Attilan Rising Podcast

In 2020 I want to do something different, we review Inhumans comics all the time on the Podcast but miss so much else when sharing with you guys. So, in 2020 I want to challenge myself to review different books every week – this might prove too difficult, time consuming or just unmanageable, but other people manage it so I will try my best.

This week, Thor #1 by Don Cates, Nik Klein, Matthew Wilson and Joe Sabino hit the shelves, like Mjolnir against stone – it smashed it.

I’ve been a huge fan of Don Cates since Cosmic Ghost Rider, we’ve grumbled about his handling about Death of Inhumans on the Podcast of course but that’s by the by now – we’ve moved on. But other than a blip along the way, he’s a superb writer and just has the coolest ideas when it comes to Cosmic Marvel – which as you may know are the books I adore.

Copyright Marvel Thor #1

Cates had a lot to live up to, Jason Aaron being on the book for 7 years meant that everything he crafted came to an end after War of the Realms. I do highly recommending going back and re-reading all of his run by the way, it’s so well crafted and does an awful lot for our God of Thunder and introduced Jane Foster as Thor – then as Valkyrie. I digress, coming off of Aaron’s run I got the feeling that Cates was and is going to have to do something completely different. Whew boy. It’s different.

Asgard is rebuilt, not in the “traditional” manner, no gold, no huge grandeur – but a humble Asgard. Stone and wood is all Thor Odinson chose to rebuild out of, I think looking back on Aaron’s run it’s a testament to everything Thor has gone through in the past 7 years, being Worthy, then Unworthy, then finding an ex is the new Thor as well as all the other stuff inbetween it seems that the humble nature of Asgard is appropriate.

But upon Thor’s return to Asgard it appears nothing ever goes to plan.

Copyright Marvel Thor #1

Thor seemingly following his father from Aaron’s last issue (Thor #16, 2018) where Odin himself was unable to make his speech, Thor is interuppted snow and a surprise guest. In true cosmic style, it’s Galactus. Originally introduced in the pages of the Fantastic Four he literally crash lands into Asgard, not to destroy of feed upon it but to request help from Thor himself.

A new cosmic menace, one only Galactus has seen before in the Universe before, the “Star Plague” or “Black Winter” (the end of the Universe basically) – he requests aid and subsequently passes out. Asgard, counting the fallen and rebuilding once again.

But Thor starts with an idea.. An idea to bring together some remarkable people…

That’s right, the former Herald’s of Galactus. They gather together and it is the Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd appearing ghostlike through a wall and entirely black, not silver who explains what the Star Plague actually is – this is following the events of Silver Surfer: Black (also written by Cates).

The next few pages are what everyone has come for, the big surprise at the end. I loved it, Thor and the Herald’s all approach Galactus. It becomes understood that Galactus has looked upon the plague and seen the embodiment of his death. Thor. But not at that time, not on Asgard.

Galactus himself endows Thor with power, he becomes the Herald of Thunder.

Copyright Marvel Thor #1

Holy shit guys, at this point I had already bought and paid for every subsequent issue of this book. It really is that good, of course my favourite kind of stories are those of the cosmic kind, and Cates seems to be exactly the kind of writer I enjoy and I am really so happy that he’s at Marvel.

The art too is superb, Nik Klein and Matthew Wilson do an all together amazing job on this book, admittedly I was never particularly a fan of Del Mundo on Thor, absolutely nothing on his art as it’s beautiful, it’s just not my thing. I think the creative team on this book is going to absolutely rock and it matches the story that Cates is telling.

This book leaves me wanting more, as is with the majority of Cates’ writing. It really is a new beginning for Thor and it’s the story that I’ve really been craving since Ragnarok came out in cinemas – a real fun cosmic story. I am so looking forward to #2 and beyond.

5/5 Lockjaws

Catch you next week!

What did you think? Contact us: theshow@attilanrising.com or @attilanrising1 on twitter

-Adam

It’s the beginning of a whole new arc as Moon G and Devil D embark on an adventure that finds them in the mysterious realm of the Dream Dimension.  From the likely sleep-deprived creative team of Brandon Montclare, Natacha Bustos and Tamra Bonvillain.

Lunella Lafayette has been having the worst time sleeping of late… and she’s not the only one.  Her nights have been fitful, filled with anxiety dreams and nightmares, all leaving her waking up completely unrested.  And it would appear as though most of her classmates are additionally plagued by troubled sleep, struggling with their own bad dreams… the teachers too.  It’s almost as if all of Public School #20 has been infected by some sort of syndrome of bad sleep and troubling dreams.

After taking one two many hits in dodgeball during gym class, Lunella has had enough and she sneaks through the maze of nebulous air-duct tunnels that lead to her secret laboratory under the school.  There she finds Devil Dinosaur, snoring away.  She joins him, snuggling up for some much needed sleep.

Whatever hopes Lunella had for getting the rest she needs are quickly dashed as she finds herself once more engulfed in another vibrant dream.  Yet this one seems different, more real and elaborate.  A voice informs her that she has entered the ‘dream dimension,’ a preternatural realm outside of reality.

The voice emanates from a slight figure perched atop a giant purple mushroom.  He introduces himself as ‘Bad Dream’ the wonder warlock, the baddest dream demon of them all.

Lunella is less than impressed.  She’s gone up against likes of the Omnipotis, The Kingpin and Mr. Sinister… some kid in a halloween costume isn’t going to scare her.

Little kid or not, it does seem as though this Bad Dream fellow has been the one responsible for ruining everyone’s sleep and filling their heads with nightmares.  Bad Dream doesn’t seem to think of the matter as all that big a deal.  He feels those who live in the waking world have got it made.   Whereas it looks as though Bad Dream may be stuck in the Dream Dimension, with only his Cloud Chimera for companionship.

This Cloud Chimera is this long, translucent,  jellyfish-looking creature whom Bad Dream states protects him.  Together they’re a team… not altogether unlike Lunella and Devil D.

Rather suddenly, Bad Dream decides that it is very important that Lunella leave.  It isn’t clear whether or not the little guy has grown bored of Lunella’s company or (more likely) he feels it no longer safe for her to be there.  He demands she leave, but Lunella isn’t budging… not until Bad Dream promise to stop his funny business and let people start getting better sleep.

Bad Dream ups his demand that Lunella shove off, chasing her off atop his Cloud Chimera.  Outmatched, Lunella has no choice other than to wish herself awake.  Suddenly, she finds herself back in her lab… once again thoroughly unrested.

But she and Devil Dinosaur are not alone!  Somehow the Cloud Chimera has transcended through the dream dimension into the real world.  At first Lunella imagines she must still be dreaming, but this is no dream.  She’s in real danger.  The Chimera swoops and circles about the lab, chasing Lunella until Devil D finally catches it with a devastating chomp.  And with this the Chimera dissipates into a fog, returning to the dream dimension.

It all leaves Lunella quite aware that something serious is afoot… and all of this is not going to go away by merely hiding under the covers.  Moon Gilr and Devil Dinosaur are going to have to do something about this… but how?  Dreams and alternate dimensions, creatures made of clouds… this is not the realm of science; this is something more.  This is magic.  And Lunella hates magic!  Fortunately she knows just the right guy ideal to help her out.  And the preview art for the next issue shows exactly who that is.  So gear up for another Moon Girl and Doctor Strange team-up adventure!  Nice!!!

A great first issue of the arc, one that has me very exciting for the next installment.

With Lunella being as smart as she is, it is often necessary to pose her against dilemmas where she cannot easily use her intellect to devise a solution.  And the mystical realm of the dream dimension with all of the weird denizens therein fits the bill perfectly.

Lunella’s interactions with Dr. Strange back during the World’s Smartest arc were an absolute riot and I cannot wait to see more of it; the two of them are so fun and funny together, I’m quite pleased that they’re getting another adventure alongside one another.

Dreams, the psyche and the unconscious have all remained rather vexing to the world of science.  Science has discovered and figured out so much about so many things, yet the inner workings of the human brain remains highly mysterious, all but impenetrable to the conventional tools of scientific study.  Sure we know what happens in the brain when we dream, what regions are active and the functional utility of dreaming, but the meaning behind those dreams, the places they take us and the way they can make us feel remains subjective, nebulous, utterly confounding.  It’s the kind of psychological quagmire that raw intelligence is ill equipped to contend with.  A wonderful foil for out Lunella.

Bad Dream is a curious new character.  At first I figured he prove to be the son of the demonic villain and Dr. Strange foe known as Nightmare.  And this may still be the case, yet it’s looking more like he is just some normal little boy who has somehow found himself stuck in the dream dimension unable to return to the real world.  Whatever the case, I’m definitely looking forward to finding out more.  Plus I just love his costume.

Artists Natacha Bustos and Tamra Bonvillain really get to stretch their creative muscles in depicting the dream dimension and it’s all just a delight to behold.  They get a really neat slash page of Lunella’s being pulled into the dream realm and definitely make the best of it.

Following the Save Our School arc, which took place entirely in the real world confines of the Lower West Side, it’s really neat to see Bustos and Bonvillain illustrate a more fantasy-oriented setting.  Ms. Bustos offers up a wonderful landscape of floating orbs, giant mushrooms and living clouds.  And Ms. Bonvillain enlivens it all with darkened pastels, neat shades of pink and purple that makes the realm seem both dark and mysterious while also vibrant and uncanny.  Much like a dream.  Steve Ditko would surely approve.

And so do it.  Not to be missed.  A great beginning to what looks to be a very fun arc.  Four and a half out of five Lockjaws!