Thor [2020] #31 - Marvel Comics

THOR No. 31, April 2023

Publicised by “Marvel Worldwide” as the beginning of “a new arc packed with twists and revelations”, Torunn Gronbekk and Donny Cates’ narrative for Issue Thirty-One of “Thor” certainly appears to deliver the goods when it comes to their plot whisking its audience off on a mesmerising trip through Valhalla and Hel. But for those readers unfamiliar with the Thunder God now owning the title “All-Father”, Odin Borson's spirit living inside Mjolnir and Jane Foster being Valkyrie, this opening instalment to “Blood Of The Fathers” is probably something of a discombobulating jumping on point; “I don’t… I don’t know! You said you’d know what it means!”

Happily however, a crash course in Asgardian orientation isn’t necessarily needed to thoroughly enjoy an enthralling mystery which sees the dead's souls missing from Niffleheim, and Hela’s province overrun by the limerick-loving Valraven – gigantic crows who feast upon corpses foolish enough to stray within reach of their talons or beaks. These creatures provide a decidedly dark storyline with plenty of humour, especially once the formidably-sized feathered creatures are revealed to be nothing but fawning cowards whenever faced with an opponent who can potentially best them.

Equally as entertaining with plenty of tongue-in-cheek dialogue is Odin, who despite simply being penned as an ethereal voice emanating from his son’s hammer, still manages to come across as the imperious and all-powerful Protector of the Ten Realms. Indeed, the writing behind “the king of all stories” is arguably one of this twenty-page periodical’s highlights, as he repeatedly tries to take matters into his own hands by flying out of Thor’s grip and battering any foolish enough to speak unkindly about him. This persistent potential to make an increasingly unpleasant situation even worse proves particularly amusing when Mjolnir is shown repeatedly braining one of the Valraven for daring to joke about the deceased deity once ‘bedding a giant’.

Adding plenty of “Boom” to this book’s events is Nic Klein, whose dynamic pencilling style genuinely appears to suit so grim a tale. The illustrator appears specifically good at sketching the enormous four-eyed black birds who now control Hel, giving the monstrosities all the heft and girth a bibliophile might expect from such skyrise-sized creatures who can swallow a hapless cadaver with a single gulp or attempt to squash the blonde-haired Avenger with an earth-shaking clawed foot.

The regular cover art of "THOR" #31 by Nic Klein