Writer: Jason Aaron
Artists: Jen Bartel & Ramon Perez
Colors: Matthew Wilson
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
The Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhallais a filler issue, a special that is meant to fill the gap between the end of the Mighty Thor #706 and the new Thor #1 being released next month. Comprised of two stories, The Tomorrow Girls and the Lord of the Realms, which both catch the readers up on the current status quo of Thor and his universe but neither will leave you wanting more.
Jason Aaron is still at the helm, which is a saving grace for this book, but not even one of the greatest Thor writers of all time can make The Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla a must read. Both tales are enjoyable but neither is a tale that couldn’t be told within the upcoming title or as a backing story for the upcoming relaunch. The Tomorrow girls is the stronger story, or rather I enjoyed it more since I loved Thor’s Granddaughters, the Goddesses of Thunder, when they were introduced in the modern classic Godbomb story that kicked off the Jason Aaron era. This time around the Goddesses of Thunder are traveling through time, from a billion years in the future to find the Thor that inspired them. With great callbacks to classic Thor stories and a lovely requiem on the Jane Foster era and the importance she played as the Goddess of Thunder the Tomorrow Girls was a nice little tale. On the other hand The Lord of the Realms felt more like a necessary story to catch readers up on the current state of the Ten Realms as Aaron prepares for the upcoming War of the Realms story. This tale follows the Dark Elf Malekith as he tours the realms that are in various states of war and chaos. I did not enjoy this story as much. The War of Ten realms has been waging for over a year now and as a reader of the Mighty Thor I didn’t need this catch up. This story felt like it could have been done on a recap page and I would have much rather had a second story of the Goddesses of Thunder. But any new readers who are looking to jump onto Thor #1 in June would appreciate this tale and with that I understand its purpose in this special.
The Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla does have some wonderful artwork. Jen Bartel’s artwork graces the pages of the Tomorrow Girls story and with a funky Mike Allred feel it fit perfectly with the tale. Ramon Perez artwork is very detailed and fits in with the style that has graced the pages of the Mighty Thor over the past two years and was a great choice for the Lord of the Realms. But at the end of the day bot even great artwork makes this a must read comic but it’s a nice filler for the Thor franchise as we eagerly await Thor #1 and the return of the Odinson.
Verdict:The Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla has some entertaining qualities but still feels like a filler until Thor #1 hits the stands in June. The Tomorrow Girls is the more entertaining read of the two tales but even though it is a fun story I’d still rather have a new issue of Thor then this special.
