by Taylor Anderson
This article contains SPOILERS! If you haven’t read the issue, proceed at your own risk.
War is all-consuming, even if the war itself is just. If you doubt the logic of this statement, just ask Volstagg what he thinks about the subject. After witnessing the deaths of innocent Dwarven children at the hands of fiery Muspelheim marauders, Volstagg has become the War Thor. In this role, he will do all he can to exact revenge on the Queen of Cinders, who ordered the strike on the Dwarves — even, it would seem, commit the same crime he’s avenging. But one has to ask: is killing children the act of a Thor?
The best place to find the answer is on the lips of Jane Foster. After all, if anyone knows a thing or two about being Thor, it’s her. Not only does she disagree with the War Thor’s acts of revenge, she saves a child of the Muspelheim from the wrath of her counterpart.
In saving this cute little fire demon Jane shows that Thors don’t kill innocent people, even in the name of revenge. Obviously the man who nearly killed this child, the War Thor, disagrees. To him, it seems a perfectly just act given the horror he has seen as Volstagg. While it’s tempting to say that the War Thor is acting very un-Thor like here, it’s important to remember his name. He is the War Thor and as such he is the living embodiment of the thing he takes his name from.
The impending fight between Jane and Volstagg is still a clever exploration of what it means to be Thor. Before, Jane had to decide if being a full-time Thor was something she was willing to do. The question then was whether one’s Thor personality overtook their regular disposition. While that question has been answered in some ways, Jason Aaron is now raising more questions on what it means to be Thor by exploring a Thor’s morality. It will be interesting to see what side of the coin the Aaron’s argument falls on as it could have grave implications for Jane as a character. Whatever the case may be, the Thor rumble before those answers will be entertaining.
The conversation doesn’t stop there. What do you wanna talk about from this issue?
Retcon Punch 
Urgh, this story just keeps going on and on. What has happened with the pacing this arc? I swear, these last two issues could easily have been combined together. Just far, far too much time spent with Volstagg destroying everything, with its impact lessened with each panel. It reaches the point that when Jane finally shows up, I’m bored. I was so excited for this arc, thought it was a fantastic idea. But nothing is happening.
Made worse by the choice of Schiti. This book has usually been excellent with its artist changes, using them in story motivated ways while giving Dauterman the time to rest and prepare the next major arc. You would expect this to be the case with Schiti, but instead of finding the right artist for the War Thor, it feels like he’s just trying to just going for generic and safe, the artistic equivalent of filler. It is All New Guardians of the Galaxy 8 all over again
The addition of a second Thor, in a book all around people other than Odinson becoming Thor, is a truly fantastic idea. The fact that this arc has just become exhausting is so frustrating. At least the next arc looks like a return to form