The Immortal Thor #9 Review

Written by: Al Ewing
Art by: Ibraim Roberson
Colors by: Matthew Wilson
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Alex Ross
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: April 3, 2024

The Immortal Thor #9 takes the concept of meta-commentary to new heights (or depths) when Thor confronts the Minotaur in charge of Roxxon and finds his life is no longer entirely his own.

Is The Immortal Thor #9 Good?

In The Immortal Thor #9, you get the overwhelming feeling Al Ewing is trying to make a statement about an assortment of topics, including the corporatization of Marvel as a company that now prioritizes profit and product over art and storytelling. You may or may not agree with Ewing, but he’s trying very hard to get multiple across with all the subtlety of a brick to the face.

When last we left Thor, he confronted Gaea to find out why she unlocked the gate separating Utgard from the other realms. Cutting through the Shakespearean pontificating, Gaea is sick of humanity making a mess, so she unleashes her fellow Elder Gods to wipe everyone out if they don’t get their act together. Powerless to stop Gaea, Thor chooses to prove her wrong by confronting one of the most nefarious capitalists on the planet, the Minotaur in charge of Roxxon, Dario Agger.

Now, Dario explains that he has no intention of changing anything because he wants the world to come to an end, leaving only a very elite and wealthy pocket of humanity in a controlled dome that he runs. When Dario gives Thor a virtual tour of the prototype dome and the desolate future (projected), Thor starts to realize his mind is clouded and his muscles are weakened.

After a brief fight against Dario’s allies, Enchantress and Skurge, the truth comes out. Thor once permitted to have his life story turned into comics, and the storytelling is taking his life away from him in favor of a new Thor created in Roxxon’s image.

What’s great about The Immortal Thor #9? To Ewing’s credit, the pace picks up significantly in this issue. Now that we know Gaea is the source of the recent troubles and old enemies are encouraged to take advantage of Gaea’s plan, Thor faces a battle of the mind, will, and strength on multiple fronts to save humanity. The criticism I had of the early issue is the lack of clear direction and purpose for this series, but Ewing has now rectified that lack.

What’s not so great about The Immortal Thor #9? Meta-commentary CAN work when done right, but going overboard can quickly turn convoluted and messy, as it does here. Ewing tries to make scathing points about everything from the environment to unfettered consumerism to the replacement of art with “content” and “product” and every related topic in between. It gets to be too much because your mind instinctively wants to grasp the point under the allegory, but you’ve barely got hold of one idea before Ewing pushes you to another.

Further, the tonal shift from epic-like poems and mythology to this tone, whatever you call it, is ridiculously jarring.

How’s the art? Hats off to Roberson for pulling together a comic with a weird collection of characters, settings, and delusions. It may seem like a standard issue, but there’s some artistic flexing going on here that should be appreciated.

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 #9 takes a jarring left turn from epic poem storytelling into a meta commentary railing against corporations, consumerism, and Marvel itself. Some readers may find Ewing’s allegorical points intriguing, but the the net result is a muddy reading experience.