Thor: God of Thunder #24
Writer- Jason Aaron
Artists- Agustin Alessio & Esad Ribic
Colorist- Ive Svorcina
Review by Justin Townson
Thor has always been a character that I have struggled to care about. Many times in the past I’ve tried to jump in with new arc’s and new writers and never found the character excessively compelling or the stories accessible for new readers. When Jason Aaron took over the book I found myself willing to try again and I’m thrilled to report that I could not be happier with that decision. Right now Marvel is putting out quite a few excellent books, but in my humble opinion, Thor: God of Thunder is the creme of the crop. As such, it has risen to the top of my read pile each time a new issue comes out.
I found The Last Days of Midgard arc to be utterly fantastic in every way, the writing, the art, and the story. It was an amazing tale and yet, here in the epilogue, Aaron closes the door not only on this arc, but plot lines that have been in place for years before his arrival. It’s masterfully done. Nothing in this issue feels forced. Instead, it feels like a natural progression for Thor, Asgard, and the town of Broxton. Aaron has a firm handle on how to write Thor and that’s what makes this a fantastic read. Aaron’s Thor is brash and stubborn at times but he really shines through with his display of heart. This is a Thor that can look around him and be introspective. The world around him has changed so much in his lifetime, but has he? Its fascinating to watch him struggle with those thoughts and answers. I wont say much about the old King Thor story other than I’m completely ready for him to have his own book.
I picked up the book fully expecting to be blown away again by Esad Ribic but to my surprise when I got to the first page, I saw art I didn’t recognize. Agustin Alessio steps in as a guest artist for the main portion of the book while Ribic takes the end with old King Thor. My initial disappointment that Ribic wasn’t doing the whole book faded quickly once I started reading. Alessio has a very clean realistic style that reminds me greatly of Adi Granov. What stood out most to me was the coloring in the book. Ive Svorcina does an incredible job with the color contrasting here. With Alessio’s work the colors are more muted and dark which fits nicely with the tone of that tale, yet his colors on Ribic’s art are vibrant and eye popping which fits in with the course of that story as well. It is a wonderfully illustrated book.
VERDICT
BUY IT. I cannot say enough good things about not only this book, but this series. Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic took a character and book that I cared nothing about and made me a firm believer. Jump into this book right now
