Jane Foster is Thor no longer, but has taken on the title of Valkyrie. As the last of the Valkyries, she must come to grips with her new responsibilities to the living and the dead. Minor spoilers for Valkyrie – Jane Foster #1 follow.
Jane Foster’s tenure as Thor was genuinely was the best stories in comics during the entirety of its run and of the past twenty years. It was also the best book that Marvel was releasing during that stretch with ease. Now with the Odinson having taken back the mantle of Thor though, it felt like Jane’s time as a hero had come to an end. Luckily though, that is completely incorrect. Coming out of War of the Realms, Jane has taken up the mantle of Valkyrie, in honor of her fallen friends. And if this first issue proves anything about that creative decision, it was the right one.
Simply from a character standpoint, having Jane become Valkyrie feels completely right. The character has always been compassionate, as someone who interacts with the should be. But, during her time as Thor, she also become a warrior. This combination of compassion and warrior spirit is what made the character a fantastic Thor. While this hasn’t been fully shown yet, as this is only the first issue, this issue makes it clear that both these traits will be key for Jane as the series progresses.
This issue really does a great job as a character set-up issue. The plot is minimal so far and the focus is on Jane learning about her new powers. This makes for some fun scenes earlier in this issue, but makes way for some horrifying ones later on. This stems from one of her new powers giving her the ability to see people’s deaths. It’s an interesting new power that is cleverly used almost immediately.
With first issues like this, there’s that inevitable question about whether this is a good jumping-on point for new readers. The answer is yes and no. There are several characters and items mentioned that new readers may be confused by, but it doesn’t dwell on it enough to be too confusing. However, long-term readers of Jason Aaron’s run on Thor, like myself, will be much more rewarded with this issue.
Like Jane, Cafu’s art is very different than every other Thor book that has been on the shelves for the past five years or so. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, it’s just preference. Pretty much every Thor-family book has been heavily stylized which gives the book a distinct feel to each book. A lot of the art in this issue isn’t as stylized, but that feels purposeful. Jane is again this fantastical character, but for much of her life, is stuck in a mundane world. When the story calls for stylization, Cafu pulls it off well. When it calls for mundane, he pulls that off well too.