Thor #2

by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson

Unless you have been living under a rock recently, then you probably know that Thor has lost his hammer and a mysterious blonde woman is now worthy enough to wield Mjolnir. The previous first issue was a lot of set-up breaching this series with Aaron’s previous Thor series. Because of this, there wasn’t a lot of the new female Thor featured in that issue. However, this issue is a more thorough introduction to her actual character.

Aaron shows us how this new Thor deals with handling Mjolnir. It seems that this new Thor is slowly bonding with the hammer Mjolnir, not only adapting to the hammer’s power but also its wisdom. Aaron has done a great job of bridging this new Thor series with his previous one. Readers who have been following Aaron’s Thor will feel at home with this new God of Thunder in the lead. While new readers who may have been attracted to seeing a female take on the mantle of Thor, will not feel lost or bogged down with mythology. There is still plenty of mystery and action surrounding this new storyline that it just makes for a great comic to read.

Artistically this book looks absolutely breathtaking. Russell Dauterman brings this new Thor to life and she almost flies off of the page. She spends the majority of this issue fighting, so readers are treated to amazing panels of Thor handling frost trolls. Along with energetic colors by Matthew Wilson, who amplifies that epic and fun tone of this story. The one artistic element that really stood out in this issue are the sound effects. They look so natural, but yet are very striking and only add more layers of enjoyment to Thor.

Whereas the first issue of this new Thor series was an appetizing treat, this second issue is a delicious meal. This issue was a great introduction into how this new Thor thinks and behaves. There is something for everyone; action, mystery, comedy and suspense. This team shows the proper way to handle a licensed character by telling a fresh story that still stays true to the character’s roots. This new female Thor feels like much more than just a gimmick to bring in readers, you can tell there is substance and heart on these pages.