Thor [2020] #35 - Marvel Comics

THOR No. 35, August 2023

For those comic book collectors who were enticed into purchasing “the Midgard-shattering finale of Blood Of The Fathers” on account of its seemingly shameless solicitation synopsis misleadingly claiming it concerns Doctor Victor Von Doom making “his final stand to control all if humankind – past, present and future”, the contents of Issue Thirty-Five of “Thor” must have come as something of an unpleasant shock. True, the twenty-page periodical does feature a fleeting visit from Latveria’s monarch. But the supervillain is already beaten by this stage in Torunn Gronbekk’s impenetrable storyline, and rather bemusingly appears simply so the Goddess of Death can absurdly threaten him with grinding “up your bones to sugar my tea” – even though Jack Kirby’s co-creation has held Hela helplessly captive for almost the entirety of the multi-part tale.

Instead, the “portrait painter from Norway” provides an admittedly charming, though utterly bewildering, flashback adventure involving a much younger Thor and Loki temporarily outwitting King Bergelmir in Jotunheim, so that the Asgardians could claim a knife “forged by the light elves in the depths of Alfheim.” This contest of strength, superbly sketched by Spanish illustrator Sergio Davila, certainly seems to contain an allure all of its own, especially with its rather enjoyable tongue-in-cheek banter between the two siblings. However, just what it has to do with the mighty Thunder god fighting for “the future of the Ten Realms” is anyone’s guess, with the protracted sequence’s point apparently solely being to introduce the God of Mischief to his future daughter.

Just as bizarre though, has to be some of the Jessheim-born author’s irksome dialogue for Laussa Odinsdottir. Despite her own naïve adolescence, the second born daughter of the All-Mother Freyja repeatedly berates her new sovereign and his half-brother by calling them “Nitwits” and “idiot boys”, debatably making the Asgardian noblewoman’s ‘holier than thou’ personality increasingly dislikeable as the narrative progresses. Furthermore, these speeches prove surprisingly poorly penned when compared to Gronbekk’s genuinely emotional ending, in which she has Thor warmly reminiscing over Odin’s bedtime stories with a respectful Jane Foster; “He was not the King in those moments. He was our father. And we would never let Ostegompen find his way back home because we knew it would mean the story would end.”

The regular cover art of "THOR" #35 by Nic Klein

Thor [2020] #34 - Marvel Comics

THOR No. 34, July 2023

It’s hard to believe that many readers of Torunn Gronbekk’s convoluted script for Issue Thirty-Four of “Thor” will actually have much of a clue as to just what is going on within this twenty-page periodical. Indeed, the Norwegian author’s seemingly merciless obsession to cram as many Asgardian gods, kings, werewolves, warriors and super-villains as she can messily muster within this single comic may well have given the odd bibliophile a debilitating Marvel-flavoured migraine; “We need to get out of here! It’s… weird out there… like, bonkers weird.”

Foremost of these utterly puzzling bemusements is probably the unlikely meeting of this publication’s titular character with Doctor Doom, Thanos, Laussa Odinsdottir, Hela and Bor Burison in Nifflehein. “Blood Of The Fathers” clearly plays it fast and loose when it comes to converging timelines and personalities bumping into one another out of chronological order. But how the monarch of Latveria is able to calmly step across reality from his Earth-bound kingdom into Bor’s Vault just as the Mad Titan is about to stab an infant Goddess of Death is never explained, nor is the Thunder God’s ability to intercede on Victor’s behalf with Mjolnir when the armoured monarch is savagely wounded by “one of the last sons of A'Lars.”

Almost as disconcerting is debatably this publication’s dialogue, which disappointingly may remind some bibliophiles of something penned in a fanzine. The second born daughter of All-Mother Freyja seems to particularly struggle with her words, nervously uttering “Eh, Hullo!” when as an adult she meets Thor at the lowest level of the universe and then later fangirling “Whaaaat?! Wolf-sword… Awesome!” over a possessed blade when she effortlessly hacks apart the supposedly great supernatural fighter Varg. 

Even this comic’s illustrations appear somewhat confusing with Juan Gedeon’s rudimentary pencils later being replaced by the much more stylish sketchings of Sergio Davila. The Buenos Aires-born professional’s panels disappointingly lack any real sense of movement, apart from when the Avenger is thwacking Thanos in the face with his hammer, and this lethargy sadly undermines any sense of tension during the “all-out war” which occurs. However, as soon as the sequential artist from Barcelona takes over the entire ensemble appear to jump into life, with a much younger Odinson clobbering a pack of unruly, blue-skinned trolls in an enthralling flashback sequence.

The regular cover art of "THOR" #34 by Nic Klein

Thor [2020] #32 - Marvel Comics

THOR No. 32, May 2023

Proudly proclaiming “Thor verses Doctor Doom” in its frustratingly false ‘solicit synopsis’, this twenty-page-periodical’s plot probably disappointed the vast majority of its audience when just such a confrontation fails to materialise. Indeed, rather than portray the two Marvel comic book universe titans “in a battle of wits, morals and, of course… might”, Torunn Gronbekk’s narrative for “Blood Of The Fathers” instead has them travelling down significantly separate pathways; “No one observing the Earth from the outside would ever mistake the human race as intelligent.”

Furthermore, a large portion of this publication dwells upon the disconcerting resurrection of Corvus Glaive by a teenage Laussa Odinsdottir some sixteen years in the future, using “the tiniest speck of his DNA” found upon the super-villain’s trademark hand-weapon. Admittedly, this rather grisly storyline is somewhat intriguing when it’s revealed that Thanos’ revitalised loyal warrior now lacks a soul, and resultantly becomes nothing more than a semi-quivering phantom of his former self who meekly submits to being chained in a corner. But such a resuscitation is lamentably a far cry from the no-holds barred struggle Nic Klein’s energetic cover illustration suggests is contained within this publication.

Perhaps therefore this comic’s sole-saving grace lies with its titular character’s dynamic struggle against Nidhogg, as the enormous cybernetic dragon unsuccessfully attempts to devour the Thunder God as it departs Hel. This incredibly striking drama definitely captures the audience’s complete attention with its flurry of furious frames depicting a grim-faced Odinson, and proves particularly powerful once the malevolent Eater of the Dead turns to attack his would-be hunter, having decided that the blonde-haired Asgardian is actually prey.

Ultimately however, Issue Thirty-Two of “Thor” debatably fails as a result of Juan Gedeon’s layouts, which whilst overall being proficiently pencilled enough, arguably often appear rather amateurish in their simplicity - most notably those sequences depicting Hela as a prisoner of Victor Von Doom in his Latverian laboratory. In addition, whether due to a deadline dilemma or not, the Argentinian artist repeatedly fails to provide his panels with much in the way of any background, relying instead upon either a flurry of hatchings to suggest simple shadows or Matt Wilson to supply a suitable colour progression.

Writer: Torunn Gronbekk, Artist: Juan Gedeon, and Colorist: Matt Wilson

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