Review: ‘Giant-Size Thor’ Leans In & Has Fun With The Title
by Tony Thornley
The concept of Marvel’s Giant-Size specials are somewhat frustrating. The annual already exists, so in some cases, it’s just a side story and a reprint. But the ones that work, work because they feel important, and that’s exactly the case with Giant-Size Thor.
Al Ewing, Brian Level, Guru-eFx, and Joe Sabino team up two of Marvel’s mightiest heroes.
Thor has been kidnapped by an alien race and turned into the power source for a powerful weapon — a massive Thor-shaped doomsday ship! Yes, a literal giant-size Thor! His only hope is one of his best friends, the Mighty Hercules. Can the two stop the weapon before it starts an interstellar war?
Sometimes you just need a space adventure, and that’s exactly what Ewing delivers here. It’s a meta commentary on stand-alone stories as well, using various tropes and cliches in some clever ways. The story works on a character level too, giving Thor and Hercules both several strong moments to shine, and advancing some of the character plot points that the main Immortal Thor series has been exploring.
Level and Guru make this look good. Though the main thrust of the story is a rip-roaring space adventure, there’s some intense horror throughout. Thor is bonded to the ship in a terrifying splash page. When he tears away, his eyes come with it. Both moments are rendered in a way that feels wrong. Level uses off-kilter angles in the point of view, and gets incredible close up. Guru uses unnatural purples to emphasize just how gross it is. The action is good, and widescreen, but the quieter, frightening moments are where this shines.
The main story is only 24 pages, but it absolutely feels longer because it’s just that fun. As with the other Giant-Size specials from this year, I wish we’d gotten a 40 to 50 page story instead of a 24 page story and reprint, but in this case there was enough meat on the bone to justify it.
Giant-Size Thor is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
I really enjoyed this story. It was a great little compliment to the larger Thor saga Ewing is telling, and Level and Guru knocked it out of the park on art.
