Angela, Asgard's Assassin #3. Review with Spoilers.

[Sea Hound]

This issue follows the same division of creators as previously. Gillen and Jiminez on the current, ongoing story; and a lengthy flashback written by Gillen and Bennett, and pencilled by Stephanie Hans.

Decompressed this comic is not. So much happens, it's continuity heavy, and a lot of it is important; so this review goes on a bit. My apologies!

The issue opens on Vanaheim, where Angela her companion Sera, and the baby they have kidnapped (Freya and Odin's newborn heir) have run to. There's a brief and easily won battle with some marauding dark elves on a raiding party. It's basically there to show how badass a warrior Angela is, and to showcase Sera's combat-magic.

They're pursued by a group of Asgardians- including an angry and very hostile Thor, wisecracking Loki, and Heimdall who is using his magic vision to follow and find them. They've been told to bring both sisters back alive by Odin. There's a few pages of chase and close encounters.
Asgardian politics are fairly central to this issue. Gillen's run on JiM went into it at length: Asgardian society is made up of two races, the Aesir and Vanir. Eons ago the belligerent Aesir defeated the Vanir in a long and bitter war, and assimilated them into their society: symbolised by the arranged marriage between Odin,and a not very enthusiastic Freya. Because the gods are very long lived some Vanir like Freya and Heimdall still live; and an underlying resentment still burns within them. There was a recent war between the two races. I think this is likely to be a theme again in the Angela book: maybe linked to the tension between Freya and Odin in Jason Aaron's Thor. The kidnapped baby is both Asgard's heir, and a symbol of Aesir-Vanir unity; because she was conceived to mystically seal the rift between Aesir and Vanir. Losing her? Bad idea.

Angela gets a new mystic costume, with cloaking from Heimdal's vision properties, which shapes itself into whatever form the wearer finds beautiful. Her tastes seem to run to busy. There's a lengthy thread about it, so I'm not going to talk any more about it.
Then she calls in the guardians of the Galaxy for a clean, untraceable getaway.
In the meantime her Thor and co. change strategy, and go to hel, and Hela, to beg the use of her terrifying warrior maidens the Disir.

This ends the ongoing action, and we move to a flashback.
It's an origin story for Sera, and it's a wonderful and different one. She turns out to have been born one of Haven's rare, cosseted males; and was expected to live a protected life of religious contemplation. When Angela shows up to battle a monster, Sera does the forbidden and fights by her side, then begs Angela to help her/him to escape in return. They find a way for Sera to "become the person she was meant to be" (a magical sex change? Top notch hair and make up? It's not explicit) and become adventuring companions; and very close. It's suggested not stated that Sera loves Angela.
Sera was killed in the past and Angela was distraught, because Angels don't have an afterlife, and should be gone forever. Somehow, (neither we nor she know how) she has returned.

my thoughts.

The present day art by Jiminez is good, although perhaps not as good as the first two issues. There's some panels that look a bit rushed, sometimes his faces look extremely odd, and I find the colour palette a bit cold and murky. However it's generally clear and tells the story well, and his characters all look like individuals. It reminds me a bit of Alan Davis at times.

Hans painted art of the past scenes is as gorgeous as always. I'm a massive fan of her work. It's lyrical, beatiful, and has a sad quality.

The writing is pretty good too. Gillen generally has a masterful handle on Asgard and Asgardians; and a liking for the more obscure characters like Heimdal, Freya, Tyr and Hela which I appreciate. One thing that surprised me though was just how aggressive Thor was, in a way which doesn't fit with the characterisation he's previously given him. Aaron's Thor seems overly belligerent too, so I wonder if there's more going on with the angry, unworthy Odinson than we know.

As I said, I think too much was put into one issue. It's all well done, but I think we needed two to really cover it all.
If you hadn't read Gillen's JiM, it would be confusing. (It's a wonderful run, and well worth the time IMO).

Sera is one of the very first trans characters in Marvel, and her story was perfectly documented in just a few pages by Gillen, Bennett and Hans. A beautifully and movingly done story.


All in all, I'm giving it 4/5.
On the plus side: It's got some very good writing, and is interesting, moving, intelligent and grown up. Hans's art especially is gorgeous. However it loses a star because a bit too much happens, and I think it relies too much on readers knowing the continuity. I'd strongly recommend picking it up