Queen In Black: Thor #1 – Form A Dream To Cling To

So begins the tale of two Thors. With Hela’s battle against Knull for control of Earth raging, Beta Ray Bill speaks with Tyr in the midst of a timeless world. On Earth, Sigurd Jarlson responds to the damage and devastation with a quest to save others. Both heroes neither truly Thor, yet both heroes still. Will Beta Ray Bill be able to resist an offer to restore his homeland? Will Sigurd taste the cold touch of death?

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Eda and Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Al Ewing
Penciller: Sergio Fernández Dávila
Inker: Aure Jimenez
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Color Artist: Ceci de la Cruz
Cover Artist: Pasqual Ferry

Writing

Eda: Whenever you go to pick up an Al Ewing comic, you can almost always rest assured you’re in for a good ride. If you’re here reading this, then that almost guarantees you’re either reading his current grand “Queen in Black” event, or you’re interested. If this is your entry point, then what a great way to start! Though I might add, it might benefit you greatly to read some “Mortal Thor” and the recent“Queen in Black #1” to fully understand what’s going on.

Within this issue, we witness as the journeys of Beta-Ray Bill and Sigurd really sort of mirror and coincide with one another. Ewing manages to do this with great aplomb, expertly weaving these two stories together with ebb and flow. One moment, they’re perfectly coinciding with one another through the narrative and sentence structure before mirroring each other the next. This makes for not just a great reading experience, but a fun and entertaining one while driving home a fantastic message. The message here is sure to be one that will resonate with many who feel powerless against something they feel they can’t stop or overcome. A message that’s needed now more than ever.

Shawn: Al Ewing really is crafting a beautiful tale in this Queen in Black series. Queen in Black: Thor #1 does a really great job of filling in some gaps in the early Queen in Black story. It will be a satisfying issue for the folks who always ask “what was X hero doing while this was happening?” Ewing shows us how both Beta Ray Bill and Thor are more alike than maybe we have realized before. This one-shot provides another outstanding example of Ewing’s ability to smoothly move back and forth between two narrative settings. Whether we are seeing Bill questioned or Sigurd tested, we are led through the narrative in a way that is easy to follow and enjoy.

Ewing uses the issue to make us realize that while each hero may not fully be “Thor”, the powers of Thor are present in each of them, most especially in their heart. The dual message of what it is worth getting what you want at the cost of others, and sometimes when your best doesn’t feel like enough, it’s tough to keep going, bookends an amazing story from Ewing. This feels like it would do well as more than a one-shot. The issue is well written. It leaves you feeling satisfied if this was the only issue you got, but you also would love to see more.

Art

Eda: If you’ve been around Marvel comics at all over the last few years, then you’ve most certainly seen the pencils and ink of Dávila & Jimenez. When it comes to “Queen in Black: Thor,” they’ve put in what I think is some of their best work. In terms of the action, they make it feel hot and heavy, and when things go cosmic, they feel grandiose. As for the colors of Ceci de la Cruz, they look infinitely beautiful and vibrant without being too much on the eyes.

Shawn: Sergio Fernández Dávila, Aure Jimenez, and Ceci de la Cruz crafted a truly memorable issue. From the alternate costume of Hela to the worn-down look of a tired and struggling Sigurd Jarlson, everything feels just superb. Dávila’s pencil work is phenomenal, crafting some gorgeous looks for Hela in this issue while also highlighting the detail on the faces of Tyr, Bill, Sigurd, and others. Jimenez leans into the Queen in Black with some killer shading and inks, bringing depth to the pictures. De la Cruz comes behind all of it with vibrant colors that perfectly capture the scene, be it an intergalactic parlay or a bus ride. Joe Sabino ties it all together and helps readers manage the jump back and forth between Sigurd and Bill.

Final Thoughts

Eda:10 /10. Queen in Black: Thor #1 is a fantastic ride from start to finish. This event feels masterful, and this issue is a perfect piece of the puzzle. If you’ve yet to decide if you want to pick this up, do.

Shawn: 9/10. Queen In Black: Thor #1 feels like the kind of issue that could draw someone on the fence about the Queen in Black event into the event. It’s full of powerful narrative that ends with two different but relevant messages in the face of struggle.

Overall Grade: 9.5 / 10

What did you think? Let us know in the comments.