WOTN Review: Thor: The Worthy #1 (Marvel)

A Memorable Reunion in Thor: The Worthy #1

In celebration of all the fears that Marvel and Thor have accomplished, Marvel has decided to put out one seriously memorable issue. Enter Thor: The Worthy #1. This issue brings together some of our favorite contributors to the world of Thor while giving others a chance to shine as well.

Writers Walter Simonson, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, and Kathryn Immonen are all back for this issue. And apparently, their stories aren’t done. In Thor: The Worthy #1, you’re going to find three different stories/

Fan favorites such as Beta Ray Bill. Eric Masterson and Sif are both allowed to shine on this issue. And it might just leave fans wishing they all had their own series. Then again, when don’t we feel that way?

Beyond the Field We Know

Thor: The Worthy #1 is split into three parts, as I mentioned above. The first part is ‘Beyond the Field We Know…‘ written by Walter Simonson. And this is probably one of the plots fans have been most looking forward to. After all, Simonson is a big name in the world of Thor.

Beta Ray Bill and Lady Sif in the same plot? Yes, please! It’s wonderful to see these two together again thanks to Simonson’s writing. This plot is fun and charming and honestly feels right at home with the lore of Thor.

And then there’s the artwork for this story. Mike Hawthorne (pencils), Sal Buscema (ink), Tamra Bonvillain (colors), and John Workman (letters) all had a part to play here. And they make for a fantastic team, if I may say so.

Hearts of Stone, Feet of Clay

The dynamic duo Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz stepped up to work on the next plot in this issue, ‘Hearts of Stone, Feet of Clay,’ another heavy hitter for this creative team. This plot embodies the struggles any character has had to deal with when trying to carry the mantle.

Fans of Eric Masterson will love this short story, if for no other reason than getting a chance to see him again. Though the whole plot is steeped in some glorious nostalgia. The writing and the artwork feel like complete throwbacks, which fits the character.

DeFalco and Frenz were the lead artists as well as authors, and they worked alongside Keith Williams (ink), Rachelle Rosenberg (colors), and VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). And they all did a brilliant job of making this look like a comic from the past. Honestly, I had to double-check the artists and release date because it could have fooled me!

Rule for Reflection

The last plot in Thor: The Worthy #1 touches upon the most recent character to pick up the mantle of Thor: Jane Foster. Though don’t worry. Lady Sif makes her cameo as well. Rule for Reflection was written by Kathryn Immonen and is but a moment in time for Jane’s run as Thor.

Where the other two plots might have been more somber, this one had more amusing tones woven throughout. And that’s thanks partly to a subplot that occurred early on in Jane’s series (fans can probably make a few guesses about what). And that made it the perfect ending to this collection.

Tom Reilly (art), Chris O’Halloran (colors), and Cowles (letters) were all involved as well, and while this artwork is probably the most modern-looking plot of the bunch, it still seems to fit in well with the others.

Conclusion

Thor: The Worthy #1 is an interestingly timed issue when you consider everything that has and will be happening in Thor’s plot arc. Seeing all Thor mantles and characters in one issue like this was fun and might even leave people wondering what will be next for Thor.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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