The Mighty Thor #5
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penicls: Olivier Coipel and Khoi Pham Matt Fraction continues his whimsical, Asgardian journey this week, taking Thor from the broken kingdom in Oklahoma to the depths of space.
The pages open with a fanboy's wet dream....a brutal fight between Thor and the Silver Surfer. Fraction ingeniously portray this classic contest, equally matching Surfer's power cosmic with Thor's godhood. After a fairly even fight, with plenty of Mjolnir flinging action, the two fall into an inevitable stalemate. Considering the lengthy history shared by Surfer and Thor, and the incessant reader debates, I was hoping for a much more definitive ending to this clash. Still, Coipel and Pham's pitch-perfect artwork makes the potentially unsatisfying battle an instant Marvel classic.
As goldilocks and Surfer dish out the punishment, Odin and Galactus continue their cosmic contest. Far beyond the realm of mortal comprehension, the two stand opposite each other in distant outer space, launching unseen assaults on each other's minds. After a short duel, Odin super-sizes himself, matching Galactus's colossal form and lunges after the world devourer in a kamikaze like attack, casting both beings towards Earth.
While all of this cosmic epicness is unleashed, a small host of Broxton's finest, brainwashed by their new minister, approach Asgard, which is stewarded by Volstagg in Odin's absence. During this short interchange, Loki absconds with the Yggdrasil seed (the object of Galactus's intent), hoping to resolve this entire situation with a mischievous plot.
In the mean time...after an unspoken truce, Thor, Sif, and Silver Surfer rush to Earth, finding an unconscious Odin and a severely pissed off Galactus. The story ends with with a cute, but potentially hokey, page long frame wherein the Broxton pastor, with a bible in hand, walks towards Galactus, saying “I've always wanted to meet God...”
This issue is another great addition to Fraction's series. Between the Thor vs. Silver Surfer fight and Odin's combat with Galactus, there's very little room for criticism. How can you be upset when Asgard fights the world devourer?
It's great to see Galactus and the Silver Surfer get their proper treatment. For so long, both characters have been used improperly, as underwhelming plot devices in fairly unoriginal stories (I'm looking at you
Chaos War). But in this series, both Silver Surfer and his master really shine. Fraction writes the characters with a certain xenophobic realism, which Coipel's and Pham's art really emphasizes. Silver Surfer is regarded as inhuman, with his cold, white eyes, but there is still something tragically heroic about him. The pencillers for this series deserve extra praise for their small nods to Kirby's original artwork, portraying the Silver Surfer closer to his original form.
I have to admit, though, I'm a little scared to see where this book will go.
It's been pretty good the past few issues, but in all honesty, there's only so much sacrificial heroism that can be attributed to one character, and Thor, for his part, seems to have become Marvel's martyr of the year. Especially after the refreshing take on the Odin-son in
Thor: The Mighty Avenger, I'm not sure how much more of epic, self-sacrificial Thor I can handle. He's more of an obligatory plot device rather than an evolving, dynamic character. (For those of you not familiar with the story, I'm referring to his mortal wound caused by the Yggdrasil seed)
Where Fraction fails with Thor,though, he succeeds with Odin and Loki. He writes the All-father in all of his regal form, transforming him into an almost tyrannical anti-hero. And Loki, one of the most over-used villains of all time, has become the Kitty Pride of Asgard...but in a good way.
More so than anything else, I'm genuinely terrified to see here the Broxton pastor side story goes. I really hope Fraction doesn't turn this sci-fi adventure, which is one of the best Marvel stories of the year, into a banal self-important portrait of religion. I don't think he'll take this route, but he might, and that would be a travesty.
In any case, this is an excellent addition to an already fantastic new series, and if you don't buy it, at least give it a looksy via your favorite pirating site.
THE MIGHTY THOR #5
8.0/10