Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman take the Marvel world by storm with their new run in Thor #1, introducing us all to the the goddess of thunder. With the first 3 issues now available for your delectation, how have this creative team tackled creating an all-new character who is much more than just a ‘Lady Thor’?

Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Russell Dauterman
Price: £2.49 each from Comixology

Let’s begin by dispersing some myths around the new Thor. The old Thor is known as the Odinson and he’s off having his own adventures for the time being. Think of Thor as a title being handed down rather than a name as such.

The first issue of Thor #1 sees the Odinson angsting on the moon over the loss of his worthiness. The new Thor doesn’t turn up until the very last page of the comic, so if you haven’t read it, you didn’t miss out on much, apart from the huge tantrum Odin throws upon being sassed by Mjolnir.

It is disappointing to see that the goddess of thunder has been designed as a slight, blonde, elfin-type with a boob plate and dainty limbs. There’s even a gap below her boob plate if that wasn’t sexy enough. Get your act together Dauterman, she’s a warrior! While boob plates might look nice to some, they’re wholly impractical when it comes to protecting one’s organs. At least the Odinson is wearing a lot less than he used to, what with no shirt or armour, so at least we have that balance between the two characters in terms of sexiness.

However, visual aesthetics aside, her discovering how being Thor works is amusing as it is interesting. In issue 2, we see the warrior head to Midgard to do battle with the ever present frost giants. She first has to learn how to fly using Mjolnir. You may also notice that when Thor speaks out loud, it’s in the Asgardian text and lexis-style, but her inner thoughts are her normal, every-day voice. Issue 3 sees her separated from Mjolnir and this is where we learn about the limitations of that separation which is an interesting look into how deep the relationship between being Thor and wielding Mjolnir actually runs.

We still don’t know who she is, even at the end of issue 3. Does the writer plan on ever revealing her true identity? This would be a nice round-off to the series if her identity is kept secret as she won’t be “that lady who was Thor” but just “Thor”. You don’t have to call her “She-Thor” or “Lady Thor”, Thor is now a gender neutral title and Aaron has done such a great job in making this so. In fact, the creative team behind the change have treated the subject matter with such respect that it feels completely natural. Genitals do not a Thor make!

Overall, the first 3 issues of Thor have been really interesting in terms of building up her character and also revealing to the reader just how the relationship between Thor and Mjolnir works. Her characterisation in just these issues truly shows how skilled Aaron is with the written word. Combine that with some truly stunning artwork – visual aesthetic rant aside – and Thor is one comic you should definitely pick up month after month.

“While the plot-side of the new Thor is a little slow, the characterisation and relationship between Mjolnir and Thor is an interesting read. Praise be to Aaron for writing Thor as a complete entity rather than just as a woman.”