THOR #3 written by Jason Aaron, with art by Mike Del Mundo, art and colors assisted by Marco D’Alfonso, and letters by Joe Sabino unleashes a battle royal between all of Odin’s sons in a fight for control of Hel. Who will survive? And, did I hear wedding bells? Let’s jump in because you’ll never guess who makes a special appearance on the last page.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
THOR #3 SPOILERS TOO!!
Overview
Tyr played his brothers like the horn of Gandor and used them to free Hela. A fight breaks out with all Odinson brothers brawling amongst one another. Thor kicks the flying feces out of Fenris while the others fight Hela and the traitor Tyr. Eventually, Thor and Loki get the upper hand and the clever trickster Loki develops an idea to help everyone, including Hela.
If Hela and Balder marry, both of their armies of Hel will join together and regain Niffleheim from Sindr. But as the issue ends, Loki kills Thor to send him to Valhalla in hopes to get help from the Valkyrie and the Mad Titan Thanos graces Niffleheim with his presence. Let’s just say he has some choice words for Balder.
The Good
The art by Del Mundo of Fenris was terrific as well as the dialogue between “Uncle Thor” and his nephew, Fenris. The way Aaron’s set up the humorous dialogue between the two characters made it feel like a simple family squabble but between God’s and Beasts. Not to mention, Thori as a flower girl was a great touch.
Next, the Valkyrie splash page by Del Mundo was eloquently drawn and fabulously bright. Excellent choice of vibrant colors by D’Alfonso.
The story didn’t come barreling out of the gate, but it became fascinating towards the end, especially when Thanos was introduced, and Loki killed Thor with a magical dagger. Excitement is building for the next issue now. A dead Thor and a Mad Titan entering the picture are both great cliffhangers to draw readers back into the story.
The Bad
How did we start with a wedding? It was explained later BUT sometimes flashing back or forward can throw readers out of a story if not done well. The wedding was a very confusing way to start right out of the gate. Then, the wordy nature of the story became overwhelming at times taking me out of the issue and away from the art. Sometimes, the pages just seemed too cluttered.
Also, the parts of Del Mundo’s art that were trying to show movement throughout fights with characters looked smudged, which lead to more confusion of what was happening. Next, look at the art when Thor walks out of the poisonous waters of Gjoll holding Fenris. The Beast looked deflated. For every page of art that was outstanding, other pages seemed bogged down with dialogue and objects that looked smeared.
Should readers get this issue?
Expectations where high after the reveal of Hela at the end of issue 2. But, I struggled to get into the story, and the pages seemed oversaturated with dialogue and explanations. It was a down issue for Aaron and Del Mundo overall. If you love THOR and are in the middle of the story, get it. If you think the summary page next issue can clue you in enough, maybe you skip it…
Should you add this to your pull list?
Yes. However not because of this issue entirely. Add THOR to your list because of the success Aaron has had with the character and stories with THOR in the past. This was just a down issue. Plus, Aaron left readers with two huge cliffhangers. Readers must see what part Thanos plays and if Thor can come back from the dead.
What did you guys think of THOR #3? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu
