Sometimes, violence is the only way through, as was the case in The Mortal Thor #1. The last issue ended with Thor, aka Sigurd in this new series, fighting his way through thugs who all claim to pray to the god Thor. That pissed Sigurd off, which carries over in The Mortal Thor #2, out today. Sigurd has a real problem with people who claim to believe in something, but their beliefs are horribly tainted.
The Mortal Thor #2 opens inside Kristin’s apartment, a neighbor of Sigurd. Oddly, it appears she’s penciling Sigurd’s face on an iPad, with a giant painting of Thor fighting a beast leaning on a wall nearby. Somehow, the idea of Thor permeates this world, from the thugs and their gang to Kristin. At her door is Thor, still bleeding from the fight in the last issue. By his side is “Riddle Person,” who is more than likely Loki in some form. If you feel confused, that’s okay; it’s meant to be this way.
As the story unfolds, Thor demonstrates his adeptness in areas beyond fighting, such as tending to his own wounds. He’s not going to simply clean himself up, though, but go out and make sure those thugs never mess with him again. So begins a kind of detective story, and an action frenzy at a street level. A very uncommon thing for a Thor comic, but a welcome one since he’s been centrally cosmic for so many years.
What is Loki up to?
Credit: Marvel
Once the issue steers towards the thugs and their bar, writer Al Ewing continues to pluck at our curiosity. How is it they believe in a god like Thor, and also seem to think the god inspires them to be bullies? There’s something amiss with everything, which draws your attention. Ewing also ends the issue on a continuity lover’s cliffhanger, showing that if you love Marvel history, you’ll be rewarded for reading his books.
Art by Pasqual Ferry is excellent, especially when Thor lets loose with his hammer. Instead of throwing it and guiding it back to his hand, Ferry draws it attached to a rope. Another clever way to connect this Thor to realism, yet we know he’s probably under some spell. This fight scene is exceptional, thanks to the care taken in drawing the rope and hammer as they flip this way and that. Ferry makes it seem both real and fantastic that a man who we assume never used a hammer like this is taking people out left and right. The violence also becomes a bit brutal, especially for a mainline hero like Thor, further grounding this story in a realistic setting.
The Mortal Thor #2 delivers a bold reimagining of the god of thunder, stripping away the cosmic grandeur for a raw, street-level saga. With Ewing’s layered storytelling and Ferry’s visceral art, this issue both challenges expectations and rewards readers ready for a Thor who bleeds, bruises, and battles his way through murky questions of faith and identity.
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