Rating: 4/5 – Telling Angela’s Origin as a Part of the Marvel Universe.
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
When news first broke that Angela would be Thor and Loki’s long lost sister, it took a lot of fans by surprise. Not only because of the ramifications of what it means for Thor and Asgard, but the way it was announced as well. Angela’s Marvel Universe relationship to Thor and Loki was announced at a panel at the C2E2 comic convention, rather than in the pages of Thor or even in an origin series dedicated to Angela herself. Although the big reveal had been spoiled in terms of the sibling relationships, the whole story was going to be told through a five part series with ties to Marvel’s big Original Sin event.
Writer Jason Aaron and Al Ewing have been given the task to make this relationship, and Angela’s past fit seamlessly into the Marvel Universe. So far with this first issue, they seem to know what they’re doing. After a small recap that shows recent Original Sin events, Thor has a vision of a sister he never knew. From there we get the history of just where Angela came from and and how the tenth realm of Asgard disappeared. The story flows smoothly and never feels forced. The origin scene is told by Thor’s own mother which made the story feel personal and grounded, adding an emotional piece to these all-powerful gods. You feel the sadness from Thor’s mother, and you feel Odin’s rage and consequences of his actions. Aaron and Ewing have humanized these gods, making them relatable. The story also delivers with Aaron and Ewing including all the major players of Asgard. Thor, Loki, Odin, the All-Mother and Asgard itself all make significant appearances and add value to the tale. Although we don’t get to see too much of Angela in this story, I’m sure future issues will rectify that as we start to see her side of the story.
Lee Garbett handles the majority of the art and does a good job of making everything seem majestic, and the characters look regal. His Thor seems as large and imposing as he should be while his takes on both the young and old Loki are spot on, making them both look their age. Garbett’s pencils can look a bit too clean at times with all the fighting and wars going on in Asgard, but overall Garbett does a great job. My only issue with the art comes at a point where Thor and Loki enter the tenth realm and for a single two-page splash Simone Bianchi takes over. Although the splash is beautiful and gives the tenth realm a wondrous and magical look, it breaks up the flow of Garbett’s pencils, taking you out of the story since Garbett comes right back on the next page. I’m not sure the difference in artist was necessary for the story, and it seemed like an odd choice to make for consistency’s sake.
This first issue does what it needs to do by setting up Angela’s origin and her world, and having it fit into the overall Marvel Universe. If you were turned off by the thought of Angela being related to Thor and including her background into that of Asgard’s, you should think again. Jason Aaron and Al Ewing have a solid and well thought out plan so far, executing it nicely within this first issue. There’s still quite a bit of story left in this series, but if this first issue is any indication of what’s to come, this will be one of the better stories to come out of the Original Sin event.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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