Written by: Al Ewing
Art by: Ibraim Roberson
Colors by: Matthew Wilson
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Alex Ross
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: March 13, 2024
The Immortal Thor #8 sends the God of Thunder to an ancient cave where dwells the ancient Mother of Earth, Gaea, to learn why she unsealed the gate between Midgard and Utgard, unleashing ancient destruction.
Is The Immortal Thor #8 Good?
At some point, somebody has to tell Al Ewing he’s trying too hard. The Immortal Thor #8 has a grand, epic idea at its core, but Ewing’s choice to make the dialog as regal and mythic as possible comes off as slow, ponderous, and ultimately boring.
When last we left Thor, he sat through a campfire story by Loki to shake loose the cobwebs of his memory and recall a time in his younger years when he and Loki visited Utgard. The visit resulted in a series of unwinnable trials created by Utgard-Loki, but Thor found a way to overcome, saving all the realms from Utgard-Loki’s wrath. The trip down memory lane didn’t do much in the present except remind Thor of the destructive power of Utgard’s denizens.
Now, Thor visits an ancient cavern in Norway where Gaea, the Mother of All, resides. His objective is to confront Gaea about her involvement in Toranos’s appearance on Earth and why Gaea unsealed the gate that separated Utgard from all other realms.
After a ponderous verbal exchange and a history of the birth of the universe, Gaea eventually proclaims that Utgard is unleashed on Earth to wipe out humanity for taking the Earth for granted. Thor leaves and barges into Roxxon HQ to meet with Dario Agger, the Minotaur CEO, for some inexplicable reason.
![](https://weirdsciencemarvelcomics.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/immortal-thor-8-p2.jpg?w=675)
What’s great about The Immortal Thor #8? The road may be slow and tedious, but the train is still moving towards a destination that makes sense, and the revelation about Gaea’s intentions fills in the blanks, even if her motivations are weakly conveyed. As a bonus, Dario the Minotaur’s frequent presence without connection to the main story is finally starting to bear fruit.
What’s not so great about The Immortal Thor #8? It’s never a good thing to check your watch and the page count a third of the way into a comic. Ewing’s pacing is dreadful because regal language and atmosphere have somehow gotten confused with slow and ponderous. The net point of this issue is that Gaea wants to wipe out humanity for taking the Earth for granted. None of the fluff, pomp, and circumstance is additive or gives depth and texture to that point.
How’s the art? Ibraim Roberson’s art is… great. Gaea’s depiction is suitably impressive and intimidating. Thor’s displays of strength and power are equally impressive, and the character designs for all the lesser creatures are imaginative. This is a great-looking comic, which helps to offset the slow pace.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces
The Immortal Thor #8 slowly moves the plot forward with all the pomp and circumstance of a funeral dirge. To Ewing’s credit, Thor’s adventure feels grand in scope and scale, but simple questions with simple answers reveal themselves too slowly to hold anyone’s attention.
5.8/10