Thor #2 // Review
Thor #2, written by Donny Cates, with art by Nic Klein, and colors by Matt Wilson, marks Thor's first day at his new job, and it's a hell of a rough one. Previously, Thor became the All-Father of Asgard, but before he even had time to become fully bored with a life of politics, Galactus came crashing down into his kingdom. He came bearing bad news: the same cosmic plague that destroyed his previous universe (and led to him becoming a gigantic, world-devouring force of nature) was now making its way through the current universe. In order to stop it, Galactus must consume five specific planets that would endow him with enough power to vanquish the plague. Thor, unwilling to let Galactus go about his business unchecked, decided to sign up as his guide. Unexpectedly, the Destroyer of Worlds accepted the thunder god's help, infusing him with cosmic energy, and turning into one of his heralds. Now, the already-mighty Thor is boosted to levels of power unheard of and trying to save as many lives as he can every time Galactus feeds.
For the most part, this is a fun issue, but there is a little bit of a logic breakdown when it comes to the story. Thor, never exactly known for being a genius, has also never been known for being dumb, either. With this issue, he is portrayed as being unbelievably naive throughout his dealings with Galactus. The big, purple guy is pretty much known for one thing: devouring planets, whether they are hosts to live, or not. So, seeing Odinson genuinely surprised at every turn when Galactus does what he does just seems a little far-fetched.
On the upside, Cates is delivering, potentially, one of the most original Thor stories of all time. Coming off the instantly-legendary Jason Aaron run, the next person was going to have to write something completely different, so as not to be compared, or overshadowed. Cates delivers by not only giving the readers something Aaron never touched but a subject no Thor writer has come near in the entire history of the character: a cosmic-powered Thor working for Galactus...to save the universe. If you're thinking, "big deal, coming up with original stories is what writers are supposed to do," then you're coming at this the wrong way. The level of difficulty for a writer to take a character that has been consistently appearing in comics for over 50 years, and do something that has never been done before with them, is extremely high. Many writers are often just re-visiting the same stories, with variations on a theme, over and over again. For this alone, Cates should be applauded.
The art team of Klein and Wilson work well together, and really shine when it comes to drawing the bombastic battles between Thor and Galactus. Actually, seeing Thor's hammer tear through the world devourer is the kind of image that sticks with you, and it is rendered with such energy that you can nearly feel the shockwaves as these two titans clash. Overall, two issues in, Cates is off to a pretty solid start, despite some minor problems with character choices. If he can avoid bending the plot to his will, despite it making little-to-no sense for the characters and the decisions they have made, so far, he might end up with one of the more memorable iterations of Thor in the long, hallowed history of Marvel Comics.
