Thor #3

By Donny Cates, Nic Klein, Matt Wilson, and VC’s Joe Sabino

The epic battle between Thor and Beta-Ray Bill beings in Thor #3! Last issue ended with these two warriors meeting for the first time since Thor took on his role as the herald of Galactus and the fight between these two is truly fantastic. Aside from the fight between Thor and Beta-Ray Bill, there isn’t much else happening in this issue. If you are looking for an action packed issue fueled by two friends desperately trying to convince the other to stop, then this is the issue for you. Once again, the ending to this issue will leave readers with a cliffhanger eager for the next issue.

Donny Cates has been doing a great job setting up a new Thor series with a grand epic tale but this issue is a bit of a break from a focus on the story. Although not much new happens in the overall plot with this issue, it is very entertaining to see the dialogue between Thor and Beta-Ray Bill. Beta-Ray Bill has more than ample reason to hate Galactus and think that Thor is being manipulated somehow by the cosmic being. Even though allying with Galactus is a “deal with the devil”, Thor and the reader know that it is necessary in order to stop the Black Winter. The only other major part of the story that was presented in this issue was a look into how an ageless god, Thor, is incapable of remembering what would normally be considered life-defining epic battles. Showing Thor’s inability to remember this 2-year battle but showcasing the importance of this battle with his friend really shows what is more important to Thor.  

Nic Klein and Matt Wilson once again handle the art in this issue. Given that much of this issue is centered around a fight between two characters and not much is progressing in the story, the art is especially important here. The opening page alone sells this issue. We get to see how brutal and epic battles with the god of thunder can really be. With a mixture of vicious blows and blue lightning, each fight is beautifully depicted. We even get some great splash pages to show the grand scale of some of the action occurring in this issue. Along with the brutal action in this comic, the facial expressions from Thor and Beta-Ray Bill are important as well. There are a lot of different emotions depicted on each of these characters faces as the fight progresses. The expressions on Beta-Ray Bill’s face are especially impressive. One might think it would be hard to show emotion on his alien face but Klein and Wilson pull this off great. 

Thor #3 is a really fun issue in this series and gives the reader a bit of a break from the heavy story to give a downright brutal fight between two friends. The next issue is being set up much the same way as this issue was but it is likely the story will take a different turn after the fight being set up.