King Thor #4
Marvel Comics
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Esad Ribić
King Thor #4 is yet another high-profile ending out this week. It’s the culmination of Jason Aaron’s long-running stint as the Thor writer, coming out at the turn of the decade, after seven years and around 100 issues. And I’m so glad that we got such a satisfying ending.
King Thor #4 is an oversized, 40+ page conclusion, which is basically split into two parts. These parts build up a coherent story together, but they both have their respective roles. The first part follows Thor’s and Loki’s final push against Gorr, the God Butcher, while the second one deals with Thor’s long legacy and many stories – those that were, and those that might be. This second part can only be described as pure joy, as we see various potential incarnations of Thor – from Thor, the God Cop, to Thor, Lord of the Ice Apes.
Don’t get me wrong, the conclusion to the Gorr storyline is very well rounded and satisfying, but it’s not what makes this issue such a great and compelling ending.
At its core, King Thor #4 is Jason Aaron’s love letter not just to Thor, but comics in general. It perfectly distillates both the all-seriousness of a whole bunch of comics and the utter silliness and wackiness present at the core of the medium. The narration boxes, opposed to the presented scenes and dialogue, create a fantastic dichotomy.
Speaking of the scenes, a slew of guest artists – dubbed as the Asgard All-Stars – join the main artist of the book, Esad Ribić. From Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Chris O’Halloran, to Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson. From Olivier Coipel and Laura Martin, to Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewert, to Mike Del Mundo. All of these artists that have worked with Jason Aaron on Thor are back to bid farewell to his run. And they brought their A-game with them. Everyone brings a little something to the book, giving their special flair to their respective segments. The end result is a great book, one that flows, reads and looks beautifully.
So yeah, that’s it, not much left to say about the book. Love it or hate it, Aaron’s run is one of the defining runs on the character, with around 100 issues over the course of just a little over seven years. There have been tons of twists and turns, the character has been the centre of a huge (and awesome) Marvel event and Thor has grown a lot during that time. Personally, I’ve loved every single issue of this run. From the first page of Thor: God of Thunder #1 to the last page of King Thor #4, the run has been nothing short of spectacular. But all things must end, and it’s time for a new creative team to take on the character. Donny Cates is a fantastic writer and he has a fantastic foundation to build on top of. I don’t doubt he’ll do a fantastic job.
But that’s for later. For now, I’m just glad that Jason Aaron got to end his run on such a high note.
King Thor #4
King Thor #4 is Jason Aaron’s love letter not just to Thor, but to comics in general. It perfectly distillates and encapsulates both the all-seriousness present in a whole bunch of comics and the utter silliness and wackiness present at the core of the medium.
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