The Mortal Thor #9 is a peculiar book, but I think it managed to ease the frustration I’ve felt for most of this series. I want Thor. I want medieval shenanigans with monsters and magic and, besides last month, I largely feel like I haven’t gotten that. For whatever reason, this was the month I finally accepted that while I wasn’t getting what I wanted, I think I’m actually pretty happy with what I am getting.
Shifting back from the Asgard side of things from last month, Mortal Thor #9 focuses squarely on Sigurd (Thor, for those keeping score at home) and the hole he’s managed to dig for himself. Turns out after months of disrupting the plans of those turning the wheel of power, he’s now the focus of a rather unfortunate enemy, Chen Lu, the Radioactive Man.
Marvel
I’ve been reading comics pretty regularly for the last 20+ years, but I’m not going to pretend I have more than a passing knowledge of the Radioactive Man and what he’s capable of, but if this is the character, then sign me up.
The guy is cool, calm, and calculating. He doesn’t raise his voice, he doesn’t snap, he’s a refined professional who personally extends Sigurd the professional courtesy of a chance to escape his fate. He follows that up with high confidence that he can follow through on the threats he’s making. The presence he has is amplified by wonderful coloring that makes him feel antithetical to the world Sigurd has been building over the last 9 months. It’s eerie and unnerving and cool as hell.
Marvel
The verbal exchange between the two characters takes up most of the book and, thankfully, it’s a tense and riveting conversation where it feels like Sigurd is genuinely vulnerable and outclassed in terms of power. After a quick conversation with an ally, he gets a little boost for a true edge against a walking, talking nuclear power plant.
Maybe it was the ridiculousness of seeing Thor Sigurd wearing a radioactive hazmat suit, but I think this is the moment everything clicked for me. While he looked like Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak, the intensity never dipped. This felt like a genuine David vs. Goliath battle where Sigurd was at risk, but he managed to turn it into a superhero battle in moments, giving glimpses of who he’s supposed to be. I found those moments compelling and charming and making the wait for true Thor to be all the more worth it.
Marvel
I praised the way Radioactive Man was written, but Sigurd was written well too, with snappy, but measured responses that really made him feel like he was confident, respectful, but still unaware of what his life is becoming. That naïveté couldn’t be further from the tone of his supporting cast, which made the whole thing feel like that interactive play that used to run in LA, Point Break Live!; everyone knows their lines and their marks, except Thor Sigurd. This adds an extra layer of meta-narrative for the book, the stories within stories angle from the previous volume.
Instead of being frustrated I’m not getting the Thor I feel I want, I’m finally happy to accept the Sigurd I’m getting. The clean but detailed lines from Pasqual Ferry add so much to the breakneck speed of this issue – even the wonderfully written talking head segments bounce and flow easily from the stylized faces of familiar characters presented in new and interesting ways. I miss the weirdness of the realms balanced by the seriousness of Asgard, but when viewed holistically there’s something about the slow burn approach that finally clicked for me. The Mortal Thor #9 was a turning point for me that raised it several spots closer to the top of my reading list when it comes out.
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