Thors #3

Writer – Jason Aaron
Artist – Chris Sprouse, Goran Sudzuka
Inker – Karl Story, Dexter Vines
Colours – Marte Gracia, Israel Silva

Loki is the number one suspect in the death of Beta Ray Thor and Ultimate Thor is more than a little angry at the loss of his partner. Now that he has a suspect in custody, the aforementioned Loki, he can find out all he needs to know about that, the mysterious bodies that keep turning up with the name of Jane Foster and the single corpse of one Donald Blake. There has been too much death and Thor means to get to the bottom of it but only if he can keep the rest of the Thor Corps out of it. The mystery continues and it gets better than ever with the addition of Loki to the cast. There is nobody with a tongue as slippery or as deliberate with words as Loki’s and he uses it to full effect on the Thor that sits across the table from him. It does not matter what question Thor asks of him, Loki answers how he wishes and as he does so he also questions Thor back, making our hero wonder why he feels as he does whenever he hears the name Jane Foster and Donald Blake. It is obvious that Loki knows more than he is telling, but finally Thor gets a lead and at the end of it is something he never expected. Jason Aaron knows how to weave a good yarn and he knows how to hook the reader by delivering twists and turns of both dialogue and story so that we always want more. While this might seem like just another superhero title out of the Secret Wars event, it is a good little procedural that never fails to entertain or to make one wonder just what is going on. This issue also happens to reveal the killer come the end of the story and it is nobody that you would have expected and that too also makes you wonder just what is really going on. With that ending you can also expect a lot of action next issue, a little vengeance and just maybe, the involvement of God Emperor Doom. Better yet, with Jason Aaron at the helm and Chris Sprouse and Goran Sudzuka on artwork, you know that it is going to be solidly produced and you cannot ask for much more than that.

4 out of 5

Plutona #1

Writer – Jeff Lemire
Artist – Emi Lenox
Colours – Jordie Bellaire

A tragedy has taken place and when Teddy, Mie, Mike, Diane and Ray come upon it, it is doubtful they are going to understand the full ramifications of it. In what seems to be a new all-ages title from Image Comics and creators Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox, it turns out to be a little deceiving as it has a bit of an edge to it. It features five young protagonists in a world of heroes and what seems to be an innocent experience soon turns sour with the discovery of a body. Right from the start you know that the book is going to be something more than what it seems and bringing a little Stand By Me vibe with it. The kids are quite interesting and they are exactly how you would picture kids at that age; shy, annoyed, bossy, confident, innocent and more. What is even more intriguing is the different personality types of the group that Lemire and Lenox have brought together and that is a good thing as you know that it will create conflict later on and make things much more compelling. It will also make things much more exciting to see just how it is they deal with their gruesome discovery later on. Those characters that stand out more than any others so far are Teddy and Ray. They have a unique relationship, one that has been seen many times before in fiction and real life and while you can predict how it might play out most of the time, you get the feeling that this time might be a little different. The pencils by Lenox are good and a perfect fit for the story that is being told and in all, the book is a definite win as you want to see what comes next.

3.5 out of 5