The “God Of Hammers” story arc has lived up to its name as Donny Cates and Nic Klein have been delivering another epic tale in Thor. Thor #22 is arguably one of the bigger issues of the franchise as Odin met his end in order for Thor to unlock the full potential of the Odin Force and transform it into the Thor-Force. Now Thor has reached an all new Godly level as he wields the full power of the All-Father of Asgard in a new golden form. Will this be enough to stop the God of Hammers? Let’s find out with Thor #23.
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Nic Klein
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: A long time ago Odin finds Thor struggling to catch Mjolnir. Seeing this Odin retells a story of how the souls of the dwarves who fell during the creation of Mjolnir now reside within the hammer. When Thor asks if the same will happen to him Odin says even in death he will be what he’s always been a legend.
In the present a full powered Thor fights the God of Hammers evenly. Thor eventually, with the help of Lady Sif, summons the Bifrost to capture the God of Hammers and teleport them both to the forge where Mjolnir was born in Nidavellir.
Thor then proceeds to disarm the God of Hammers to reclaim Mjolnir. Thor then smashes Mjolnir into pieces with a powerful strike to the ground, killing the God of Hammers in the process. After using up so much power Thor passes out.
Four months later Thor hearing Odin’s voice telling him to open his eyes finally wakes up from his coma with Angela, Freyja, and Loki watching over him. Thor tries to get back to his work but Angela says they’ve already planning on holding a ceremony for Odin and they are there to help him. Angela then tells Odin to meet her in the armory.
In the armory Angela shows Thor a reforged Mjolnir that she and the Angels in Heven rebuilt it. Thor says he does not feel any magic in Mjolnir. Angela reminds him that the power in Mjolnir depends on the wielder and leaves Thor to be alone.
Thor prays to his father, admitting that he feels lost. Odin’s voice suddenly comes out of Mjolnir to tell Thor “Keep your eyes open, Boy. A King can’t rule from his knees.” End of issue.
The Good: With how monumental of a moment Odin’s death was and how it led Thor to gain full access of his All-Father powers as the Odin-Force finally became the Thor-Force there was really no time to waste. Donny Cates and Nic Klein showcased how powerful Thor in his fully powered God form truly was. It was as close to a Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan moment as we have had in a Marvel comic and it was awesome.
What made everything about the presentation of All-Father Thor work so well was how overwhelming of a foe the God of Hammers was previously established to be. Credit to Cates and Klein in building up God of Hammers as a being not even the combined might of the Avengers and Asgardians could take on. The death of Odin at the hands of the God of Hammers was what sealed the deal with how powerful of a villain it was.
Because of all that seeing how All-Father Thor was able to demolish God of Hammers was even more satisfying. Cates and Klein really put over that this is the most powerful version of Thor we’ve ever seen. At the same time they were able to show that this isn’t a form that Thor can use 100% of the time. Because as we saw, the form did put a heavy strain on Thor that after using it he was in a coma for several months. Establishing that helps inform the reader that this Godly form is only going to be used in the greatest emergencies. It all being done through the natural progression of the story made the way Thor’s new form was handled even better.
Focusing the last third of Thor #23 on the members of the Odinson Family was well done. Cates has been working on showing how important family is to Thor’s character. Even though Thor wanted to press on alone Angela, Freyja, and Loki were quick to shut him down and remind him that he has a family that is there to help him. This helps highlight how a lot of what has happened thus far in this Thor series has been because Thor is taking on everything on his own and not letting anyone in. Moving into a direction where not only Angela, Freyja, and Loki but also Lady Sif and Beta Ray Bill play bigger roles as supporting characters would be a great evolution of what has happened thus far in this series.
I particularly enjoyed how it was Angela being the sister she needed to be by showing Thor she stayed true to her word of cleaning up his messes. Not only did she reforge Mjolnir but Angela was the one to give Thor the wake up call he needed to remind him that their power isn’t with the weapons, like Mjolnir, they wield. Rather it is with their own belief in their power that makes them the Gods they are. Angela then leaving Thor alone to think about what she said all worked to put over their sibling relationship that I hope is explored more moving forward.
The development at the end with Odin spirit speaking to Thor through Mjolnir was an unexpected but an understandable development given the opening of Thor #23. Cates used this scene to reinforce the training and advice Odin gave in the flashback about Mjolnir carrying the spirit of those who forged the hammer. Which plays into how Odin says that he will continue to live on because of the legend he is, which could manifest within Mjolnir as a continuing guide for Thor.
Not enough can be said about the excellent artwork by Klein. Klein took everything that Cates wrote for characters to say to another level. The distinct personalities of Thor, Angela, Freyja, and Loki were all apparent through their facial cues. Then there is the action that Klein absolutely blows you away with how he showcases Thor’s new God form against the Kaiju sized God of Hammers. It was all some of the best artwork you will find in a comic book.
The Bad: Nothing.
Overall: Thor #23 was absolute blast. Donny Cates and Nic Klein do a wonderful job making the reader feel the weight of Odin’s death and the new power that Thor achieved in order to take down the God of Hammers. As the story concludes you are left excited for what comes next as even bigger things are on the horizon for this Thor series.
