After Thor is deemed unworthy, his hammer selects a new avatar to carry
on his legacy. She is immediately thrust into the ongoing fight against the
nefarious Roxxon company, the Dark Elf Malekith and the Frost Giants. She must
also contend with Thor’s anger over losing his hammer and the impending storm
of Odin’s desperate attempts to overthrow his wife as ruler of Asgardia.
Thor Volume 1: The Goddess of
Thunder collects Thor #1-5,
written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Russell Dauterman.
The Goddess of Thunder immediately
follows the events of Jason Aaron’s critically acclaimed Thor: God of Thunder, carrying over many of its plotlines and
themes. Roxxon, along with its CEO Dario Agger, and Malekith remain key figures
in this collection. They serve as the primary antagonists for the new Thor and
her ability to stand toe-to-toe with them seems to prove that she’s certainly
no pushover. In fact, her action sequences are beautifully choreographed by
artist Russell Dauterman and show that she’s a little more creative with her
powers than the more brawn-minded Thor. In essence, she is to Thor what She-Ra
is to He-Man.
Where this series differs from Thor:
God of Thunder is the way in which it actively engages with the criticism
that was lined up against the debut of a female Thor. Aaron creatively finds a
way to make a female Thor work, particularly when examining the theme of
unworthiness and the magic surrounding the hammer. Furthermore, he takes aim at
the way in which men underestimate and undercut women along with how some fans complain
about political correctness “ruining” this, that and the other. The new Thor is
treated inferior to the original by her opponents while Freyja is dismissed
entirely by her husband as an ineffective leader. In both circumstances, we see
that Thor is more than capable of filling the shoes of her predecessor and
Freyja is in fact an incredibly successful ruler. As it happens, my favourite
scenes in this collection are those that address these specific concerns. There’s
a notable exchange between Titania and Thor in which the villainess praises
what a female Thor represents, as well as a brief summit Freyja has with the
new Thor on the moon.
I found The Goddess of Thunder to
be incredibly enjoyable. I’d read Aaron’s preceding series that followed Thor’s
exploits and found it satisfactory, though at times it suffered from a dragging
pace and meandering narrative. For me, this series breathes new life into the
stories that Aaron was telling and brings in new themes that are worthy of
exploring within the usually male-dominated world of Thor. I also appreciate
that the original Thor wasn’t tossed aside and that his struggles are still
being documented alongside those of his successor. To top it all off, Russell
Dauterman’s art is absolutely stunning and elevates Aaron’s writing. His work
is certainly reminiscent of previous Thor artist Oliver Coipel, whose art I
adore. Dauterman’s design work is incredible, particularly on the Thors. Of the
female-led material Marvel has published in recent years, Thor Volume 1: The Goddess of Thunder is worthy of gold.
RATING:
A-
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