Review: The Unworthy Thor

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is gripping and intense. The exploration of Odinson’s personality and current situation in life is interesting. The volume works well with past stories and helps set up future ones. The artwork looks beautiful and is a great complement to the storytelling.

Cons: The conclusion to the volume’s physical conflict goes by too quickly.

Overall: The Thor saga continues in a way that any fan is sure to appreciate. This volume takes Odinson’s thrilling journey of self-discovery and pairs it with an equally thrilling journey of action and heroism. The resulting mix is full of suspense, hits some thematically powerful notes, and finally gets to the bottom of Odinson’s “unworthy” status. This volume is a solid read for any Thor fan but will be particularly rewarding for those who have kept up with the adventures immediately preceding this one. 

Story

The Unworthy Thor, by Jason Aaron, is an excellent addition to Aaron’s already fantastic series of Thor comics. This volume tells an exciting and engaging tale of cosmic proportions. It pushes Odinson to his limits and pits him against some seriously dark villains while doing so. Though there is a piece of the conclusion that goes by a bit too quickly, the rest of it provides a thematically satisfying end to this series that leaves the reader wanting more, thus adding to the overarching saga. This volume works well on its own but is far better as a piece of this unique era in Thor’s life.

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The bulk of the storyline in The Unworthy Thor follows Odinson in a desperate attempt to reclaim a new Mjölnir and, thus, prove himself worthy once more. This journey is fraught with hurdles, as he is opposed by members of Thanos’ Black Order and one of the Elders of the Universe. However, these hurdles only serve to make the journey more intense and thrilling. Thor experiences some serious brushes with death and is forced into some tragically low places. His ultimate triumph over these monstrous villains paints him as an even more heroic character.

This narrative then wraps up the story with a beautiful thematic conclusion for the book. Odinson rejects the new Mjölnir and leaves the question of whether he could have picked it up ambiguous, proving he has moved past questioning whether he is worthy and is now focusing on just doing the right thing. He also finally reveals that questions over his own status as a god were what made him unworthy in the first place. The volume closes with Thor making moral victories in addition to physical ones.

Unfortunately, this same conclusion has some problems in the way the physical conflict from it ends. In one moment, Odinson and his allies are facing off against three extremely powerful enemies, then, in the next moment, Odinson has defeated all three and has additionally liberated all of Asgard from the Collector’s collection. It happened so quickly I barely had a chance to appreciate Odinson’s victory. This takes a bit of the impact away from the finale and makes it a bit less memorable.

In addition to the quality of the volume’s storytelling, The Unworthy Thor makes major successes in the way it ties back into the overall Thor saga stretching through Jason Aaron’s writing. This volume makes significant references to and builds upon Odinson’s fight against the God Butcher, his fall from grace, and his decision to let a new Thor take his place. Even just the fact that it reveals the whisper that took Odinson down makes it noteworthy for fans. Then, the volume closes by teasing future stories, as Hela partners with Thanos and a mysterious entity picks up Mjölnir. As a whole, this book is a reward to fans who have been reading for a while and reassures them that there are even more rewards in store for the future.

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Art

The artwork in The Unworthy Thor is a beautiful complement to the narrative. Olivier Coipel’s take on the volume’s characters makes them all look great and allows the landscapes to stand out as diverse and interesting. Meanwhile, the pages are laid out well, with vertical and horizonal orientations properly capturing the type of storytelling needed at the moment. An additional storytelling asset comes from the artwork’s serious approach that matches the serious tone of this book, a visual theme further emphasized by Matthew Wilson’s colors. Outside of Coipel’s work, other artists are brought in for quick flashback scenes, with the varied art styles utilized to separate moments in the past from moments in the present. Overall, this collection’s visuals end up being very high quality and significantly contribute to the reading experience.

Continuity

The Unworthy Thor is a standalone series that follows Odinson’s solo adventures. It takes place following Odinson’s appearance in Thor Vol. 2: Who Holds the Hammer (Review) and after the events of Thors (Review).

Odinson’s adventures mostly continue at the conclusion of Mighty Thor Vol. 3: The Asgard/Shi’ar War and on into The Mighty Thor Vol. 4: The War Thor.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Thor became “unworthy” at the conclusion of the Original Sin (Review) (Reading Order) event.
• A new hammer was lost in the multiverse at the conclusion of Thors (Review).
• A new Thor took up his hammer in Thor Vol. 1: The Goddess of Thunder (Review).
• Flashbacks to Gorr’s general taunting and specific hatred toward gods are seen at several points in this volume. Gorr was the villain in Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1: The God Butcher (Review). 
• Thori debuted back in Journey into Mystery #632, collected in Journey into Mystery by Kieron Gillen: The Complete Collection Vol. 1, and was recently seen in Angela: Queen of Hel #7, collected in Angela: Queen of Hel – Journey To The Funderworld.