Thor God of Thunder #8 Review

Marvel Comics
Thor God of Thunder #8 Review
By Andy Frisk
May 17, 2013 - 00:56

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Jason Aaron
Penciller(s): Esad Ribic
Colourist(s): Ive Svorcina
Letterer(s): VC's Joe Sabino
Cover Artist(s): Esad Ribic

I don't think that I've ever read comic book series that Jason Aaron has written that I didn't like, which puts him in pretty rare company. As much as I love the works of other comic book legends like Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison, and John Byrne, they have all written at least one book or series that I've pretty much detested. Jason Aaron, over his career with Marvel Comics, has breathed new life into Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and The X-Men, and now he has done the same with Thor. Thor God of Thunder is quickly becoming one of the greatest written (and drawn) Thor comic books to ever be produced. Aaron's current ongoing Thor saga is the type of story that will eventually be ranked up there with the likes of Walt Simonson and J. Michael Straczynski's Thor sagas.

In Part Two of "Godbomb," which continues the tale of Thor's battle with Gorr the Godkiller, both contemporary Thor and the aged future All-Father Thor converge on the desolate world upon which Gorr is constructing his ultimate weapon of mass deific destruction: a mysterious bomb that will wipe out all divine beings in all of the known universe. Young Thor, trapped upon the planet and slave to Gorr's will along with many other gods who are being forced to mine the materials necessary to complete the Godbomb, discovers a plot by none other than his future granddaughters to undue Gorr's work. It will take the combined might of all three Thors though to avert the catastrophe that Gorr plans to unleash...

Brilliantly characterizing Thor at three different ages and playing them off one another (or should I say themselves), Aaron continues his intelligent allegorical commentary on the role that religion and the many various gods we sentient beings (real world humans that is) worship throughout our lives, and that in turn fuel our prejudices, violences, and compassions, play. Reverting Thor to his original godhood state (not a super-universal being from a higher realm) has been a stroke of pure genius that has infused new complexity (or perhaps reignited the old complexity) that helped to fuel some of the most philosophical, and engaging, Thor stories over the decades.

Just as Aaron's stint on Thor matches Straczynski's, artist Esad Ribic's artistic stint is equal to Olivier Coipel's (Straczynski's artist) stint . In fact, not since Coipel's stint on Thor has the character looked this good, and in some ways he looks even better now. Ribic's absolutely stunning pencils, with their incredibly realistic portrayals of human (and strange god-like) anatomy coupled with their beautiful facial expressions, are unlike nearly any portrayal of Thor and his supporting cast that we've seen thus far. Add Ive Svorcina's colors, and Thor God of Thunder is the most realistic and organic looking take on Thor we've ever seen.

So as Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic have shown us again, great characters in the hands of great writers and artists can really lead to some stunning art, and Thor God of Thunder is one hell of a great work of art.

Rating: 9/10