The Mighty Thor: The Galactus Seed 2: Neighbors

Cover by Olivier
Coipel, Mark Morales,
Laura Martin

The Mighty Thor: The Galactus Seed 2: Neighbors
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciller: Olivier Coipel
Inker: Mark Morales
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino

Damn it, Marvel!

I keep trying to read your solo hero single issue comics but each time, I end up stumbling in a sequel of another issue.

This time, I read The Mighty Thor: The Galactus Seed 2: Neighbors. Quite a title. I should have known I would be reading something quite out there and a bit confusing when the I read the opening paragraph of the backstory page:

“Yggdrasil – the World Tree – has been rendered in twain: now a giant geyser of strange light reflecting all of spacetime bursts forth from the center of fallen Asgard, a beacon of extraordinary power for all to see.”

Well, damn. I don’t even know how to pronounce half of the words in this comic, let alone understand just what is going on but there was one good outcome from picking up this issue: it made me really like the Silver Surfer.

As Thor and Sif, the goddess of war, attempt to train the Brigade of Realms to find the missing seed of Yggdrasil, the Silver Surfer is traveling through time and space to warn Earthlings and Asgardians that Galactus is on his way to wreak havoc and take this special seed back from Odin. Apparently, Odin, Thor’s one-eyed and shady as hell dad, really wants this seed as it will help him “rule over a divided house no longer.” The reader is not 100%  sure just what plans Odin has; all we know is that he is sneaking around Thor and most likely doing something that will piss his son off when he finds out.

In terms of Thor and Asgard, this comic just helped me realize how much fun it must be to write these comics. Everyone’s talking in a very unnatural, formalized way and let’s face it, mythology is always fun to mess around with. I also amused by how resigned the citizens of Broxton, OK are to the presence of these superheroes. Apparently gods and goddesses have been showing up in this little town for a long time though “their imaginations are beggared by the theological implications of living next door to deities”. I can’t help it, there’s something so funny to me about how formal and serious Thor seems to be when really, it’s just a comic about getting back a magic seed or whatever.

Like I said though, the Silver Surfer was in this issue and hot damn, I think I love this guy. I have no history with this character though I did watch eight minutes of the Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer on TV once but that was only because I knew Doug Jones played the Silver Surfer and I love him. In fact, I had his character completely wrong because for some reason, after those eight minutes, I basically just assumed the Silver Surfer’s backstory was like Dr. Doom, you know, evil scientist got messed up in an experiment gone awry and boom! he’s a silver dude who flies around. I was wrong.

I had no idea he was a messenger character and I had no idea that he works for this scary guy, Galactus, who apparently eats planets for fun. I really loved how cold and aloof this character was and also how he viewed both the Earthlings and Asgardians with mild disdain. It was a lot of fun to read in a comic where everyone seemed to taking things very, very seriously. So if anyone knows any other awesome Silver Surfer comics, please let me know! I want to go to there.

One last amusing aspect of this comic that I just have to mention was a moment where Thor is being his charming, romantic self. So Sif is expressing concern about his wound and Thor, with his ultra masculine demeanor, shrugs it off and says he’s fine. Then, in words that I’m sure every woman loves to hear, says, “Come. Dawn breaks and the night ends. I need warming, woman.”

I honestly had to put the comic down for half a minute just to compose myself after laughing and then immediately getting creeped out. All I have to say is that it’s a good thing that Sif and I don’t have the same personality, as my reaction to this statement could best be illustrated by:

followed quickly by