Thor #5. Spoilerific review.

[JKtheMac]

This Odin portrayal is just ugh... The thrown fight felt out of character, but the Odinson/Sif conversation made me smile, and I've found I no longer care who the new Thor is... because each issue I'm told she's worthy of being Thor. Ok, ok I get it.

Odin has been a right royal pain in the @£&@ for years. He isn't the aimiable and charming Anthony Hopkins in the comics. I was really pleased when he was killed off for a bit because he just makes you want to yell at him, and I am sure thunder gods can out yell me. I do like hating him though, besides a lot of the characterisation goes back to Wagner's Wotan and he was pretty annoying as well.

[Panic]

Simonson's Odin was very likeable, and I tend to consider Simonson's take on the characters as definitive. I don't like it when Odin is written as a tyrannical jerk.

[eaebiakuya]

I love Aaron run, but this last issue was the worst of it by far. I cant stand his Odin, he is comic relief now ? After playing chess for 6 months he is best friend of Serpent now ? He seens like a bit crazy, i dont know.

Titania fight was horrible, the meta language even worst, dont fit in this story.

[shgs]

I know this is drifting off topic! IMO the closest we have right now is Jamie McKelvie, not in his composition but his line work is often criticised by people used to the more modern style for being thin and single weight. He is obviously great.

Ah yes, good shout. Now I really, really want to see Jamie McKelvie attempt a proper Ligne Claire superhero comic.

On topic: I think we can safely assume that if Odin is acting even more despotic than usual, it is probably something to do with the fact that he has spent the last however many years in self-inflicted exile playing chess with his evil older brother (before that he was chilling with the corpse), not to mention he's returned to find his son and heir unworthy of the hammer that he enchanted specifically for him, his long thought dead daughter turns out to be alive but hates him (and has kidnapped his youngest child), and his wife is reluctant to hand over the reins of power and has been plotting with his adopted son evil future King Loki, who incidentally, is implicated in some kind of murder plot against himself.

I don't know about you, but days like that really bring out the dictator in me.

[brettc1]

Thor #5. Where Aaron explains to his critics that they're wrong. At length.
And Odin goes for bros before ho's.

spoilers:

The comic opens with Odin in Asgard, who is furious that Thor's hammer has been picked up by a woman unknown, who is also using Thor's name. He believes it is stealing Thor's birthright. Thor protests that he gave her the name, but Odin is not mollified, and stomps off. Next we move to NYC, where new Thor intervenes in an Absorbing man and Titania's robbery. Again the topic of Thor's name, and sexism comes up. Thor breaks his jaw, then Titania throws the fight as an expression of girlpower and feminist solidarity. She even goes to jail voluntarily because new Thor is so awesome. (I'm not making this up.) Back to Asgard, where Odin brings in his new Minister for Enforcing Stuff. It's Cul Borson, his brother; a serious, moustache twirling villain of old who Odin believes is reformed because they've been on a boy's trip camping for a few months in old Asgard. Cul couldn't look more evil, as befits a character who's name is French for arse. (That's always amused me.). Freya disagrees, and says Arse/Cul's appointment has to be approved by the council of worlds. Odin stomps off again. There's a nice scene between Thor Odinson and Sif in what looks like Asgard's best pub. They decide they're too alike for a relationship to work, despite the love. She's drunk, and a bit belligerent and really ticked off when she realises that he's not come to talk to her, but to find out if she's the hammer wielder. Shift to the moon, where Freya comes to warn new Thor of dark times ahead; what with Malekith, Cul, and Odin's intransigence. Thor makes a vow, not to be worthy of Mjolnir which Freya seems to see as a fickle, unreliable thing; but to live up to the name. Back to Asgard, where Odin pulls out the Destroyer to go after Thor and Mjolnir.

end of spoilers

Review: (rant alert)
I can appreciate that it's hard for writers of today in terms of how much negativity their stories instantly get on the internet. And they may strongly disagree with angry fans, and want to give their side of the story. I just hate when they bring those arguments into the actual comics. A lot of this comic was Aaron preaching from his soapbox about feminism, and why it's fine that this female Thor gets the old Thor's name.
I actually have been enjoying this run. I like this new woman, I've been enjoying hammer less Odinson, and the politics between Freya and Odin, and I agree with most of what Aaron was saying. Even so, being lectured on why he's right in the middle of the story annoyed me. If I was one of the readers who doesn't like the idea of Thor losing his name then I'd be seriously pissed off about being talked down to.
Rick Remender did exactly the same thing after the furore about Havok's infamous speech, and it infuriated me. It just feels like an abuse of an author's privilege to me. I wish they'd defend their position in interviews or on their own websites, and leave the comic pages for actual stories.

If you take out the preachy bits, it's actually a decent comic. The fight is a washout, but the Asgardian family dynamics and politics are very interesting. And I loved the scene between Thor and Sif, which was funny, and beautifully judged. Freya becomes more interesting by the issue.

Art wise: Following on after Dauterman is a horrible job, because he has been outrageously, spectacularly good. Mollina is a fine artist, (and I like his work anyway) and does a good job. I think his style is a little too pared back for the Asgardian characters, but he does some lovely facial expressions, and the NYC scenes are great. He's just not Dautermann.

So what do you all think. Am I being excessively grumpy, (possible) or would this have been a much better comic if Aaron had left out the meta justifications, and just told his story? I'm giving it 3/5.

I would give it 3.5, but I am not marking it down for the same reasons.

The little clues scattered through the comic about the identity are interesting. The fact that T.H.O.R. [short for The Hammer's Other Respondent] knows the word feminist seems to indicate she is a resident of Midgard, not one of the other realms.

The thing that annoys me is the depiction of Odin as a crazy despot [literally the word used]. I had hoped we saw the end of the that with the conclusion of Fear Itself, but sadly no. Personally I miss the days when he was called "Odin the All-Wise". As a fan of the Simonson run this vaguely villainous take on the All-Father does not sit well with me.

[brettc1]

Simonson's Odin was very likeable, and I tend to consider Simonson's take on the characters as definitive. I don't like it when Odin is written as a tyrannical jerk.

That's what I said! LOL

One reason I think he portrayed as the pompous ass we see in these issues is that folks want to hold the ideal of democracy being better than having a king. Despite the fact that democracy in quite a lot of western countries seems to be a breeding ground for corruption.

The truth is both systems have their pros and cons. I support democratic rule, but would rather have Simonson's Odin running things that a lot of democratically elected governments I've seen over the years.

[billee0918]

5 issues in, this book is becoming one of my favorite runs ever. Brilliant characterizatio, a heroine I'm really rooting for and the best take on the asgardians I've ever read. Odin was killing me! And yes, the message in this ish was a bit heavy-handed, but I applaud the directness.

[JKtheMac]

Simonson might have made Odin likable but the fragments of myth we have don't suggest anything of the sort. I know Marvel are not beholden to the meagre scraps of myth that remain but in those Odin is scary, intense and mysterious.

Besides, it might be anathema to most comic readers but I prefer the Thor material from 2004 onwards. Since they republished the Son of Asgard material the writers have been much more thoughtful and mythological about the storylines. Kieron Gillen and Matt Fraction have written some wonderful material, Robert Rodi's Loki was ground breaking and Jason Aaron, while sometimes a little off the mark has penned some really great stories.

The only thing I am not keen on is the Loki: Agent of Asgard series, apart from that we have a decade of very fine work.

[Sea Hound]

That's what I said! LOL

One reason I think he portrayed as the pompous ass we see in these issues is that folks want to hold the ideal of democracy being better than having a king. Despite the fact that democracy in quite a lot of western countries seems to be a breeding ground for corruption.

The truth is both systems have their pros and cons. I support democratic rule, but would rather have Simonson's Odin running things that a lot of democratically elected governments I've seen over the years.

The democracy rulz message seems to be coming through loud and clear in the last few years of Thor comics.

On the one hand, it seems unfair to be imposing human standards on a group of near immortal beings whose fundamental nature is very different. Who's to say an absolute monarch isn't the right thing.

On the other, Odin's performance as king has been patchy, Thor as king turned into a full on despot, and Balder (the most recent king) was worse than either, made awful decisions, and wrecked Asgard. I can see why some Asgardians would prefer a more consultative government like under the All-Mother, then hope that whoever happens to be next in line is fit to govern, when the time comes.

It's also fashionable to show that the MU's authority figures have feet of clay at the moment. Yes Odin is being a bit of an ass, but it's nothing compared to some of the things retconned into Charles Xavier's story, for example.

[SickAlice]

I'm on the love NOW! Thor side of things so it has that going for it. Like the previous I like challenged Odinson and the depth and humanity I think being humbled adds to his character. I liked the art and adding Titania to anything is an automatic plus in my book. The sitcom/soap opera family moment in the house of Odin was boarding cheese. I don't give a flarking flerken about Cul but that's largely due to Fear Itself having a negative impact on me and his relation to the event imo. Odin is acting like poop cake but if I'm reading between the lines right it seems like there's a reason for this in the plot which I'm assuming comes to light later. The fact that he's so comfortable with Cul definitely raised suspicion that all is not what it seems as opposed to the idea his character is being written incorrectly. To date I'm really enjoying this series overall and this issue was no exception for me.

[vitruvian]

Well if we stick to the feminist subtext of the whole series then perhaps Odin is no longer omnipotent in and of himself, without the All-Mother standing equally alongside him.

Considering he's complaining about what he knows, not what he can do, in this panel, it appears his command of language is not what it once was.

The word you're looking for is 'omniscience', Odin.

[shgs]

Considering he's complaining about what he knows, not what he can do, in this panel, it appears his command of language is not what it once was.

The word you're looking for is 'omniscience', Odin.

Well technically omniscience would suggest he wouldn't need viziers, soothsayers, astrologists etc. to tell him anything, he would already know it, whereas it is his omnipotence which allows him to control and compel all those people to do his bidding.

[vitruvian]

Well technically omniscience would suggest he wouldn't need viziers, soothsayers, astrologists etc. to tell him anything, he would already know it, whereas it is his omnipotence which allows him to control and compel all those people to do his bidding.

Which he doesn't seem to have any trouble with, does he? They're still following his commands and trying to find out stuff for him, it's just not working... so functionally his omniscience is reduced. Guess he lost his magic high chair at some point....

[Punisher007]

I, for one, loved the whole Creel fight. Sure it broke the fourth wall, which jolts you out of the action for a moment, but it was also hilarious and made perfect sense within the context of the story. I'm less sold on Titania's reasons for just giving up, but at least it left more room for Asgardian politics (which were great), rather than an unnecessary action scene. The scene with Sif was really well executed; two ex-lovers who still remember all the reasons they fell in love in the first place, but can't help butting heads all the same.

It's unfair to Molina really, but I can't wait to have Dauterman back. Molina didn't do a bad job by any stretch of the imagination, but his linework seems to be quite sparse on the details, and the painterly colours looked a bit flat as a consequence.

I still don't see why there's such a rush to find out Thor's civilian identity. As another, lesser known writer once said: 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.' In other words, she will be the exact same character with her name as she was without, nothing will have changed when we find out. The only difference will be that certain fans will be able to trawl through her history before becoming Thor and point out All-New reasons why Aaron is ruining Thor and everything he stands for. Boy, I can't wait.

@JKtheMac: Great post. I'm not sure I'm 100% ready to pin everything on Freya but this is definitely a story that is as much about Odin being unworthy as it is Thor.

Because I don't find the "mystery" of her identity to be all that compelling, and Aaron writing such a godawful take on Odin is helping. It's tedious. If we would just reveal who she is and move on, then the book would be all the better for it imo.

[shgs]

Which he doesn't seem to have any trouble with, does he? They're still following his commands and trying to find out stuff for him, it's just not working... so functionally his omniscience is reduced. Guess he lost his magic high chair at some point....

I guess you'd expect the orders of an omnipotent person to be carried out no matter what. At the end of the day, though, Odin has never been portrayed as literally omnipotent in the same way as the god of the Abrahamic religions, neither in the comics nor in the myths as far as I'm aware. So either way you look at it, he was merely being droll.