Comic Review: Thor (2018-) #11

Thor #11

Marvel Comics

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Lee Garbett

It’s the eve of the War of the Realms.

Mighty Vanaheim has fallen and Malekith has all but started his invasion on Midgard. Thor is trying to be as prepared as he can for the war that has been brewing for so long. Every day, he goes just a tad deeper into the Sun in search of his beloved Mjolnir, still unable to accept it’s destruction. Every time he does so, he risks losing his life just a bit more. The Earth can feel Thor’s distress – being the God of Thunder has its side effects, after all. It’s seriously affecting the weather, causing some horrible storms. Lady Freyja has had enough of it and she urges Thor to come out of the Sun, tend to his duties and let the dead rest.

While #10 was all about Thor’s relationship with his father, #11 focuses on Thor’s relationship with his mother. It’s a sharp contrast to the volatile one shared by Thor and Odin. The two men have always been in a constant cycle of unfulfilled expectations, disappointments, and pride. Freyja, on the other, has always loved her son unconditionally. Many cynics might complain about these kinda cliched dynamics, but I am sure a lot of people will find it easy to relate. I am a sucker for this kind of moments – moments that humanize the characters and make them far more relatable.

Lady Freyja’s relationship with Thor might get the center stage, but it isn’t the only featured plot line. As mentioned, it’s the eve of the War of the Realms and, as such, we get a nice look at all of the major players getting prepared. It’s an expected thing to do, seeing that this will be the big Marvel event of the year, but it also breaks the flow of the book. Both plot lines work well on an individual level, but juggling between them is a bit iffy. 

Mike Del Mundo took another break with this issue, so Marvel brought in the art team from ‘Skyward’. Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela have been doing wonders on ‘Skyward’, so I was pretty excited about this. And while the coloring by Fabela is stunning as always, I can’t say I was blown away by Garbett’s pencils. It’s not that they’re bad, but there are some sequences that seem rushed. Also, the female faces look really weird – Freyja looks like she’s doing stuff with her eyes closed. Again, it’s not bad, but also not as good as one would expect.

All in all, a good mother-son story tarnished by adding in another story and some uneven art from a well-respected artist.