRICTION, REVIEWS
Tags: Comic Blog, Comic Reviews, Dan Pastoras, jason aaron, marvel comics, Odin, thor, Thor God Of Thunder #18 Review