The Immortal Thor #1 Review

Written by: Al Ewing
Art by: Martín Cóccolo
Colors by: Matthew Wilson
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Alex Ross (cover A)
Cover price: $6.99
Release date: August 22, 2023

The Immortal Thor #1 regales ye, gentle readers, with tales of yon Thunderer and his fellow warriors. What songs of honor and merry will ye make when the bygone Bifrost is restored, and the All-Father’s might is tested by a greater Thunderer than he!?

Is It Good?

If you read the description above, Al Ewing is going all in on making The Immortal Thor #1 as mythical and epic-sounding as possible. Largely, Ewing succeeds in the opening of a tale that reads more like a Beowulf-inspired poem than an MCU-inspired chuckle fest. If nothing else, Ewing gets a thumbs up on the vibe and tone.

Ewing’s script centers on Thor and his Warriors Four (the Warriors Three plus Hildegarde the Valkyrie) living their best lives as they defend the ten realms against frost giants and all sorts of familiar threats. Thor appears to be taking his role and responsibilities as All-Father seriously, earning the praise and respect of his peers and subjects.

One day, Loki shows up with a gift – a magic staff that will restore the destroyed Bifrost aka the Rainbow Bridge. The staff does the trick, but before Thor can thank Loki, the trickster vanishes. Thor uses the restored bridge to return to Earth and enjoy the friendship of humanity. When a nasty storm gathers over NYC, Thor’s attempts to dispel the lightning are thrown back in his face as Toranos the Utgar-Thor has come to shake Midgard (Earth) to its core.

If you peel back the tone and atmosphere, the plot is pretty straightforward. Loki shows up with a suspicious gift, the gift is reluctantly accepted, and mayhem ensues. That pretty much lays out the entirety of Loki and Thor’s relationship, so you won’t find any surprises there.

What is a surprise is the epic feeling of this first issue. The bigness of it all. Ewing swings for the fences attempting to create a Thor story that feels mythological in scope and scale, and Ewing’s efforts pay off.

How’s the art? Amazing. Martín Cóccolo’s facial acting, dramatic camera angles, and use of perspective add to the size of Ewing’s story. Wonder of wonders, you even get a few splash pages to capitalize on the epic scale of the story.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

The Immortal Thor #1 swings for the fences with an epic tale in tone, scale, and atmosphere to deliver a Thor tale worthy of Asgard. Ewing goes all in by taking the material, and Thor, seriously with a realm-destroying threat, and the art is amazing.