Thor : The World Eaters - A lighter Thor book

Written by Matt Fraction

Art by Pasqual Ferry

Matt Fraction brings in his signature nerdy wit to Thor. The premise and the setting reminded me of the second Thor film, with Dr. Eric(Quantum Cosmologist) constantly questioning the science/magic of Nine Realms and propounding his own theories from time to time which question God Logic. The art complements the casual writing, with colors taking prominence to in depth sketches.

There is good amount of portion spent on Odin in the second half of the book, almost pushing Thor to sidelines. (Kid)Loki features too but is mostly a device. Coming to The World Eaters, they are not very well written, and mostly act as a reason for Odin to get angry and wield his not-so-niceties.

I quite liked the book, coming off from Jason Aaron’s Thor books, as Fraction makes it hit closer to home(no, literally, as Asgard is in Broxton, Oklahoma in the events post Seige) with goofy lines and panels that jump at you with wit. Iron Man also features in a nice cameo involving science and nerdy banter(what else!).

The story oscillates between Asgard(ruled now by Kind Balder) and Midgard/Broxton. Like all good books, characters often die and come back to life leading to some poignant sequences.

There is a nice add on story on the Grey Gargoyle written by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning & Mark Brooks, which complements the mood here, although it has more Thor-like dialog and mood than the one Fraction writes. There is also an interview with Fraction at the end where he talks about the positioning of this book in the Thor universe.

Movie companion

The Avengers Assemble and How!

Joss Whedon's The Avengers is all that you prayed for, and more. Thankfully the 'more' is more words than action. For such an anticipated superhero tentpole, Whedon keeps it nicely grounded. Almost all of the first half is build-up, and the conclusion has some intelligently woven interactions amidst all the earth(Manhattan) shattering set-pieces. While some sequences moved as I had expected(thank you, Mr. Impatient Trailer-Man!), some were surprisingly well-crafted- the confrontations, the minutely detailed and precise back-arcs, the interconnections, the self-references really make this one a balanced and satisfying blockbuster, quite a rarity.

Whedon makes you sit through long conversations(usual dysfunctional family stuff but with costumes)and lets you relax and work your geek-logic out while the newbies are still trying to figure out who is who. His affinity for few characters(Black Widow, Cap) is pretty visible here and lends an individual voice to the genre which is fresh and not Nolan(what more could a Silver Age fan want?!). Cap definitely leaves an impression, with all his out-of-place-ness, and that's all credit to the writers and Whedon. It is easy to make an Iron Man or Agent Coulson look cool(they are, aren't they?) but fleshing out arcs for a Hawkeye(why should we care about him anyway) or Natasha Romanoff and her 'red ledger'? Interesting stuff. Having said that, the money shots do make you leap from the seat and revel in what may be the only few films to bring the head-rush on screen this year, Spidey and Bats may take a hike in darker realms.

Poster Courtesy: Rhys Cooper