• 
• 
• 

 

Taking a rather ambitious approach to the god of thunder, THE GOD BUTCHER follows not just the Thor that most people are already familiar with, the one in the present-day Marvel Universe, but also the Thor of over 1,000 years ago and the Thor of the distant future. The series weaves the stories of these three Thors together, creating the epic of Gorr, the God Butcher, and his quest to end divinity.

In the present, a visit to an alien world leads Thor to the discovery of a murdered pantheon, their tortured eyes a reminder of something from his own history. In the past, Thor confronts the same entity that killed the gods on the alien world, a creature capable of killing immortals. In the future, King Thor rules over an empty Asgard, the last god spared by Gorr's theistic cleansing of the universe. Slowly the stories begin to overlap and a linked narrative is formed, one that ultimately leads the Thor of the present through time in his quest to stop Gorr from killing any more gods.

The artwork in this volume is impressive, depicted with a scale and scope that leads a touch of the sublime to the pages. The Thor shown here is a god, and while that can be difficult to convey without making him seem alien, the art does most of the heavy lifting, imbuing him with power and grace. The world shakes at the claps of thunder, and blood spills from the strikes of his axe. Faces are expressive and appropriate, alien worlds and locations given strange and godly proportions and looks. This is a beautiful series, filled with the contrast of light and darkness.

The coloring tends to be more subdued throughout, dominated by darkness, which gives the art a murky quality at times and made it a little difficult to see what was going on in certain places, especially when Gorr was around, as the God Butcher tended to leech the light from the panels. Still, the story is itself rather dark, the mystery of Gorr murky, so if it was a stylistic choice, it at least works with the themes of the book.

The story itself is full of action and high concepts, the Thor depicted one that flies through the galaxy and not just the skies of Midgard. The three iterations of Thor all hold up nicely, remaining distinct and interesting. Past Thor is arrogant and brash; present Thor noble and strong; and King Thor weary and bitter. Each has a distinct voice and yet they all feel and sound like Thor. The story itself, a sort of murder mystery spread across three timelines, is complex and satisfying, though the volume doesn't resolve anything, instead teasing that answers will have to wait for the next collection.

For long-time fans of the Thor comics, this volume might seem like a departure from previous runs, casting Thor's divinity as intrinsic to his character. It is a side of him that is not often shown while he stands next to his fellow Avengers. Even Iron Man, in his brief appearance in the volume, admits to not being comfortable with Thor the god. For new fans, though, possibly lured in by the movies, the volume picks right up, showing both a young and cocky Thor alongside the more measured man he becomes as he learns his father's lessons. For everyone, though, the volume has a lot to offer and spins an original and creative take on the character and setting.

And in the end, THE GOD BUTCHER delivers what it promises, which is a great Thor story. It is no mistake that the series is called GOD OF THUNDER, as it is in that role that Thor tackles Gorr and the dangers he represents. And even with three distinct Thors, the story comes across as focused and kinetic, full of memorable visuals and dialogue. When the curtain falls, it is with the promise of more carnage to come, the first taste of what will hopefully be a consistently great series.

• 
• 
•