The next immortal retelling of another Marvel legend by Al Ewing is finally here. Ewing is joined by Martin Cóccolo on art, Matt Wilson on colors, and who else but Alex Ross on main cover art duties for this week’s IMMORTAL HULK #1. The final handful of issues from the previous Thor series went out with a whimper after a last minute creative team swap due to unfortunate events completely out of anyone’s control so it was refreshing to see much needed stability brought on for the God of Thunder.

There are few creators who can elevate such popular characters to even grander heights the way Ewing can and his abilities are on full display in this debut issue which gives it’s titular hero the gravitas he’s sorely missed. The story picks up with Thor in the improved mental state in his role as the new All-Father that Ewing first introduced in the backup story from THOR ANNUAL 2023 #1. Thanks to Ewing’s script, Cóccolo’s drawings and Matthew Wilson’s colors, the first scenes offer an immediate sense of epicness that continues throughout the entire book. Thor gets an early “hero” moment where he deals with a group of Frost Giants threatening Asgard.

I appreciated Ewing’s dialogue between Thor and Loki, whose appearance leaves more questions than answers. The brothers have a colorful past, but Ewing’s script highlights the mutual respect the two have formed over the years even when they don’t have the same goals in mind. Loki uses a new form of magic he’s acquired to repair the Bifrost, which likely serves as a way to get the bridge fixed early on in the series and set up a future plot point for the tricker that Ewing will explore. Martin’s colors on the pages featuring the Bifrost are simply stunning.

With the bridge repaired, Thor travels to Midgard where he gets to experience a separate life in his mother’s realm. Ewing writes a really wonderful juxtaposition between his role as All Father on Asgard and as Avenger on Earth. We get to see what brings him joy, as well as understand what causes him angst, in both realms. It’s on Midgard where Thor’s peace is interrupted by Toranos, the first major threat Thor will face in this new series. Cóccolo and Martin’s art serves as a truly jaw-dropping introduction to the villain in an awesome two-page spread. The book’s ending teases who’s behind Toranos’ attack on Thor in Midgard and indicates things aren’t going to get any easier for Thor in the near future.

IMMORTAL THOR #1 is the work of creators at the top of their game. While light on action, the issue pays respect to the decades of Thor mythos that laid the foundation for the characters and worlds we’ll explore and instantly establishes a palpable level of grandeur. We’re only one issue in yet this already has the makings of an instant classic equal to Ewing’s IMMORTAL HULK.

Rating: 10/10 more

Thor is my favorite Marvel character so I was pretty excited for this. Ewing put a lot of pressure on himself with the name, and I would say the book isn't quite as immediately shockingly good as that firs tissue was. But how could it be? Expectations are there now, whereas Immortal Hulk seemed to come out of almost nowhere.

That's enough for comparisons though because this was really great and probably my favorite Thor number 1 since God of Thunder so it deserves to stand on its own no matter how good the previous titles it draws from were. There's a clear interest in what came before (Matt Fraction's run gets a reference! No one references that anymore!) but its not beholden to the same beats that the book has been about for the past ten years. I think that alone is its greatest strength; as much as I adored the Aaron run (its one of, if not my number one superhero run ever), we don't need another story about worthiness or anything like that.

Art is really strong, and Matt Wilson continues to be the absolute hero to the Thor series. His consistently great work has given all the disparate artists over the years a bit of unity and I can't be more happy to see him continuing on with the book. The Utgard-Thor in particular has this great, different look to its coloring and art that makes it feel like its truly not a part of this world. Hopefully Wilson, Coccolo (this was my first real exposure to his work as I missed a bunch of Banner of War) and Ewing are in it for the long run. The last run had its moments but real life got in the way a lot. This seems like the follow up to Aaron's saga I always wanted; big, new and exciting. Its a great time to be a Thor fan. more

Wow, Al Ewing has me strapped in already. There have been plenty of Thor #1's in the last decade, but this has a different feel. Tonally, it brought back memories of the short but memorable Thor: The Mighty Avenger run. It's somewhat of a surprise, but a welcome one to see a far more jovial (comic version, not MCU) Thor. It's quite intentional once you read Al Ewing's afterword and I'm all for it.

Beyond that, Thor is carrying himself as an all-father should and this comic serves as a solid introduction to this version of Thor we'll be seeing for the foreseeable future. Plus, the classic is icing on the cake. Martin Coccolo knocks it out of the park too! And thanks to my local shop giving me a copy day early, woo! Rating of 9 for the level of current optimism I have for future issues. more