Donny Cates and Nic Klein continue to deliver! If the first two issues weren’t enough of an indication that Cates was bringing his A-game, then this third issue has solidified that. As teased at the end of Thor #2, Beta Ray Bill has shown up to stop Thor in his tracks and let’s just say, that that brotherhood is heavily tested!
Quick Recap of Thor #2:
Thor and Galactus have landed on the planet Clypse, the first of five stops for The Devourer of Worlds. Galactus and his new Herald of Thunder, Thor have embarked on a quest to feed Galactus’ hunger in order to attain power so he can fight against the Black Winter. But Galactus and his Herald of Thunder have been butting heads and are not seeing eye to eye. Despite Thor’s willingness to aid Galactus in his quest for power, Thor refuses to follow any of Galactus’ orders. As he sees himself too much of a God, to obey the likes of Galactus.
Can you blame the guy? He is now the God-King of Asgard and Thor doesn’t take that title lightly.
Gunna go ahead and drop a spoiler warning right here:
Enter Beta Ray Bill who has embarked on his own quest to stop Galactus, for what he presumes is Galactus corrupting and unwilling Thor. Since Galactus has taken Beta’s people, he refuses to allow Galactus to take another person he considers one of his own. Unfortunately, this brotherhood is tested…relentlessly. And his this battle unfolds is truly beautiful!
Donny Cates displays how much he truly understands Thor’s character. Not only that, but he also displays how much he understands Beta Ray’s will and his never give up attitude. Beta is a formidable warrior and is willing to make that known to whoever stands in his way. Unfortunately, this time around, it’s Thor. Thor’s arrogance is truly captivated during this battle; which is one of Thor’s key characteristics.
Cates also captivates Thor’s sense of Asgardian pride and entitlement which is another key characteristic of Thor. It’s truly beautiful to see this battle unfold and how much Asgardian Pride both warriors carry. But the way Nic Klein illustrates this battle is utterly amazing! Cates and Klein really shine and complement each other so well during this intense battle. More specifically, and this is probably the panel/page that sticks out to me the most in this issue. In a nice call back to Thor: Ragnarok, ala Hela.
Beta Ray Bill stops Mjolnir in its tracks with his bare hand. It suddenly becomes a “test your might” style tug-of-war between these two hammer-wielding giants and neither of them is backing down. Until Thor calls upon Stormbreaker and completely smashes it to smithereens when he slams it against Mjolnir. And this splash page alone is masterfully illustrated as well. This is a scene that I can only hope to see play out in live-action at some point in time in the near future.
Thor has now defeated Beta Ray Bill and has driven the point home that he has willingly chosen to help Galactus on his quest to stop the Black Winter. And if you want to stop Galactus, you’ll have to go through him. This run on Thor has so many things going for it and it just gets better and better with every issue. Whether its Thor and Galactus butting heads over Galactus being able to fully devour a planet along with its inhabitants. Or Thor fighting against his former allies.
This series has found the perfect balance of storytelling, action, and drama. I couldn’t have asked for a better Thor run since Jason Aaron’s last run on Thor. As I keep mentioning, Donny Cates just has a knack for taking already established characters and giving them that extra hmph, while adding his own unique touch of creativity to make his run on a specific character(s) stand out from the others. It’s truly great.
Thor #3 is available now. Thor #4 arrives next month where we will see a battle against two fellow Asgardians. It’s Thor vs Lady Sif! Who will come out on top?