COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews Thor: God of Thunder #5

Written by Jason Aaron
Drawn by Esad Ribic

With issue 5 of Thor: God of Thunder and the closing of the first arc of the continuing ‘God Butcher’ storyline we are finally seeing our villain begin his end-game. In previous issues we have seen Gorr the God butcher torture and murder many pantheons without a distinct purpose or reason but here we start to get a sense that its leading to some grand plan.

Up until now and the last few issues Gorr has remained an unseen ‘boogeyman’, the remnants of his killings the only indication we have had to his brutal intentions and ability to carry them out. It really made me believe him to be a considerable and scary threat but I started to get frustrated as I really wanted to know why Gorr was doing what he was doing and this issue we start to get some of that answered.

I really loved how the issue started by diving into Gorr’s motivations for his war on the Gods of the Universe. We aren’t told everything but just enough to let us get inside the character’s head. From his point-of-view its a simple revenge plot. In his most dire time he needed the Gods he had grown up being told he had to worship and was left subsequently wanting. Spurned and bitter he took it upon himself to punish those he felt abandoned him and so his campaign of bloodlust began. It is relatable how the character of Gorr feels in many respects. When anyone suffers rejection or a crisis of faith it is natural to feel a level of anger and frustration, of course not everyone decides to take out their aggression on their transgressors the way Gorr does, thankfully.

From what I know this issue concludes the three ages of Thor storyline in which we were shown the Norse God in his younger days, present day and also his future-self along with his dealings with Gorr in every timeline. However, this is not the end of the storyline of Thor facing off against the God slayer and it is set to continue in upcoming issues. For me this is a negative, as I’ve felt that this plot-line, while enjoyable, has dragged on a tad now. While I love Gorr as an adversary, I’m hungry to see what else the creative team can dream up to throw against the God of Thunder.

Despite this qualm, writer Jason Aaron again shows his skills at characterisation as we get to see Thor’s maturation throughout his three ages and how he has chosen to deal with his enemy. I particularly enjoyed the scene where present day Thor met his future-self and mistook him to be his father, Odin, it was a great moment and really made me chuckle. As always, Esad Ribic on art duties turns in another breathtaking issue with some truly epic pages. I challenge anyone to not gaze in wonderment at scenes such as Thor relieving Gorr of an arm with his axe or Gorr tearing the heart from a towering God. He really deserves an Eisner award for his work on this series.

With another tantalising cliffhanger and the blurb for the next issue informing us we are getting an origin for Gorr, it doesn’t look like the God butcher’s bloodlust is going to be sated anytime soon. Lets hope the creative team can keep it fresh and not have the book meander too much.

3.5 out of 5 nerds

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