Thor #3
Marvel Comics
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Olivier Coipel

Freshly returned from the dead, Thor, finding himself all alone in Asgard, has set about on a mission to find and revive the other Norse Gods who have retreated from the world into the bodies of various humans. Thor’s quest to resurrect the Aesir leads him to New Orleans and an eventual run in with Tony Stark. Our golden-haired deity, more than a little upset about the two-bit clone that Tony Stark and Reed Richards created in his absence, then proceeds to give Iron Man the business end of the hammer and remind everyone’s favorite techno-billionaire exactly why a mortal with a bad ticker should never challenge a god.

Thus far, whether or not you like Straczynski’s run on Thor depends on how much of a fan you are of Straczynski’s writing style and how much you just want to see some guy with a big hammer and a winged helmet in a WWF style slug fest. Straczynski is notorious for his slow, methodical, character-driven approach to writing. With a Straczynski book, the reader is given quiet times to really get into the dynamics of the character while experiencing a healthy dose of social, political, or psychological commentary (this issue experiences a terrific moment when Thor ruminates on New Orleans and absent gods). Fights tend to be few and far between with Straczynski, but, when they come, they really feel as if they’re serving a purpose. Some Thor fans have said that Straczynski’s pacing is too slow and there isn’t enough hammer swinging time in his pages, but, with this issue, there’s just enough hammer action to make almost any Thor fan happy. And, simultaneously, the story still remains very emotionally evocative, very character driven and very intelligent.

The artwork of Thor #3 is just as high quality as all the other previous issues. Coipel has a terrific ability to infuse even the simplest of panels with gravitas and energy. Even in the rare times when Coipel presents a character speaking in a nondescript “void” panel, his ability with layout and perspective gives the illusion of movement and fluidity even when everyone’s simply standing still. While there are one or two moments in the latter parts of the issue where the panel layout can get a bit cluttered and clunky, these “mistakes” are most definitely a minority and shouldn’t be held against Coipel. And, just for the record, Coipel’s portrayal of the return of Heimdall at the end of the book is award worthy. Hands down.

Overall: 5 out of 5. Straczynski and Coipel are a great team.