Review: Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 2- Godbomb

Quick Summary

Pros: This book continues with the greatness that the first book establishes and does a great job concluding this story. The art is also great and matches the tone perfectly.

Cons: Nothing of note.

Overall: This is a thrilling and very satisfying conclusion to this story arc. It provides action, adventure, and a compelling and interesting plot. It also succeeds in telling a story that manages to stand great on its own, as it does not require a lot of prior reading to appreciate. Overall, this is a great story that shows off how amazing Thor is when pitted against a well written villain.

Story

This storyline started out strong and ends just as strong in Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 2- Godbomb. Together these two volumes create an epic which makes for a fantastic read. Unfettered by continuity and not weighed down by crossovers, this story has one mission to tell a good story; Godbomb succeeds at this mission. This also means that this is the perfect story for anyone who is looking for a great story to read by itself, since you really need no prior knowledge of Thor before reading.

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Thor is on highlight in this collection in nearly every shape and form. Aaron did a great job of switching up the standard Thor story by introducing a total of three Thors, with each being just as authentic as the others. Usually different writers all end up writing Thor differently; some make him a Viking hothead while others give him deeper sage-like wisdom. By splitting Thor throughout the time-stream, Aaron was able to show all of these different aspects of Thor and show them in a way that fits into the current continuity as well. This was not only impressive but also ended up being immensely satisfying.

Although Thor was the highlight, the God Butcher may have been just as enjoyable to read. He is a very compelling villain who’s mission and message is not as simple as most. This collection tells his rather tragic origin story right away in order to place the audience in the same position Thor is in; they can understand and actually sympathize with his mission. This makes his motivations a little less cut and dry, which then creates a more interesting story.

Another great thing about this collection is how much it feels like an original Jack Kirby/Stan Lee Thor story. The wild concept, the time traveling shenanigans, and the occasional joke give this book a silver age quality that is hard to replicate. For instance, outside of the silver age, I never expected to see Thor attack someone while riding in on a space shark, yet here it is. Obviously the entire book does not read like this as there are many parts that get pretty dark. However the parts that do, such as nearly every time Thor addresses Thor, are wonderful.

Honestly, there is little to be upset about through this entire comic. It is a great examination of Thor as an entity while also being an enjoyable story. The only real disappointment I received during my reading was that the ending basically pushes all of these events out of everyone’s memory. Hopefully, this is just a fake out though and we will still see the return of each Thor once more.

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Art

The art here is wonderful and fits the darker and mystic tone of this book perfectly. However, the art does not change too much from how it was in Volume One so make sure you check out our review of Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1- God Butcher to see how the art is.

Continuity

The story in Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 2- Godbomb flows directly from the story started in Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1- God Butcher (Review). Thor’s adventures will continue in Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 3- The Accursed.