THOR #15
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Mike Del Mundo
Colorists: Mike Del Mundo & Marco D’Alfonso
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel
Rating: 10/10
Jason Aaron just completed a God-like feat that will last for ages to come. When our bones are dust and our world has changed, there is only one thing that will remain. The age-old tale of an individual who plummets from the highest graces into the deepest pits, only to return anew and claim what was always destined to be his, despite all adversity. Jason Aaron gave us a modern day Iliad. A story that Marvel fans will revel in for generations and all it took was the right start and a perfect ending.
I was but a wee lad when Jason Aaron took over for Thor. "The God Butcher" story arc actually fell under my radar and I did not discover it until ORIGINAL SIN was already well in to its third act. A good friend of mine suggested I read the current Thor run. Being that I wasn’t much of a Thor fan to begin with, I was hesitant. But thanks to my adamant friend (adamantium friend), I gave in and read THOR: GOD OF THUNDER. I couldn't even begin to dictate what that entire story arc meant to me. To question the existence and necessity of Gods was mind blowing. Aaron set up the earthquake-proof foundation that would literally take 7 years to tell. 7 years of method, trials, tribulations, losses, victories, life, death, and spiritual growth all culminating into a series epic moments and satisfying but still open ended endings.
For the past couple of months, there was literally no escaping the event that was the War of the Realms. The entire whole of Midgard was engulfed in a flame of battle and hero moments, but none more epic than the event’s main protagonist, Thor. And as always with a good Thor story, the question remains: is he worthy?
Issue no. 15 of THOR is an epilogue immediately following WAR OF THE REALMS #6, with Odin, Son of Bor, relinquishing his title of All-Father and passing it on to his first-born son, Thor. Obviously shook by this responsibility, Thor vanishes and sets off the War of the Realms epilogue. Stories of the 2 Queens of Hel, Malekith, to The Crowning of the New King of the Frost giants. From Midgard to Jutonheim, to Niffleheim, where the Architect for the greatest War faces his eternal punishment. Aaron craft-fully ends old stories and weaves new stories with new (old?) characters. But even with all that’s going on the issue, it circles back to Asgard.
Aaron displays a humanizing perspective on the God of Thunder throughout his run. He shows us just how vulnerable he is. How human he is. Even here, in his final issues, we find Thor questioning Worthiness. He realizes that he and his hammer both need each other. Not to fulfill each other’s expectations, but to prove themselves to what is most important: the be worthy to save the people that need them.
Jason Aaron and Mike Del Mundo are ending their tenure running the Thor series but that doesn’t mean the story stops. Jason Aaron reunites with Esad Ribic in the conclusion to the Odyssey of the Asgardian in KING THOR due this September and the new series JANE FOSTER - VALKYRIE due July 24th.