Coming from the land of ice and snow, The Mighty Thor: The Death of Mighty Thor (Marvel), written by Jason Aaron (Southern Bastards, The Other Side, Star Wars), interior and cover art by Russell Dauterman (Cyclops, Nightwing, Supurbia). With Mangog’s arrival, War Thor faces the beast one-on-one. With Mjolnir in his grasp, even the Mighty Thor’s strength will be no match for the hatred of a billion billion beings. And time is running out on Jane Foster, whose cancer has progressively gotten worse.

In The Mighty Thor 700, Aaron, cleverly, regroups and takes note of his engulfing story and the cast of characters interwoven in Malekith’s War of Realms. Aaron takes this opportunity to make Odinson and Karnila the central focus of this double issue. Using Karnila, individually, to consider the concepts of fate. All of the familiar themes of Thor are here, such as the struggle between fathers and sons, will and destiny, and what makes a worthy god. All the while continuing to maintain what makes this series a must read.

There were times I wished Aaron broke down each story into separate shorter accounts for clarity, but once I finished, I was able to appreciate the structure he chose, which once I finished I realized became part of the appeal of the comic. The continuous shifts from one Thor to the next affirms that this war is more significant than any one hero while coming back around to King Thor and the apparent defeat of Gorr. All the cliffhangers and loose ends are correctly are wrapping up amicably.

Such a milestone issue deserves a roster of impressive artists, some of which Aaron has worked with before, and some are new to the series. Series staple, Russell Dauterman is superb as usual as he illustrates Odinson’s epic battle protecting the Norns from Maleketh’s horde. Das Pastoras effectively captures the Scandinavian mythology of the future King Thor. Chris Burnham and Ive Svorcina also display their talent depicting the battle between Gorr the God Butcher and Ego the Living Planet.

In all, every artist that contributed has roots that trace back to Thor’s co-creator, Jack Kirby. While not all of Kirby’s influence is noticeable at first glance, everyone shows the ability to add to this imaginative world. Very solid contributions all around.

Even though Aaron has been writing Thor for five years, he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. This series is a celebration of Thor’s long legacy past and as well as what’s to come. With Aaron’s writing and a super-group of artists, this massive issue is one of the best of Aaron’s reign.

The Mighty Thor 700-702 are available now, with 703 releasing 1/17/18.

Those of you interested in reading something fresh should immediately pursue Southern Bastards (Image), an original ongoing comic series written by Jason Aaron with colors and art by Jason Latour, in which we see Image Comics take their adult themes to the next level with grit and bloody knuckles. Linking the South’s love for football and secrets no one’s willing to share, the creative team make a strong case that the same story wouldn’t be possible if it was set in a different location, nor would it be as good.

Aaron doesn’t  balk at probing the psychological manacles of a man returning to his hometown unwelcome and haunted by his past. Hailing from Alabama, Aaron understands that exploring the dark secrets the South holds helps create a more meaningful character, in that it reveals how far people will go to protect what is important to them.

After a understated opening in which protagonist Earl Tubbs is shown returning to the house in which he grew up, where he visits his father’s grave, an ancient tree towers over the gravestone, the story flashes back to a time when Earl’s father fought off an armed gang with just a wooden stick.

Earl Tubbs isn’t defined by his hometown or how they receive him, Tubbs has no relationship with his origins whatsoever, rather he is defined by his relationship with his father and how that translates to his relationship with his family. It’s energizing to see an overly masculine man depicted in such a way that he is able to show emotion while not losing any believability.

The main narrative involves Tubbs trying to bring a god-like high school coach to justice and is enough to make a compelling story on its own, but it’s the way Aaron creates sympathetic characters that makes Southern Bastards so intriguing.

Establishing a distinctly sharp, yet coarse, style, Latour’s illustrations parallel Aaron’s writing and subject matter perfectly. It’s almost as if the dialogue and the art teamed up on the page to become one entity. To counter Latour’s illustrations, his color palette is muted with lots of dull brown’s, blue’s and red’s. It could be argued that the use of flat colors helps to maintain Tubbs’ mental state as he remained in town. Bright red’s are used sparingly during the flashback scenes, and to signify the bloody reputation of Coach Boss.

What struck me personally about Southern Bastards is how brutally truthful Aaron portrays the South. As soon as you turn the first page you’re greeted by a stray dog defecating on the side of the road, with religious signs in the background. From that point on I knew I was in for an enjoyable read. This is not a comic that will make you feel very optimistic, but if you’re like me and enjoy the realistic side of entertainment, then I highly recommend Southern Bastards.

Southern Bastards vol. 1 was published in October 2014 and consisted of issues 1-4.

@EricOnkenhout  

This week marks the start of Marvel’s ‘Star Wars’ crossover: “Vader Down.” This six part series will bring the storylines of the ongoing ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Darth Vader’ comics together for a big smackdown. Here’s the official description:

Vader’s TIE Fighter has been shot down. Seeing this as their one, best chance to take him down once and for all, the Rebellion is ready to throw everything they have at him. Alone, outnumbered and outgunned, Darth Vader must now face the entire might of the Rebel Fleet. But the Rebels are about to learn the true unrestrained power of the Dark Side of the Force.

To defeat their greatest enemy, the Rebel Alliance will risk it all. Yet with it all on the line, could this risky gambit cripple their forces in the fight against the Empire? 

The series is kicked off with a jumbo-sized issue titled ‘Vader Down’ #1 a one-shot written by Jason Aaron, then will alternate between Kieron Gillen’s ‘Darth Vader’ series and Aaron’s ‘Star Wars’ series. Here’s the entire epic event at a glance:

• Part 1: Vader Down #1 (11/18/15)
• Part 2: Darth Vader #13 (11/25/15)
• Part 3: Star Wars #13 (12/2/15)
• Part 4: Darth Vader #14 (12/23/15)
• Part 5: Star Wars #14 (1/6/16)
• Part 6: Darth Vader #15 (1/13/16)

On combining characters from both series like Doctor Aphra and her droids, writer Jason Aaron has told Marvel.com in an interview: “I think with this story you can expect that every pairing or meeting we can possibly do is going to happen. When Kieron first introduced a lot of those characters like Aphra and the murderous droids, my first thought was, “Wow, I can’t wait until Aphra meets Han Solo or until Kieron’s droids meet C-3PO and R2.” I think you can expect a lot of those different meetings. I think that has, for me, been one of the things that’s the most fun. What I’d been looking forward to most about this story was mixing up this cast in every way we possibly can.”

Need more? Here’s a sneak peek from ‘Vader Down’ #1, written by Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen, with art by Mike Deodato & Salvador Larroca :

So get to your comic book store and check it out!

This review contains spoilers.

Bible stories are nothing new to comic books. All-American Publications (and then Educational Comics) published “Picture Stories from the Bible” as early as the late 1930s. When Max Gaines died in 1947 and his son William took over Educational Comics, EC went from godly to ghastly. But William Gaines never attempted to cross the genres of crime/horror and bible story in his newly named Entertaining Comics. Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera do cross the genres in “Goddamned.”

“Goddamned” is about as far from a bible picture story as one might get and still consider the “good book” as source material. But issue #1 is definitely born in the Bible — Genesis 4 to be exact. For those gentiles who skipped that day in Sunday school, Genesis 4 is the story of Adam and Eve’s children: Cain and Able.

According to the Bible, Cain was the first to commit fratricide when he killed Able. There are many myths as to what happened to Cain after Genesis 4. For the sake of brevity, we can look at the popular myth that Cain was cursed to forever be a vagabond who would be murdered over and over again but unable to die (though the text of Genesis 4 doesn’t imply any of that). Aaron has taken this myth of an unkillable Cain and run with it.

“Goddamned” #1 starts out with a man waking up in a literal deadpool — a pool of rotting corpses and human excreta. Guera’s art is sufficient for some of the more gentile readers to be gagging in their mouths with his “picture stories” inspired by the Bible. The rest of the issue is the man (yes it’s Cain) exacting vengeance upon those who killed him, sevenfold (that actually is a line from Genesis 4). Cain’s vengeance is just as gruesome as his beginnings in the issue. The issue ends with the big reveal that the unkillable man, is in fact Cain, the first murderer, just as Noah enters the story.

In an interview with Vince Brusio, Aaron explains that this biblical-noir is wholly new, though it does nod to previous work he’s done with Guera.

“I’m quite confident in saying that there isn’t another book quite like this one on the stands at the moment,” said Aaron. “This series is a punch in the face and a kick in the gut but also a serious exploration of character and setting in line with what Guera and I previously did in the pages of Scalped.”

In the aforementioned interview, Aaron expounds on the sand box of the pre-Flood setting he’s playing in.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the story possibilities of the antediluvian world, of the world before the Flood,” said Aaron. “Not so much from a perspective of faith or religion, but simply as a storyteller. There’s good fertile ground. Bloody, but fertile.”

If you feel this first issue of “Goddamned” is too in-your-face or too irreverent, that’s by design. Aaron doesn’t want readers to be lead astray thinking this comic doesn’t deserve a parental advisory just because it’s based in biblical history. Regardless of what your religious/historical/political views are of the Bible, if you want a primal crime comic that doesn’t hold any punches (or decapitations that even William Gaines might have considered “in bad taste”) then don’t miss this title. 

“Goddamned” #1 is available in your local comic shop 11/11/2015. 

Trent Hunsaker is the owner/opperator of Death Ray Comics in Logan, Ut. He is the program director for the A Part of Him Podcast Network and cohost on NetHeads – a live, weekly show on smodcast.com.

On September 10^th Marvel released the first glimpses of the soon-to-be released, post “Secret Wars,” “Doctor Strange” title by writer Jason Aaron and artist Chris Bachalo. This is a timely teaser as the Diamond Comic Distributors final order cutoff for the book at your local comic shop is (Monday) September 14^th.

Aaron and Bachalo have worked together in the past (e.g. “Wolverine and the X-Men”) and fans can look forward to some strange tales from these two creators.

“Chris has a sort of wild inventiveness that’s perfect for Doctor Strange,” Aaron told Marvel.com. “Not to mention that he draws the most amazing monsters. And if you thought our version of the Jean Grey School was weird, well, wait until you see what we’re doing with the Sanctum Sanctorum.”

Diehard fans of old-school Ditko-era Strange can rest easily knowing that Aaron has done his homework, spending time reading the pages of “Strange Tales” where Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first brought the occult into the Marvel Universe.

“I want to celebrate all the weirdness that is Doctor Strange, while having him face a challenge unlike anything he’s ever faced before,” said Aaron. “One that rewrites the rulebook for what it means to be the Sorcerer Supreme.”

Adding to rewriting the rules for Stephen Strange is a slight change in costume. As Bachalo strives to keep costumes practical, he’s taken some minor liberties with good doctor’s attire.

“Two of the adjustments I made had to do with the cloak—or as I like to refer to it as, the cape—and his ballerina tights,” said Bachalo. “Jason and I envision Stephen as being more of hands-on character and it didn’t make sense that he’d have a huge cloak and huge collar surrounding his head—how does he see to his left and to his right?—and that he doesn’t wear shoes. The tights are nice for around-the-house, but what about in a street fight with battle axes?”

Bachalo has already proven himself capable of dark and weird landscapes perfect for Strange. His long-run on “Uncanny X-Men” with writer Brian Michael Bendis was a great place to flex his creative occult muscles with the character Magik, as she stepped into Limbo wielding her Soul Sword and casting spells.

“With ‘Doctor Strange’ our challenge is to create a unique environment for Stephen to exist in,” Bachalo told Marvel.com. “Something beyond the norm that differentiates itself from other spaces. You should be able to view the locations and know that it’s a Doctor Strange book. One of the first things I expressed to Jason when joining was that I didn’t want to spend a bunch of time drawing cosmic battle scenes. That’s been done a million times and I had no interest in it. I think I was looking for something a little more down to earth, something a little more grounded in reality. I want to create a new cosmos to play in. Grab bits and pieces from what’s been done before but then throw in a few things for a different perspective. We’ll see how it turns out.”

“Doctor Strange” #1 will be on the rack in your local comic shop on October 7^th, though to guarantee your copy, final orders are on September 14^th.

Trent Hunsaker is the owner/opperator of Death Ray Comics in Logan, Ut. He is the program director for the A Part of Him Podcast Network and cohost on NetHeads – a live, weekly geek/pop culture show, on Kevin Smith’s SModcast Internet Radio.

Though it was territory tread quite recently in the spectacular book “Kenobi” by John Jackson Miller, Marvel has set their sights on Ben Kenobi’s Tatooine exile for the comic book.

I was almost positive this era of Kenobi’s life would be explored in the new canon sooner or later, but part of me was hoping that we’d get to see it in one of the Anthology films and starring Ewan McGregor. This doesn’t necessarily mean that can’t happen, but it does seem as though they’re going to tell the stories they want to tell whenever and wherever they want to.

The official Marvel blurb:

This July, experience a very special issue of the blockbuster Star Wars series as special guest artist Simone Bianchi (Thanos Rising, Astonishing X-Men) joins chart-topping writer Jason Aaron for a look back into the past with STAR WARS #7! Luke Skywalker has uncovered the journals of his departed mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now, experience Kenobi’s harrowing accounts of days long gone by! It is a time when injustice reigned on Tattooine. As villainous scum runs rampant over the blistering sands, only a Jedi Master stands any hope of liberating the planet from the grasp of gangs, thieves and thugs. But would Ben risk everything to do what was right? Even if it meant revealing himself to those searching for his whereabouts? Find out this July as Aaron & Bianchi bring you STAR WARS #7!

 

STAR WARS #7 (MAY150775)
Written by JASON AARON
Art by SIMONE BIANCHI
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY

Variant Covers by TONY MOORE (MAY150779), SIMONE BIANCHI (MAY150776)

And JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER (MAY150778)
Sketch Variant by JOHN CASSADAY (MAY150777)

FOC – 07/06/15, On-Sale – 07/29/15

Coming this Fall by writer Jason Aaron and artist Chris Bachalo is the Sorcerer Supreme in an all new ongoing series. Marvel Comics has to know there will be a demand for a series as we march ever forward toward the Marvel Cinematic Universes debut of Doctor Strange. With that they’re putting a current Eisner nominee for best writer Jason Aaron at the helm of the new book. Paired with him is an industry mainstay in Chris Bachalo. He is a fan favorite artist with many great Marvel titles under his belt like recent hits “Wolverine and the X-Men” and “Uncanny X-Men” with Brian Bendis. For more and a great splash image, check out Marvel’s official statement below:

The Doctor Is In! DOCTOR STRANGE #1 Is Coming This Fall!

                                                                                                                                                                           

New York, NY—June 22^nd, 2015— The Sorcerer Supreme returns for his first ongoing series in nearly twenty years!  And he’s making house calls! Today, Marvel is pleased to announce DOCTOR STRANGE #1 – a new ongoing series from blockbuster creators Jason Aaron (Star Wars, Thor) and Chris Bachalo (Uncanny X-Men, Avengers)!  

 

Prepare for a side of the Marvel Universe you’ve never seen before as the magical, mystical and all things weird lie at every turn. And if it’s bizarre enough, and you don’t know where to turn – call the Doctor. From inside his Sanctum Sanctorum – the strangest place in this or any universe, the Master of the Mystic Arts protects this realm from the supernatural.

 

“Get ready for a brand new Doctor Strange for a brand new Marvel Universe,” says Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso.  “Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo have rebuilt Marvel’s ’Sorcerer Supreme’ from the ground up with an excitingly original take that redefines the character going forward.”

 

A dark new power is rising. One that will have repercussions for all magic users. The threat is growing, and Strange knows he won’t be powerful enough to stop it. If he is to have any kind of hope, it will take a different kind of Sorcerer Supreme. Because all magic comes with a price, and it’s high time Stephen Strange balanced the scales.

 

“None of Marvel’s other heavy hitters walk the same beat as Dr. Strange,” says Jason Aaron in an upcoming interview with Marvel.com. “None of them have to face the same sorts of repercussions whenever they use their powers. Being the Sorcerer Supreme is a unique responsibility. And it’s one that Stephen Strange embraces. Even though there’s no doubt that his job is one day going to leave him dead, damned or insane. So I want to celebrate all the weirdness that is Dr. Strange, while having him face a challenge unlike anything he’s ever faced before. One that rewrites the rulebook for what it means to be the Sorcerer Supreme.”

 

The epic adventure begins this Fall as the Marvel’s mightiest magician takes a battle axe straight to evil in DOCTOR STRANGE #1!

 

For more on Doctor Strange #1, check out Marvel.com tomorrow for the full interview with writer Jason Aaron!

                                                                                          

DOCTOR STRANGE #1
Written by JASON AARON
Art & Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
Coming Fall 2015!

Image: Marvel Entertainment

It’s here! Marvel’s Star Wars #1 arrives this Wednesday and we’ve got a spoiler-free joint review of it from Swank-mo-tron and GONK.

Review by Bryan Young (Swank-mo-tron): 

I was beyond curious to see how Marvel would handle the relaunch of the new “Star Wars” comic book series. Dark Horse explored this territory fairly recently with Brian Wood’s take on the series, and it was anyone’s guess how this might or might not sync up with the sort of stories we’ve been getting.

But Jason Aaron takes us right into the thick of things, bringing us classic Star Wars action and drops us right up into middle of a plot we’re not entirely sure of. With the destruction of the first Death Star fresh in their minds, the rebels are looking to make any gains they can in the fight against the Empire.

The storyline is reminiscent of the original plot of “The Empire Strikes Back” by Leigh Brackett, where Han Solo is the only person who can negotiate a trade because of who he is and who his connections are. Unlike that original draft of the screenplay, this is all a ruse that leads to a daring action sequence, highlighting every one of the original core cast. It feels like what the sequel to “A New Hope” would have been had they not jumped ahead so far to the events of “The Empire Strikes Back.”

While it’s fair to say we’re not getting anything new in the grand scheme of “Star Wars” mythology with this first issue, we’re getting a story that feels like its earned its place. It brings us to familiar territory while still feeling fresh.

John Cassaday’s art lends itself well to Aaron’s script, and we’re given a comic that’s easy to recall the voices, sounds, and cadences of the classic “Star Wars” trilogy.

And it ends with a helluva cliffhanger, which means that it’s bringing us the best of the storytelling offered by the comics medium mixed with the things that people like best about “Star Wars.” I find that difficult to complain about.

Now, we can only hope they offer this level of loving care and detail to comics set in the prequel era. Because that is something I want to see.

Review by James Floyd (GONK):

Jason Aaron and John Cassaday deliver the start of the series with a bang! “Star Wars” picks up after “A New Hope” leaves off, with the Rebels fresh from their victory at Yavin, and once again, our heroes are thrown back into harm’s way. I really enjoyed this issue, and hope that it heralds the type of quality that we’ll be getting from Marvel for its “Star Wars” titles. Jason Aaron gives all the main characters a role in the issue, from Han, Luke, and Leia to Chewbacca and the droids, and it’s rare to find a writer who can give Artoo and Threepio hero roles without it feeling forced. 

Probably the best praise I can give this issue is that it feels like Star Wars yet is original. It doesn’t feel like a retread of what we’ve seen in the films, but captures the spirit of the movies – adventure, fun, and with characters we can care about. John Cassaday does a great job with his characters, and are enhanced by Laura Martin’s colors – Luke and Han are spot on, and both Chewie and the main villain look great. Even background characters like various aliens fit well. 

As a big fan of the Dark Horse Comics run on “Star Wars”, I was a little skeptical to see what Marvel could do with the license. With this series going for a million copies, I’m sure the Marvel brass wanted to make sure that this was the best work that they could have to hook fans for the series. Have the “Star Wars” feel without making any major changes at the start (perhaps learning from the Brian Wood series where Leia’s fighter pilot role attracted some grumbling) but also don’t make it a rehash of the movie plots. And here, Aaron delivers – plenty of action, lots of fun, and we get our main characters in familiar yet fresh situations again.

Nothing jaw-dropping plot-wise in this issue, but a great introduction to what hopefully will be a fantastic series. Thumbs-up on Star Wars #1.

In case you’ve been hiding in a fallout shelter for the past year, you probably know that Marvel Comics now has the license to publish Star Wars comics. Next week marks the release of their first title, simply ‘Star Wars’, with issue #1 coming out on January 14, written by Jason Aaron and art by John Cassaday with colors by Laura Martin.

Here’s the official blurb:

“Beginning where Episode IV left off, Luke Skywalker and the ragtag band of rebels fighting against the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory yet-the destruction of the massive battle station known as the Death Star. But the Empire’s not toppled yet! Join Luke along with Princess Leia, smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they strike out for freedom against the evil forces of Darth Vader and his master, the Emperor. This is the Star Wars saga as only Marvel Comics could make it! “

With over a million copies of issue #1 ordered by comic book stores, this launch will be the largest comic event of the past 20 years, says CBR. Bleeding Cool states that there’s over 100 variant covers of this comic, making it a dream (or nightmare) for collectors. Rebelscum has a list of known variant covers so far.

To celebrate the launch, Midtown Comics in New York City will have writer Jason Aaron and artist John Cassaday on hand for signings at their downtown NYC location on Friday, January 16th in the evening. More details available here, and of course Midtown Comics has their own variant cover by Mark Brooks, which will vertically connect with their variant covers for ‘Darth Vader’ #1 and ‘Princess Leia’ #1. Are there comic launch parties going on at stores near you? Post them in the comments!

And in other big news, Marvel has put the a vast amount of the Dark Horse run of Star Wars comics up on comiXology but Club Jade calls it a bit skeevy.

Marvel Entertainment having hit after hit in cinema is well known in the wider pop-culture but in the narrower comics world Marvel is also on fire. Their writers are firing on all cylinders and Marvel also seems to grab the best artistic talent too. Through their Icon imprint, Marvel Comics has published some amazing creator-owned stories but lately that imprint has been dwarfed by the regular Marvel line. That might change when Jason Aaron (“Southern Bastards”, “Punisher Max”) and Ron Garney (“Thor: God of Thunder”, “Wolverine”) team up on the five issue mini-series “Men of Wrath”.

The series is about a hitman and his own family history that created him. The story’s family dynamic should be a key feature for most but from what has been released about the story, it should be disturbing, dark and action packed. The book is due on shelves this October, for more information check out the official press release under the solicitation below.

Men of Wrath #1 (of 5)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ron Garney
Cover Artist: Ron Garney
Variant Cover Artist: Steve Dillon
Price/Pages $3.50…32 pgs.

Aaron & Garney Launch MEN OF WRATH for Marvel’s ICON Imprint in October!

This October, New York Times bestselling writer Jason Aaron (Southern Bastards, Scalped) and fan-favorite artist Ron Garney (Thor: God of Thunder, Weapon X) team up once again for a gritty new limited series kicking off in MEN OF WRATH #1! 

Ever since Great Grandfather Isom killed a man over some sheep, a black cloud has hung over the Rath family. Now, over a century later, Ira Rath is the coldest hitman ever to walk on Alabama soil. And he’s just taken a job that will decide the fate of his cursed family once and for all. As the blood-soaked history of the Rath family unfolds, witness the cycle of violence that shaped Ira into the ruthless killer he is today.

“Men of Wrath is about family history,” said Jason Aaron in an interview with CBR. “Each issue opens with flashbacks to different generations of the Rath family. We kind of start to see how the cycle of violence begins and gets perpetuated and passed down from generation to generation of this family and kind of culminates in Ira as the worst of the bunch.”

“Everybody has their history. Some history is more colorful than others,” says Ron Garney. “Some are more dysfunctional than others. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I can guarantee this story is bound to hit on many different cylinders for many people because of the family dynamic.”

Launched in 2004, Marvel’s ICON imprint is designed specifically for top-tier creators to tell their bold, creator-owned stories featuring their own characters and creations. Producing such critically acclaimed titles likeKick-Ass, Powers and The United States of Murder Inc., Marvel’s ICON imprint has solidified itself as the place to be for exciting stories from A-List creators.

What actions and events led Ira Rath down his murderous path? Dive into the story of a Southern family and their violent history as Aaron & Garney explore the dark past of the Rath family this October in MEN OF WRATH #1!