Review by Frank Plowright
Readers wanting to follow Donny Cates’ ongoing saga of Thor in the serialised comics had a few frustrating months following the cliffhanger ending to God of Hammers. First there was the Hulk crossover collected in Banner of War, and the opening two chapters of this collection see Thor butt up against Venom. It’s co-plotted by Cates, but scripted by Al Ewing.
If a teaming of Venom and Thor is what you want to read, it’s decent enough with a viable threat and good use of Loki, while Salvador Larroca art is always welcome, but it’s nowhere near being a contender for a Best Of collection. The ending, though, ties into a plot Cates has been running, and it’s clever.
Frustration continues, as there’s a further delay before reaching the main event as assorted creators deliver short stories on the subject of Thor investigating Thanos, the looming evil Cates foreshadowed four volumes back. The best of the material is an imaginatively different form of foreshadowing from Christopher Cantwell and Travel Foreman as Iron Man locates a robot version of Thanos that has a message from the future.
With that over, you might imagine that Cates’ Thor will finally pick up again, but the shock on turning the page is that it’s now Torunn Grønbekk writing. Her framing story bookended the Thanos material, and she immediately introduces her own stamp by reviving Thor’s infant sister, forgotten for several years, and a new realm forbidden to the Asgardians by Odin’s father’s decree. It seems to be needlessly delaying and complicating matters, but actually turns out to be a worthwhile look at the past and to supply one hell of a surprise ending.
Nic Klein is back on the art for the final two chapters and as majestic as he’s been all along (sample art), but sadly the opening chapter to Blood of the Fathers is his swansong.
The surprise here is that it’s Grønbekk who pulls this material back on track, but much of what precedes her contribution is filler. With the next collection ending the run, let’s hope she’s on form.
