Writer: Jason Aaron
Artists: Russell Dauterman & Valerio Schiti
Colors: Matthew Wilson & Mat Lopes
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
It is without a shadow of a doubt that Jason Aaron is crafting a modern masterpiece with his run on Thor. Beginning with Thor: God of Thunder to today’s the Mighty Thor he has written an incredible tale of not one but two Thor’s and both have been excellent. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the Mighty Thor #19 is yet another incredible comic in a long line of incredible comics.
The Mighty Thor #19 concludes the Asgard/Shi’ar War that began as a challenge of the gods when the Shi’ar gods Shaara and K’Ythri kidnapped Thor and challenged her to a contest of the gods. Yet what began as a contest of deities soon evolved into a full-blown war between the Asgardians and the Shi’ar, and an epic battle it was. So epic in fact that the Phoenix Force was summoned to cleanse the Universe and standing in its way was the combined forces of Asgard, the Shi’ar, Thor Goddess of Thunder, and Quentin Quire. Anyone who knows the history of the Phoenix and the Shi’ar can understand the gravitas of the situation. On the other hand, if you know The Mighty Thor AKA Jane Foster you know she will sacrifice anything, even herself, even it means ending the threat to the Universe.
For such a large concept and galaxy-spanning tale the Mighty Thor #19 is very much a human story, which is the brilliance of Jason Aaron. I sometimes forget that Jane Foster is dying from becoming Thor. Every time she picks up Mjolnir and changes from Jane to Thor, the chemotherapy is expunged from her system setting back her cancer treatment which will eventually kill her. Yet Jane is crucial to this tale, as is Quentin Quire, our favorite mutant malcontent created by Grant Morrison in New X-Men but developed by Jason Aaron in his run on Wolverine & the X-Men. I love Quire and he’s even better when being written by Jason Aaron. He lent so much more to the story, from his introduction last issue as he was taking a sabbatical on the mutant island Krakoa to his trying to gain control of the Phoenix force in this issue as it is his destiny. We also get the return of the Odinson after his highly entertaining mini-series, the Unworthy Thor, and he has many questions that need answering and I personally can’t wait to see he and Thor working together for the future of this series that I hope goes on forever.
Russell Dauterman is the perfect artist for this iteration of Thor. His work is so clean and beautiful, which is only exemplified by the bright and gorgeous color pallet of Matthew Wilson. Dauterman is the definitive artist of the Jane Foster era of the Mighty Thor and he is quickly becoming a superstar artist. Lending a hand this issue is Valerio Schiti, fresh of his long run with Brian Michael Bendis on Guardians of the Galaxy. Schiti picks up with the aftermath of the conflict and helps set the stage for what’s coming next in the Mighty Thor, notably a new Ultimate Thor. Schiti has a similar style to Dauterman so it is not a jarring switch in artwork, which is beneficial when you are going to have multiple artists in an issue.
Verdict: BUY! If you aren’t reading the Mighty Thor yet then stop reading this review, run to your LCS and Buy this book. The Mighty Thor #19 is an outstanding issue of one of the best comics on the market today.
