Review: THE MIGHTY THOR #13

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THE MIGHTY THOR #13
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Steve Epting, Frank Martin
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: November 23, 2016

Tolkien Avengers…..assemble!

The League of Realms have come together once again to covertly whip some Dark Elf ass and make some great cracks along the way. It’ll all go swimmingly, right? There’s no possible chance Malekith will f*** up there plans….right?

Jason Aaron is a writer on fire. His pen is so hot, these pages are on fire! Alright, I’ll stop, but his dialogue and plotting in this issue are fantastic. The barbs thrown around by the League of Realms are fantastic and Aaron’s comments regarding Angela’s attire stole the show and made this issue soar. These characters are dynamic and larger than life, as a League of Realms should be, and they have a large enough presence to share the page with Thor. I particularly enjoyed how he gave Sif and Angela such unique voices, as many writers would have ended up with three generic Asgardian female powerhouses rather than three individual forces of nature. He gets these characters. He gets what their best aspects are and he gets how to make them work together, and he gets how to pace an issue for maximum cliffhanger impact.

For those of you who know some of my reading history and tastes, if I could pick an artist to sub in for Russell Dauterman, the list is very short: Steve Epting or Stuart Immonen. The powers that be made my wish so, giving my eyes some sweet Steve Epting artwork to feast upon. Epting does this League justice, capturing those unique personalities I mentioned for the three Asgardian warriors and the rest of the League as well. There is a visual camaraderie between Screwbeard and Ud, making them the Legolas and Gimli of this War of Realms. Epting’s pencils are sharp and well executed, but I did find myself disappointed with Frank Martin’s colour work. The Mighty Thor, by Matt Wilson’s hand, is one of the most colourfully explosive comics in the industry. Martin’s muted palette took away from some of the dynamic nature of these characters, and I think actually held Epting’s art back at points. While his work certainly doesn’t damn the art or the issue, it just lacks some of the visual pop that I’m used to reading in The Mighty Thor.

In the end, I was totally entertained by The Mighty Thor #13. I’m stoked to see the War of Realms progress, and I loved seeing these characters together on the page. Jason Aaron is a scripting beast and Steve Epting is always a sure bet for solid art, and The Mighty Thor #13 lived up to my expectations.

The Verdict: 8.5/10

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