The Unworthy Thor #2

By Jason Aaron, Olivier Coipel, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Sabino

The Unworthy Thor #2 takes this series to the next level with an intense turn of events that feels straight out of a movie. We get to see good friends reunited, a common enemy of Asgard revealed, murder most foul, and an even bigger bad guy revealed on the last page. The rumors of the other hammer have proven to be true, and this issue really tests if our beloved Odinson is worthy or not.

Aaron seems to be enjoying himself throughout this issue, showcasing a lot of classic Thor relationships coming full circle like with Beta Ray Bill. An unlikely former foe is revealed to be behind the disappearance of Asgard and it all comes together so beautifully it would appear to be a rejected script from a Thor movie. Seeing the respect and admiration Beta Ray Bill has for Odinson really shows how others still view him as worthy, even if an enchanted hammer does not. Their man-love gets interrupted as a battle ensues and we learn that The Collector is responsible for stealing Old Asgard.  Watching The Collector toy and punish Odinson feels cruel and unnecessary after all we have seen him go through.  The constant bad luck of Odinson is hopefully due to change.

The whole landscape of space, Old Asgard and characters like The Collector and Beta Ray Bill really stand out with the art team on this issue. The Unworthy Thor #2 features Coipel on art, Wilson on colors, and Sabino on letters, coming together as a dream team coming breathing life to this terrific story as it unfolds. The framing of every panel is sharply intentional, it really allows for a great flow as we pass each page. This second issue really allows the colors from Wilson to be on full display as we witness the venue change from space, to a dreamscape, to Old Asgard. We get to see bright colors used in the heat of battle, lightening used along with the wielding of mighty hammers, and dark and cloudy hues mark a nightmare-scape for Odinson.

This issue is titled “The Thief of Asgard” and as the issue unfolds we discover the thief is non other than The Collector. We begin to see that who stole it is not nearly as important as why they wanted to steal Old Asgard and we get to see his true intentions play out at Odinson’s expense. Aaron is really crafting a complex story that allows us to see the true nature of Odison. He is stripped of his title, his hammer, and his name, but his true character and honor remain. All the circumstances and adversity that he faces without his hammer and abilities really shows the true grit of Odinson and it is beautifully done. Aaron has a way of writing that gives the readers all the pieces, but allows us to put them together to view the full picture. Even the last page of the issue left readers guessing and wondering what is next for Odinson and how is this new bad guy going to get interwoven into our story.

The second issue of The Unworthy Thor is a showcase of what great writing and an invested creative team can do. This issue cemented this series as a top title on anyone’s pull list for sure. Everybody loves a good underdog story, and one featuring the former God of Thunder is an unlikely one, but the question that remains is how much more punishment is Odinson going to endure before his luck turns around?