CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 4/5 – The Secret Origin of Mjolnir.
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
So after reading the twelfth issue of Thor, I’m not sure how I feel about what I read. Was the story extremely entertaining? Yes. Was the art at times stunning? Yes. Did we need an origin of Mjolnir other than what we knew before? I’m still not sure and without more of the story I’m now more confused because of some the questions that are still left unanswered. There is no doubt though that writer Jason Aaron and artists Russell Dauterman and Frazer Irving have crafted a wonderful and almost mythological tale, but I’m still not sure if it adds to or confuses what we’ve known before.
In the last couple issues of Thor, S.H.I.E.L.D. has come to suspect that Thor and Jane Foster are one and the same. In a strange and very DC “Silver Age-ish” kind of moment, the Hammer Mjolnir takes the form of Jane Foster to throw the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents off the scent, which led into this issue of explaining just how the hammer could do that. Dauterman handles the art duties in the present day where Jane is is being hurtled through space by Mjolnir to what is essentially the library of the gods where she finds a book explaining just how the hammer came to be.
Without going into spoilers the origin is completely strange, but in some ways makes a whole lot of sense with what we’ve seen the hammer do since its inception. Irving’s art for the origin here is fitting for the tale and it really feels operatic in its grandeur. There are certain consistencies that we know to be true such as the dwarves still crafting the weapon, but even that goes much deeper than what we’ve known before.
It is towards the end of the issue where the story seems to contradict what we thought we knew, but it could also be that Jason Aaron hasn’t finished telling this story and may be waiting for future stories to continue this origin. Either way, this is still a great comic, but it’s something you may have mixed feelings about. I know I do. If you think you know what Mjolnir is, you need to think again and read this issue to find out more!
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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