Thor (2014-): The Goddess of Thunder

Jason Aaron

May 2015 · Thor (2014-) Vol 1, #1-5 · Marvel Entertainment

About this ebook

Mjolnir lies on the moon, unable to be lifted! Something dark has befallen the God of Thunder, leaving him unworthy for the first time ever! But when Frost Giants invade Earth, the hammer will be lifted - and a mysterious woman will be transformed into an all-new version of the mighty Thor! Who is this new Goddess of Thunder? Not even Odin knows...but she may be Earth's only hope against the Frost Giants! Get ready for a Thor like you've never seen before, as this all-new heroine takes Midgard by storm! Plus: the Odinson clearly doesn't like that someone else is holding his hammer...it's Thor vs. Thor! And Odin, desperate to see Mjolnir returned, will call on some very dangerous, very unexpected allies. It's a bold new chapter in the storied history of Thor! Collecting Thor (2014) #1-5.

Ratings and reviews

I'm not sure whether the author is conceited or insecure or both, but his constant need to point out that Thor is a woman is very distracting. Of the two volumes out so far, literally the majority of the stories revolve around Odinson's and Asgard's reaction to the change, and cameo appearances civilian and superhero alike rarely miss a chance to comment on the fact that yes, Thor has boobs now. On some level this is expected- after all Thor is a classic Marvel character and it's natural that characters would react in-universe to the change, particularly given the patriarchal theme of the source material. However the choice to leap to a literal war of the sexes before even getting through volume two feels more like a writer lashing out at the haters than a narrative choice. There's potential here: I love the art, and the new Thor character herself is certainly worthy of the role- her appearances in ANADA attest to that- but the story so far hasn't served her well. I don't actively dislike it, and thus far the hope that Aaron will get past his hangup and let her actually- you know- /be/ Thor has kept me onboard, but as of yet I can't really recommend this series on its own merits. Yes, there is sexism in our society, and yes, I know that women doing "men's work" still face the constant and often misogynistic reminder that they're different. It's not wrong for "Goddess of Thunder" to address that either (I point to Wilson's Ms. Marvel as an example of social commentary in comics done right), but if the new Thor continues to be defined more by her gender than by her character attributes and the legacy she's inherited, I don't think this series will last, and that will be disappointing.

It isn't the worst story I've read, but it certainly isn't the best. The entire segment with the husband and wife villain duo was cringy and completely forced feminist writing. I really don't see why people can't make up their own superhero instead of recycling old names but now they have a vagina or they're black. I'm all for new and diverse characters, but get better writers.

Fun read. I didn't think of reading the series until Marvel Studios decided to add "Lady" Thor to its cinematic characters. Going to collect all volumes now.👍