Review: ‘Thor’ Annual #1 Gives Us A Terrifying New Vision Of MODOK
by Tony Thornley
He’s become sort of a joke amongst Marvel’s pantheon of villains. Regardless, Thor Annual #1 shows us all why MODOK is still a force to be reckoned with.
Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Ibraim Roberson, Dan Brown, and Joe Sabino put a machine man against the All-Father.
The rainbow bridge has been shattered. When MODOK finds the pieces of the Bifrost, it spells terror for the Ten Realms as he takes control of time and space to change the branches of the World Tree. Can the God of Thunder put right what MODOK has changed, or will his new form as MYTHOS reign supreme for eternity?
My biggest problem with this story is that it’s too short. Even with the extra pages, it could have been better served as a two or three issue limited series. Lanzing and Kelly make MYTHOS/MODOK scary, and his new version of Midgard is fascinating- a twisted version of the Marvel Universe we know rather than simply an alternate universe. At its heart, it’s also about the leads- Thor’s nobility and duty drives him, while Peter Parker remaining Spider-Man at his core motivates Thor to save everyone. With a little more space (though not too much) this could have been a great evergreen Thor story.
The art is far and away the best part of an already good issue. Roberson makes this new version of Midgard sad and grimy, populated with dystopian refugees just trying to do their best to survive. The design of MYTHOS is recognizable as MODOK, but also he looks like a regal elder god- equal parts all-father and monster- which Brown enhances even more with his color art. The layouts are intense, creating a feeling of foreboding early on, then building to some great action scenes, as well as intimate character moments.
Thor Annual #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
I was excited for this Annual, but I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. It’s the best kind of popcorn action comic- a punch-em-up with depth.
