After two full issues and a prologue chapter, it's clear that Everything Burns is not overly friendly to Thor fans who have only been reading The Mighty Thor. This crossover is building on seeds laid mainly in Journey Into Mystery, to the point where many of the key developments in this chapter might go completely over the heads of those who haven't been reading JIM. And it certainly isn't welcoming for those hoping to dive into the Thor franchise head first. That said, the crossover is a thrilling read for the initiated and an example of how to handle event-level storylines. And really, if you haven't been reading JIM before now, you deserve whatever miseries life chooses to heap upon you.
The previous chapter of Everything Burns set the stakes marvelously high, as it seemed Loki and Thor were untied against the entirety of Asgardia. Kieron Gillen and Matt Fraction step back from that ledge somewhat, allowing Thor to play the diplomat for once. That's not to say the writers don't deliver some enjoyable moments of Thor beating on his allies, but the focus quickly shifts towards mounting a united assault on Surtur's forces. I didn't mind the change of focus, except that the overall sense of plot progression is a bit lacking compared to the previous two chapters. Also slightly disappointing is that the writers gloss over the battles raging across the Nine Realms, with many only unfolding across a single, hurried panel.
Regardless, there's plenty of juicy material to dive into with this chapter. A new flashback scene explores the fallout of Odin's arranged marriage ad how it didn't exactly patch up relations between the Aesir and Vanir as planned. There's also some more heart-wrenching interaction between Thor and Loki. As much as this material might be redundant in light of the previous chapter's Thor/Loki scenes, their bond really forms the heart and emotional center of this storyline. And then there's the twist ending. This image sums up my reaction best:
As before, Alan Davis is the artist tackling the Mighty Thor side of the crossover. Unfortunately, the transition from Davis to Carmine di Giandomenico and back is less than smooth. I really wish the editors could have found two artists whose styles are more of a match. Still, it's hard to complain about seeing Davis tackle the Thor universe again, even if it's only for half of a story. He captures all the emotional drama and epic action the writers throw at him. This is the best The Mighty Thor has looked since Olivier Coipel helped launch the series.
Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. He can't wait until he's old enough to feel ways about stuff. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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