Loki joins the fun.
By Jeff Lake
Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman’s latest crack at the Thunder God got off to a Mighty fine start, their debut serving as a balanced rainbow bridge between Marvel’s new status quo and the incendiary events preceding it. With their follow-up the creative team delivers more of the same. The issue is filled with great characterization, escalating stakes, and the return of a certain God of Mischief, ensuring that no matter who holds the hammer, this book remains worthy.
The debut did a fine job in its setup, exploring both the trials happening in and around Jane Foster as well as the various machinations of her adversaries. Aaron wastes no time in adding further flame to the book’s ever growing fire, at long last returning Loki to the fold. The trickster immediately proceeds to steal every scene he’s in, Aaron imbuing him with a great balance of feigned innocence and devious intent. The inclusion of Loki and his Frost Giant father, Laufey, only builds on the book’s impending dread, as the War of the Realms continues to increase in size and scope.
With such an expanse to cover, it’s not surprising that Thor herself ends up feeling a bit secondary this time around. Part of this comes from unconscious comparison to the stellar insight of last issue, but really there’s just too much story to go around. Aaron spreads that wealth across the book’s secondary cast, allowing for a number of standout moments more removed from the main story. Loki’s trials prove particularly nasty (though not in the way expected), yet it’s the all-seeing Heimdall who really gets to shine. Thor gets hers as well in the end, but it’s still nice to see Aaron make great use of his impressive cast.
The Thor title has seen many a great artist leave their mark on Valhalla’s hallowed halls, and Russell Dauterman is sure making a great case for his own inclusion. He’s simply getting better with each issue, so much so that you’re likely to tack on an extra five minutes to your reading time in order to give every panel a second glance. There are really no flaws to his game—his layouts are well placed and easy to follow, his expression and body language is excellently layered, and he really knows how to create a sense of epic scale. Add in a few swoon worthy double page spreads and it’s not hard to see why Dauterman is largely considered to be Marvel’s resident breakout.
Lightning just continues to strike with this creative team, as even in the absence of its lead this book never stops humming. Dauterman gets (and deserves) the bulk of the acclaim thus far, but Aaron is doing a fantastic job in expanding his tale in increasingly investing ways. The cards continue to stack up against Thor and her compatriots, and with Loki now in play there’s really no telling how things will shake out. In a landscape littered with questionable do-overs and mishandled reboots, this is one book that continues to get it right.
Thor continues to be a white hot character in the hands of Aaron and Dauterman. Issue #2 doesn’t carry quite the same weight found in the debut, but it does serve to shine a spotlight on the book’s more secondary characters. Add in a deliciously duplicitous turn by Loki and a great set of spreads by Dauterman and you get another entertaining installment.
