From the Ashes Valkyrie #1 Arises
If you’ve been paying attention to any comic releases from Marvel of late, you’ve probably heard of Jane Foster’s new series. Here to kick off the dramatic change to a fan favorite is Valkyrie #1.
Following the events in War of the Realms, Jane Foster’s character faces a new and major chain again. If you’ve been following her character or the War of the Realms plot, you’re already well aware. If you haven’t been following it, you should consider this review full of spoilers for her plot arc.
War of the Realms left us off with Jane Foster in the face of something new. She still had fractured pieces of the War Hammer…but they fused with her. Altering somehow. Jane Foster became something new through that and her sheer determination in the face of grief. She became the last Valkyrie. That is not just a title for Jane; she is truly a Valkyrie. And that comes with more of a job than she had ever expected.
The timing for Valkyrie #1 is perfect, given the news about the next Thor movie (Thor: Love and Thunder). I can’t help but feel like they’ve been planning this one for a while now. Still, no complaints here!
Writing
The second I heard that Jason Aaron would be involved in this project, I knew that Jane Foster was safe. Having Al Ewing join the project was icing on the cake. Together, these two take on a whole new adventure for Jane. A character that has been seeing a lot of changes of late.
There were a lot of expectations riding on Valkyrie #1. It immediately follows War of the Realms – one of the biggest Marvel plots in recent years. For another, it deals with a character who has been through a lot in the past few years. She’s battled cancer, taken up the mantle of Thor, lost the mantle, lost her life, been brought back to life, joined the War of the Realms, and now this? To be fair, if anyone has earned her right to become a full-time Marvel hero, it’s Jane Foster. Jason Aaron worked very hard on that point.
My point is that Valkyrie #1 did, in fact, live up to the expectations of that buildup. Being a Valkyrie isn’t the same as being Thor. A fact that Jane is going to have to learn. But she’s also the last Valkyrie, so maybe that’ll give her some liberty to turn the mantle into something of her own. Only time will tell on that part.
Aaron and Ewing made a lot of smart decisions for the new series. For starters, they’ve pulled in a lot of established and supportive characters to get the series off the ground. I’m sure Jane will get her own set of antagonists in time, but the stability is appreciated for now. And it really lets us focus on Valkyrie and learning her new ability set.
I love that they’ve shown us the difference between being a Valkyrie and being a Thor already. I also love that they’re handling the title (job) with so much respect. Especially considering how often these characters get overlooked in times of peace.
Art
If you enjoyed the cover of Valkyrie #1, then the odds are good you’ll love the artwork inside. I know I did. Cafu and Jesus Aburtov joined up to bring us the first issue of Valkyrie, and they did a wonderful job.
Here, they had to make one character have two distinct looks: Jane Foster and Valkyrie. That’s not easy, especially when they still want the characters to look similar enough to be believable. They also had to portray a new ability set (which I won’t spoil here). And they did an excellent job of it.
Conclusion
Having read Valkyrie #1, I can see why they built up so much for it. This has been a long journey for Jane Foster. And a long journey for her fans, too, for that matter. But it has been a blast. This series is the perfect follow-up for any fan of the Goddess of Thunder.
They made many smart decisions for the first issue in the series. And I expect that they’ll continue to make similar decisions. That said, I can’t wait to see how Jane handles the new…dilemma thrown her way.
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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