The end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?
No matter how many times Marvel might relaunch, re-brand or renumber Jason Aaron's Thor run, the quality remains constant. The Mighty Thor was Marvel's best ongoing superhero comic before Marvel legacy, and it shows every sign of maintaining that status in this new relaunch.
The Mighty Thor #700 is about as good a jumping-on point as any with this five-years-and-counting saga. Aaron takes this opportunity to step back and take stock of his sprawling story and the many players intertwined in Malekith's War of Realms. Cleverly, Aaron makes the Odinson and Karnila the focal points of this oversized tale, using the latter to examine the notion of fate and the ways in which Thor's legend and influence have spread across time and space. All the familiar themes are here, including the clash between free will and destiny, the rift between fathers and sons and the question of what makes a god truly worthy. In the process, this story captures so much of what makes this saga great in the first place.
Aaron could easily have structured this issue as a series of shorter, standalone vignettes rather than blending them together. That might have resulted in a more organized and orderly comic, but the haphazard approach is actually part of this book's charm. The constant shifts from one Thor to the next emphasize the idea that this conflict is greater than any one hero. The scope of this run keeps growing as more heroes are drawn into battle and Aaron returns his focus to Old King Thor and the fallout of Gorr's seeming defeat. All loose ends from the past five years are tying together nicely. And in the process, Aaron establishes a grim, compelling status quo that promises to push the Odinson, Jane Foster, Volstagg and the rest of the universe's hammer-wielders to their limits.
This issue also features a top-notch art team worthy of such an important milestone issue. Aaron is joined by a veritable host of artists, some of whom he's collaborated with before on Thor and others who are new to this saga. Series mainstay Russell Dauterman is predictably excellent here. He conveys the immense scale of the conflict as the Odinson fights a losing battle to protect the Norns from Malekith's armies. Daniel Acuna also shines in his depiction of a massive brawl between Thor and She-Hulk (a fun, gender-swapped spin on an old Marvel trope). Becky Cloonan also proves very effective in depicting the younger misadventures of Thor and Loki.
But really, there are no weak links here. This issue serves as a wonderful tribute not just to Thor, but the imagination and influence of his co-creator, Jack Kirby. Some artists in this issue may evoke Kirby's style more overtly than others, but all show a similar talent for bringing fantastical worlds and characters to life and lending their own, unique touch to the page.
The Verdict
Jason Aaron's Thor saga may be five-years-deep at this point, but it's showing no signs of slowing down or running out of gas. This issue serves as both a celebration of Thor's heroic legacy and a look forward into the dark days lying ahead for the hammer-wielding heroes of the Marvel U. With an all-star cast of artists on board, this oversized issue easily ranks among the best of Aaron's long run.
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