Volume 16: The Mighty Thor: In Search of the Gods

The Mighty Thor: In Search of the Gods

Author: Dan Jurgens | Illustrator: John Romita Jr.

"[T]hough I be a warrior born—'tis time for this battle to end!"

The first chapter (or issue) is an Avengers episode in all but name, which means we have a team-based fight that's all pomp and bores me rigid. Things don't look good for Volume 16.

But as it goes on the focus begins to shift, or rather to divide. A number of determined paramedics, the unsung heroes, attend to civilians that are caught in the crossfire created by the superheroes' battle with villain of the week. The one we're most concerned with is Jake Olsen. Jake's struggle to help the wounded is contrasted with the Avengers' struggle to vanquish the evil, and, unsurprisingly, it's the little guy doing a big job that's the most interesting of the two events. Even though Jake plays a crucial role in the story, that's all I'm willing to say about him because I hate spoilers and to say anything further would be edging into that realm.

Thor's life isn't all roses and cake, either. Asgard lies in ruins. It's one thing to be alone on Midgard, missing the familiarity and the friends of his homeland, but to discover that your home is gone should you ever need to return is something else entirely. He feels orphaned, abandoned, and is driven to find out who caused the destruction of the once great kingdom and why.

Along the way there's plenty of the 'methinks, alas, ye and hath' language use to keep people who enjoy that kind of thing happy. The God of Thunder is even able to speak in different fonts, which is quite a talent. I'm not criticising; it is what it is and it has a purpose. What's important is that it's done well. And credit to Dan Jurgens, at the end of the day, despite the Avengers intruding, Thor's conviction really shines through and that makes it a success.

The book collects together The Mighty Thor (Vol 2) #1-7.

Verdict:

Volume 14+15: Avengers: Forever

Avengers: Forever

Author: Kurt Busiek  |  Illustrator: Carlos Pacheco

"I'm sick of all this mumbo-jumbo!"

While it's not technically a 'crossover' story, it sure as hell feels like one. The Avengers assembled are pulled from different timelines, past, present and future, different versions of the same team with different members, to stop a threat that (of course) only they can.

One of the most prominent threats is a powerful time-travelling villain who's at war with all of the good guys and a future version of himself. Time-hopping, cameo-filled shenanigans quickly get under way, because it's a Marvel team-based story and keeping things rational and simple would make too much sense.

To Kurt Busiek's credit, what could've been a convoluted clusterfuck of timelines and plot threads shitting the bed left, right and centre actually isn't, it's merely a woefully dull epic that I struggled to finish.

Things looked promising when the team was divided in order to investigate happenings that I won't go into, but instead of becoming three focused narratives unfolding concurrently it turned into three more opportunities to have people fighting and occasionally being dicks to each other. Actually, that last part was one of the more entertaining things. The team don't always get along, having brought their era-specific baggage with them when they were dragged through time. The personal relationships are the saving grace in what is otherwise a clever but ultimately soulless tread through some specific parts of Marvel history and continuity.

The text boxes are coloured blue for some weird reason, making it more difficult to read than it ought to be. But the artwork is excellent; Carlos Pacheco you have nothing to be ashamed of, sir.

Volume 14 collects together Avengers: Forever #1-6; Volume 15 collects #7-12.

Verdict: