Thor #30

[Cable]

You would be mad too if you found out Thanos tried to beat up your grandpa

Full Spoilers:

Spoiler: show

Thor and Runa seem to be witnessing a scene from the past as Brun is resisting orders from Bor to destroy the men and Draugr on the battlefield. He insults her and tosses her aside as he turns to a mage and tells him to do it in order to stop Thanos. The mage says it isn't certain to work and Bor says the presence of this person from another time proves it must work. Bor then faces Thanos in hand-to-hand combat. Runa recalls she was defending the western front at this time and was recalled to face Thanos. Before she got there the volcano exploded and destroyed the battlefield. Some close to the mountain were shielded from the blast and Runa thinks Thanos was not one of them. Thor says to trust him that Thanos survived. Runa relates to Thor how Bor never trusted the Valkyries because of how they had dual loyalty--serving him but also serving the dead. Thor notices some creatures in the cave that look like flying fish and asks what they are but Runa doesn't tell him. They then come under attack by Draugr, who are hunting and consuming the 'fish'. Runa reveals the 'fish' are memories and the Draugr are scavengers for the scraps that remain after a soul dies. Thor questions why the souls are not in the afterlife and Runa says Bor's mages theorized that like dead bodies can fertilize a field, souls torn apart could provide powerful magical energy. It takes great power to tear a soul apart though and Bor used the shell of the Galactus seed as tinder within the flames of the mountain. They pass by a mirror and Runa sees images of the dead warriors. Thor sees something else that makes his blood freeze but doesn't say what. He rushes forward to find Laussa, who Corvus Glaive has been blood-letting in an effort to break the mystical seal on the door under the mountain. The volcano begins shaking and erupting as he strikes the door with his weapon. Thor arrives and Corvus threatens to kill the girl. Runa meanwhile warns that more Draugr are emerging from the nearby water pool. Corvus now wants to try with Thor's blood but before he gets a chance wolves formed of lightning flow forth from Thor and attack the villain. Thor does not know how this effect happened and Runa is concerned about how the magic here is affecting them and says they need to get out. Thor grabs Laussa and hands her to Runa but she puts the child down as she must fight the Draugr. Laussa seems to remember these events currently happening as being from the past, and remembers that the glaive weapon is important and as she picks it up not to be afraid of the hidden quiet woman. Meanwhile Thor says to Corvus that there are fates worse than death and the villain says "not anymore." The lightning wolves kill Corvus though Thor did not want this to happen. Runa has defeated the Draugr and wants to leave with Laussa (the glaive is now gone) but Thor says he must know what Bor hid behind the door. He tells Runa to get out with the girl and then he places Mjolnir on the pedestal and spills his blood. The voice of Odin is pleading with Thor not to do this but he opens the door and looks within. On the final page we see a magic beetle has left the cavern to relate the events to its master: Dr Doom!

I am glad Gronbekk is getting a proper turn on the full title. She has added some interesting things to the mythology in the various other Asgardian titles she has contributed to. I will say that presumably this story arc is set up by her Thanos Death Notes one-shot. I say presumably because I didn't read it and am a little lost here lol. Also this is some pretty grim reading when we see actual toddler torture. Jfc Corvus. But dang it 'secrets from the Odinson family past' is always a hook that works. I am a little perturbed that we still don't see what the secret is! I thought for sure it would be the last page shocker and instead we get ANOTHER big bad! As if Thanos wasn't enough. Maybe next issue Kang and Magneto will join in.

Fun to see a new writer get a turn but I will say I am glad Klein continues on art. Love the underground scenes with the horrifying zombies and yet beautiful spectral fish floating through. And the preview artwork at the end of the issue is fantastic! Great things are coming.

[Blackcyclops]

This has some of my favorite art out there…this feels like a horror movie at times and I like it.

Also, I want more Bor stories