Thor has helped Galactus destroy one planet, but an old friend stands in his way from doing so again. Spoilers for Thor #3 follow.
Donny Cates and Nic Klein’s first two issues of Thor have been nothing short of fantastic. Acting as both a proper sequel to Jason Aaron’s run while doing completely their own thing, it’s incredible how quickly investing their run already is. The problem with going all out in the first couple of issues though is that series often struggle to keep the momentum going. However, Thor #3 ups the ante even more, making the stakes even more personal moving forward.
The crux of this issue lies entirely in the fight between Thor and Beta Ray Bill. Any Thor fan knows that this relationship spans a long time and is very impactful for both, but the issue does a great job of establishing it anyway. If this is your first time reading a Thor/Beta Ray Bill story, it’s incredibly easy to understand what these two mean to each other. Because of that, the entire issue is emotionally charged and never lets an iota of catharsis out. The issue is just one long fight scene, but an incredibly emotional one.
Nic Klein’s art is the true star of this issue though. It’s incredibly beautiful throughout, but in a vicious, violent way. There’s an artistry to making violence beautiful and Klein is one who does so very well. There are plenty of moments in this issue where it would be easy to see the art hanging in museums. The splash pages alone invoke classical art in the best ways possible.
Beyond that though, Klein never loses his ability to tell the story. His art is grandiose and larger than life in many spots, but his story is still very coherent. Sometimes with bombastic art similar to what is present in this issue, storytelling can be lost, but Klein manages to do both in this issue. It’s coherent easy to follow and includes the perfect beats for the needed character moments. The art in this issue is masterful.
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