Thor: God of Thunder Volume 3: The Accursed (Marvel Now)

by Jason Aaron

Ron Garney (Artist), Nic Klein (Artist), and Jason Aaron (Script Writer)

The bloody return of Malekith the Accursed! The former lord of the Dark Elves escapes his otherworldly prison, and the chase is on across the Nine Realms to capture him! Thor finds new allies to join his Wild Hunt: A Dark Elf sorceress! A gun-toting Light Elf! A gargantuan Mountain Giant! A dwarf who loves dynamite! And a particularly surly troll! But when one teammate falls, will it mean war for all Nine Realms? And as a traitor within the group strikes and Thor prepares to take drastic measures, Malekith stages his final bloody raid - on Earth! Plus: What does it mean to walk the Earth as a god? What does Thor do when he's not saving the world with the Avengers? It's the return of Thor's longtime love interest, Dr. Jane Foster! Collecting THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #12-18.

• ISBN10: 0785185569
• ISBN13: 9780785185567
• Publish Date: 11 November 2014 (first published 6 May 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Marvel Comics
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 160
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780785185567

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

The Accursed is the start of a new Thor plotline by Aaron, so there's a lot going on. If you haven't read volumes one or two, that's ok. Both were good, but not essential for understanding the current plot. If you're looking for the start of the Unworthy Thor plotline, I strongly suspect this is it (Though I'd argue that God Butcher has some foreshadowing as well).



Malekith is released from Hel, where he was kept as a living prisoner (the reason for his imprisonment is in another series). From the moment he escapes (well, really a bit before that) blood is constantly being shed. Apparently he took offense to his people having the nerve to move on without him. Thor joins a small, council approved team in an attempt to end the civil war/stop the wholesale slaughter of the dark elves. They succeed in doing so, but not in the way Thor intended. Thus we have the establishment of Malekith as a long term antagonist for Thor.
I think issue twelve was the standout for me, in this volume (mostly for sentimental reasons, if I'm being honest). It showed Thor's love of Midgaurd and the people in it. We're shown his repeated returns to Earth, for no reason other than that he loves to be here. A pretty decent sized bomb is dropped about Jane Foster, and Thor's reaction was absolutely endearing and very much what I would expect from him. It seems all my favorite Thor moments happen on Earth (ahem, Midgaurd).
Issue eighteen appears to be a standalone – it has nothing to do with the current plot, and it is rendered in a different art style. It's still a fun read of course, but the change was a bit jarring.
I've already read the series that follows up God of Thunder, so I know where Aaron is going with that. Maybe that's why I can see the groundwork he's subtly laying down. Either way, I love it. Keep it coming!


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[inlibrisveritas]

Since the Gorr story-line has ended, it only makes sense to bring back one of Thor’s long running enemies, Malekith. Especially since this came out in time for the theater release of Dark World, though I definitely prefer the comic version of Malekith.

So basically Malekith comes back after having been imprisoned for a while and goes on a rampage, forcing Asgard and the other realms to put together their own version of the Avengers to try and take him down. I liked the odd and slightly volitle group that Thor is forced to work with. The Light-Elf and the Dark-Elf are constantly trading barbs, the dwarf basically just wants to kill stuff, and the troll hates everyone. Needless to say their team dynamic is not that great and leads them into more trouble. I really like Malekith. He’s slightly crazy, but he knows who he is dealing with and how to handle them. I definitely enjoyed all of the fighting and seeing the different realms, the Light Elf realm was a bit ridiculous though.

As a plus side we get to see Jane Foster and some of Thor’s downtime on Midgard. Their moments were cute, and I appreciated the fact that she had long since moved on and that they remained friends despite that. She manages to be a much stronger character in a few pages than the character ever did on screen.

Overall I still think the storyline is pretty solid, though maybe not as gripping as the God Butcher story.