A Heart to Heart
Recommended!
We are almost there, almost to the battle between Thor and "Tanarus". "Tanarus" in quotes for a reason, because in no way has his true identity been held back from the reader. He has always been, since his introduction in Issue #8, Ulik the Troll. I believe they could have done so much more with the character if they had kept that bit a secret, this entire arc seems a bit sloppy and "Tanarus" is one of the main reasons.
I am all on board with the misdirection, sabotage, and overall architecture of the plan, it just seems poorly executed. The good news is, all that is coming to an end - by the next issue, things should be back to status quo - or at least that is what the preview has led me to believe. Though, I should probably not hold my breath, I am not sure how long this will plod on...
For all this arc's foibles, this particular issue did serve as a point of redemption. We finally see Thor and the other "lost Gods" fight their way to and nearly through the Demogorge - something that has been teased for quite a few issues now. Thor has all his faculties back, he appears strong, confident and best of all has a plan.
Loki is still trying to convince Silver Surfer of Thor's existence, which seems a bit odd, given Surfer's Cosmic Awareness, but still, their interaction remains fun and interesting - especially where they end up in the last pages of the issue - from this reader's perspective, the Surfer finally is demonstrating a sense of confidence and power, both will be critical in the next and final issue in this arc.
With all this, we still have a great fight between Heimdall and "Tanarus", some domestic violence between the "Three Sisters" (again in quotes for a reason) and an awkward meeting between Tony Stark and the All-Mother. Maybe it is his mustache that set the tone, but Tony's interaction with the three giant, beautiful Goddesses just felt a bit weird. Either way, Issue #12 promises to conclude all these plot streams in what looks to be a great finale for "The Mighty Tanarus" arc.