The Good

Just like the cover implies, this issue is pretty much all about Thor Odinson's search to figure out who is now wielding of the iconic weapon he used for so many years. Fellow readers of THOR: GOD OF THUNDER are probably going to think the handling of the overall mystery is just spelling out the obvious and presenting no actual surprises, but watching Thor attempt to discover the truth was certainly entertaining.

Maybe it's just because I read the scene with Idis Elbra's voice in my head, but I really enjoyed Thor's chat with Heimdall. Thor's mind is occupied by figuring out why he's deemed not worthy and why this new person is, but Heimdall amusingly drops some truth bombs on Thor. He probably could answer Thor's question with no effort, but the point is there's bigger things Thor should be worried about and his focus really needs to be elsewhere. I mean, there's so many dangerous things brewing in this universe, and he's worried about someone who's clearly being a hero? Come on, man. Part is me thinks this is just Aaron's way of drawing out the mystery (Heimdall could solve the question then and there for them), but still, I like the message behind the guy choosing not to follow Thor's request. Having Thor then vent by punching some trolls in the face (which looks awesome) was a pretty funny follow-up as well. There's also an enjoyable amount of comedy later on when Agent Coulson makes a cameo.

The sequence with Jane was unexpected and brought a nice amount of heart to the issue. So much time is spent with Thor attempting to figure out what many of us already know and a look at tension rising elsewhere, so to have a more emotional approach to the investigation was a nice little change of pace. It's funny, it seems like Thor interacting with suspects tends to be the highlight because I also loved his bit with Sif in the previous issue. Also, there's an "oh, snap!" kind of moment with Freya (it's great and so warranted) and I'm loving the dynamic between Malekith and Dario Agger.

This issue looks so good. From the look on a terrified child's face to the beauty of the rainbow bridge and the scenery around it, Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson's pages are more than worthy of our attention. Everything about it delivered and pulled me right into each and every scene. There's such a great variety of characters and settings here and both artists were able to present every drastically different moment superbly. I may have some problems with the story in this one, but the visuals make me want to read it all over again.

The Bad

If the identity of who's wearing the helmet wasn't obvious enough for you, it sure is now. Maybe I'll eat my words, but it sure doesn't seem like there's any mystery left after this issue, even for casual fans. Now, the last thing I want them to do is drag this out, but it really feels like this is Aaron's way of doing everything he can to justify the beyond strong possibility of it being Roz. "Hair can change, this part of the moon has air!" For many of us, it seems like this one is just taking a lot of steps to spell out the very obvious for new readers.

Minor criticisms: the cliffhanger isn't as exciting as it's meant to be. It should shock you, but we've been waiting for that moment since the last cliffhanger and the topic was discussed just before the scene occurs. And hold on a second, Odin is okay with killing someone who's blatantly a heroine? I get he's upset about the situation and he did say "broken body" in the last issue, but I thought the objective was just defeat/humiliate her to see who she is and remove the iconic hammer from her hands? "That escalated quickly." Part of me is also left wondering why Jane is refusing any magical aid that could increase her odds of survival. I understand the message is "magic has a cost" and that we humans can be stubborn, but what's the cost she's talking about? She cites the loss of his arm, but that has nothing to do with Thor using magic. There's really nothing that could be beneficial without having consequences? That's just a little tough for me to swallow. Also, I loved seeing Dario's origin, but the sequence after it felt like an over-the-top way of trying to remind us that yes, he's a very evil and twisted dude. If someone who went through that horrifying experience suddenly had the ability to fight back and with such great power, I'm pretty sure they'd inflict fatal damage and not be able to keep them alive and locked up until they have the technology to keep just their heads alive. We're talking about a kid who just witnessed the slaughter of his family, after all.

The Verdict

THOR #6 is an incredible experience for the eyes and there's plenty of enjoyable dialogue, but the handling of the big mystery will come as no surprise to pre-existing fans and it can feel a little heavy-handed at times. New readers will likely be surprised, but unfortunately, I'm not one of them. I also imagine they'll be a little confused since they don't know the character all that well just yet. Still, the combination of wonderful artwork, some well-crafted conversations, and several interesting plot points being put into motion makes this yet another issue that kept me thoroughly entertained and left me looking forward to the next chapter. I just hope they justify why this person has been attempting to hide their identity.

Art was great like usual, but not the story. Seeing Odinson was fun but the mystery feels very pointless and forced considering odinson should really have no problem figuring out who she is, and the answer is obvious. Heimdall should've ended right there, there was no reason not to. The story just feels so forced and the eventual reveal of who she is probably won't feel like it was worth it. I don't see this story going anywhere until we find out who she is, and that's not until issue #8.

On the point of Odin, it does seem a little drastic to be willing to kill her, but Odin has done crazier things before, and this one girls life means nothing to him. He could handle the situation a lot better than sending the destroyer after her, by just making heindall tell him, or bringing her to Asgard himself and finding out, but I guess if he did that Jason Aaron wouldn't have a story to tell, which shows how weak this story is. Heimdall not telling still upsets me though. Its not his place to tell odinson what he should be focusing on or to deny his king (Odin) answers.

A pretty fun issue thanks to the focus on the real Thor, and him seeing Jane was cool besides her refusing treatment, but I want the story to pick up now. Hope Jane doesn't die

I have a storng feeling that Odin was somehow corrupted by his brother during their, hm, exile.

great issue again. this book is soo good.

Another enjoyable issue. The art was fantastic as we have come to expect from Dauterman, and the first half of the issue with Odinson's interactions with the trolls, Heimdell, Coulson, and Jane.

I'm still not buying Odin's reactions. It really seems forced to me. Who is that laying on the floor of the throne room? Is it Cul?

I'm more irritated that we still don't know what Fury said to Thor. I can understand wanting to stretch out the reveal of the new Thor, but it's really making no sense keeping the whisper a secret. And it's making the writing pretty awkward. When Thor's thinking things like "What Fury said to me...it can't be true", it's really weird and forced. I don't see why he'd be dancing around actually saying what Fury said in his own thoughts.

@spacemanspiff85: Its probably because Marvel doesn't know what he said either, they make this stuff up as they go along under the guise that it was planned for years prior. They'll reveal what he said eventually, but it won't be until it conveniently ties into some BS event 3 years down the road, where they'll claim "you know the seeds for this event were first planted in the whisper that Fury said to Thor in Original Sin...we plan things!"

@hortondrawsawho:

I'm kind of getting that feeling too. The longer it takes to find out, the less satisfying it's going to be, I think.

@hortondrawsawho: you just effectively explained my problem with Marvel

I actually think it's Jane, the fact that He-Thor scratched her off the list reinforced my suspicion. Since her natural hair fell off due to chemo, the hammer must've given her a new headful. The Art was sublime btw I love this book although the story is hardly about she-Thor, I feel kind of wronged.

I also found it interesting that Thor was shown to be impervious to bullets. Odinson only has one feat of that over the years and any other time he blocked them with Mjolnir, so its kind of nice to have this confirmation

From what I've seen from panels people have posted, the Jane/Thor scene was really good. I appreciate seeing this side of Thor again, and 'Lord Thunder Britches' made me giggle.

I am also hoping more and more that it's not Roz just because it's so obvious it is Roz.

If it is Roz, I will so apologize and buy all the issues I've skipped just for that twist.

As expected only Thor's part actually is redeeming. And it is not She-Thor's fault ,mind you but the way everyone around her act like they suddenly become jerks and try to force some sympathy out of the reader. Odin acting like a B-movie villian ? Still keeping the damn whisper hidden because they probably cannot think of ANYTHING that would not be stupid to take Thor's worthiness, unless they made up some weird retcon. Yep the 'forceful justification' is showing. Not as bad as the previous issue of insulting the ones who are legitimately upset , so I guess that is a plus ? Also Jane and Thor's scene was the best part really. You said it Jane '' he is not just Odinsson ''

Issue was good, but is it really worth waiting till May to find out who she is?

Sorry, but this makes me even more adamant that it's not Roz (I will fully accept being wrong when proven so). That was just so in your face. I predict next issue we'll see Roz there WITH Thor, rather than as her. I think the scene with Jane was there to imply the Hammer is making her worse. Also to direct attention away from her.

Team Jane till the end!

Also, my comic store had the Stephanie Hans Variant!!

Envy me!

I could see them doing that. Roz not being in the car could just be Thor stopped her, wanted to talk with her and gave her a ride out of flying car or something. It also brings up the question of how she ended up on the moon. Still, there's ways to write around the two things. Still leaning towards Roz, though.

It was alright. The best part in the whole issue was Thor conversing with Jane.

@jayc1324: Yeah, and that page was especially gorgeous. Plus. "heh, tickles a little."

@galacticfork: I don't even like her very much yet but even I must admit that that was a very cool and powerful scene.

As someone who didn't read God of Thunder, I'm really enjoying this book. Yes, the mystery is dragging a bit, but it is still a fun read. Looking forward to Thor vs the Destroyer next issue.

I have a crazy idea for who Thor might be, and it's no one on Odinson's list (that would be too easy):
Volstagg's daughter, Hildy! That could explain her "newness" to super-heroing and fighting, and her young, creative mind could come up with unconventional ways to wield Mjolnir. She has shown a penchant for both sneaking off to get into adventures AND for being afraid of getting in trouble (hence the secret identity thing).

I find Jane refusing magical treatment for her cancer kind of stupid and a little offensive. Every single person who is in a bed dying of cancer right now is wishing there was some magic that could just make them get better.

@teerack: Thank you!! there are people with cancer who are probably begging for someone to just have someone cast a spell and cure their cancer.
And for that matter didn't all of marvel's most intelligent scientist fail to cure Captain Mar-Vell...so why does Jane think that if they couldn't cure him they could her? I mean they couldn't even cure Aunt May of fatal gunshot(not even doom or Dr.Strange which only proves why one more day was retarded.)so her chances aren't looking up at all unless they cure her during secret wars.

There is no logical sense of what can and can't be done with magic in marvel. Strange probably could have saved May for a really dark price that no one would have liked, and Tony could have fixed her with extremeis is he didn't have any ethics back then. There are so many different cancers and Mar-Vell's cancer came from a super villains super power so it being too strong to cure wasn't that hard to believe.

First of all, I'd like to greatly thank Mr Gregg Katzman for calling Thor well... Thor. It just makes me so upset when I read in other sites people writing just Odinson or making up stupid names to call Thor. Just like Jane said in this issue, he's so much more than Odin's son, it's really offensive for any fan of Thor who has been calling him Thor for years just to downgrade him and cut him of his name just because of a pr stunt.

Also, no wonder after the last very controversial issue where the author offended the old Thor fans after generalising their reason not to like this new Thor and disregarding their opinion, then write that incredibly poor and undignified ending where the villain surrenders just because it's a female superhero she's facing (that was painful to read), the author would just focus on the Thor everybody loves and support.

Marvel is doing damage control since they want to expand their fanbase and not alienate a big part of it. The fans who are unhappy stopped reading and were replaced by a bigger number of new fans, but many fans who are reading although more accepting of this change aren't 100% ok with it especially with the fact that she's called "Thor" and they now denied Thor his name and he must go around by his surname. So that last issue was offensive to these hardcore fanbase who is still reading and that's why in this issue Jane said "you are so much more than just Odinson" to sort of apologize to that audience and acknowledge their complaint.

Do you know why this mystery seems to be dragging already even though it's been just 6 issues? (gosh does it seem longer...) Because it has no reason to be a mystery at all. There is no reason for her to use a mask and hide her identity even from Thor (one decent person would at least present herself to the person who is trusting you with their most precious belonging - which you borrowed without asking to begin with).

I've said this before, her identity is hidden so the author can domesticate the readers/reviewers to call her "Thor". If her identity was known from the beginning, everybody would just call her by her name, just like everybody called Beta Ray Bill, Beta Ray Bill, and Sif, Sif, etc when they were wielding mjolnir. The reason is simple. Thor is a superhero who doesn't have a superhero name. I really think it will be very strange if once her name is known, people will keep calling her by Thor's name, don't you?

@jayc1324: What? I know you're always in the Thor respect thread so how did you have any doubt Aaron puts Thor as bulletproof? He took Malekith's swords with his bare hands and I even posted Thor vs hundreds of mercenaries(with .50 or more firing at him) hired by Agger and he simply throw his hammer and started to attack a tank, in the end there is not even one scratch on him.

And he had many more feats against bullets than this one, even Thunderstrike's skin took bullets easily.

http://s388.photobucket.com/user/OneDumbG0/media/Thor%20Stats/ThorDurability35486Projectile.jpg.html

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/0/6955/1494284-msmk50.jpg

http://s118.photobucket.com/user/bigbran1/media/thor48003we0.jpg.html

Just stand there, no blocking:

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/10/109250/2249163-ThorDurability43v304Projectile.jpg

Thunderstrike:

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/149643/3787331-befunky_thunderstrike11.jpg.jpg

And we are not even talking about other feats of piercing that immediately puts him as bullet-proof like Disir's blades, Volstagg axe, Perkius blade, Wolverine scratches...

You just have to pick this and show to Busiek who thinks he is like WW.

yeah this issue made it obvious who thor is but it could so be a misdirection/red herring, we will see. I personally have no connection to the chick, never cared for her and would often skip over her dialogue so its kind of a disappointment its her. would prefer if it was frejya or jane but ce la vie

cant wait for the next issue. great series so far.

@teerack: It is a bit weird, but she was always pretty resistant to magic. She was turned into a goddess and then rejected the powers and demanded to be made human again. And she was healed by Sif giving her her life force, and that later ended up with Jane being trapped in a parallel world for a while. So yeah, Jane is odd when it comes to magic. Which is especially amusing cause she had dated a god. Plus lives among them. Not to mention has been moonlighting as one.

@themadsurfer: yeah but for some reason some people still don't think he's bulletproof, so it's nice to have more proof.

@galacticfork: This issue more or less spoiled that it wasn't Jane and was that shield agent from God of Thunder. Coulson's radio call for her had it's word bubble coming from the same building she was inside.

@teerack: I think it was too obvious to be true. The final redirect before the surprise reveal in book 8. Mark my words. See my other post in this thread. Next issue's going to show Roz teamed up with Thor.

@jayc1324:

Because of one writer that wanted to guess why he blocked bullets(I even showed you a pick he blocked and them just got bored and stopped blocking), the truth was that he blocked everything, even street leveler's punches(I guess It would hurt him lol) and by that logic he should spin his hammer to avoid Caps's punches. The guy is Busiek, and some writers followed his belief(like the issue with black panthers, but again, in that issue a being without superhuman strength wrestled Thor). Look at this:

http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19754

The best thing about that thread was a guy saying that It was nonsense and if so, a bunch of good snipers as Paladin or Punisher could kill Thor with prep. Then Kurt practically said that PLOT wouldn't allow it, saying that Thor being a warrior born would prevent It (like if Thor knows the ways of modern warfare or even know how a sniper really works at least at that time). The other laughable part was when he said that WW fists worked against Supes just like Mjolnir would, so if Supes would catch WW fist he would do it with Mjolnir too. Simplifying he said that the hammer is just as magical as her fist!!!! - Now we can see why he keeps relating Thor with WW.

The main focus was on Odinson search for Thor's identity which is starting to bug me a little. The All-mother and All-father confrontation was good. Laying some smack on him. And I think Aaron is playing with my emotion and my guess for the Thor being Roz Solomon. I guess we will find out soon.

@everybodyhateschris: If I were to guess, he put Odinson at the focus because the next one will be Thor vs The Destroyer. And considering that carries over into the one after as well, I bet it won't feature much of him.

I don't have much to say outside of this review reflecting exactly how I felt about this issue.

I don't really care who the new Thor is. I sincerely don't. The character I wanted it to be isn't, and just for the lulz, I'm going to side with the crowd who are thinking it won't end up being Roz because of the blatancy of it.

As adorable/creepy as that may be (due to the whole kiss thing they shared), it can't be who you are putting forward simply because she never met Bullboy (Dario Agger) and this new Thor has indicated she has.

Frankly, I'd prefer her over the two being bandied about at the moment as possible candidates.

Great book, still enjoying it but I must say, Odin is a bit mental.

@jayc1324: in wandering gods when he rescue the warrior threes he was shoted with Aka 47 and some granades and don't do anything to him. Plus if we have seen him taking worst then it is obvious he is nearly invulnerable.

I'm gonna say that this Marvel now is getting a way more ahead of itself. After all Thor Unworthy, a more cruel and brutal captain america (he is suppose to be the symbol of freedom and blah, blah, blah), Superior Iron Man being much more crazy than before(what the heck he is suppose to be the goofy but the guy who try to redeem himself), Doc Green right now every Marvel reader must know that he is going to become in the Maestro very soon (hulk's dreams). Is good to see them having a change already and of course Marvel is possible preparing for a much bigger issue but they have taken the Big Ones the most iconic heroes and have been making them a lot more like DC's new 52 (batman since they are all kicking asses and taking names).

@makentsu: @teerack: Not necessarily, because I know someone who has cancer and that has the potential to get it cured with chemo, radiation, surgery, or marijuana treatments and he still refuse to get any treatment. He rather just let the cancer kill him. So, not everyone who gets cancer wants to be cured.

@iceslick said:

That's not the same at all. Refusing real treatment is understandable because the side effects are really awful, and there is still only like a 50/50 chance of it working at best most of the time.. A lot of times as horrible as it is the treatment they can offer only makes their quality of life much worse for the end of their life while leaving their family with a huge amount of debt.

@teerack: Well I guess since magic isn't real. I think they wanted us to feel magic has a cost and maybe pretend that it's like real treatments there are 50/50 chance.

I guess. It just wasn't really show that way. The way Thor and others were talking it's like she is refusing to just be fixed at no real cost.

I've been giving this a lot of thought, and I've been reading over the few recent scenes with Jane. I will fully admit a level of projection and a lot of speculation, but putting her squeamishness about magic aside, it could be a matter of the principle of it all. She's a doctor, she's dedicated he life to healing people with medicine... human medicine. If you look at God of Thunder, when she first told Thor about her cancer, she says "I'm a doctor, I'll fight this battle with plain old Earth Medicine." Just accepting magic and not trusting in earth medicine is practically saying it's all useless. So I'd imagine there's a level of "If it's good enough for my patients, it should be good enough for me."

On another level (here is the projection part), there's the fact as mentioned, she's dedicated her life to healing others, and it's not like the Asgardians are offering to heal all cancer, it would be just hers. So she's possibly thinking she isn't going to just accept it say "screw all you other cancer patients, I got mine! You shoulda had the foresight to date a god." Why is she so special to get this magical cure when so many others are suffering and relying on the (again) medicine she practices on others? So by refusing the magical cure, she's accepting her fate the way everybody else has to.

@galacticfork: Thanks for making sense on that. It makes perfect sense than the point I was thinking and it actually fits her character.

Spot on gpcat. They can't reveal her identity until we accept her as "Thor".

I can't wait to also NOT buy this issue. I have never taken so much pleasure in not paying my money to something before. Youtube FTW!!!

It's nice to see the real Thor so shallow now concerning himself only with her identity. It's great to see Odin as a barbarian tyrant. It's great to see all female characters 100% behind the feminist agenda,...even Thor's own mom. I wonder why Titania never surrendered to She-hulk or Spiderwoman or Black Window or Invisible Woman or Wasp or Storm or Rogue or Shadowcat or Jubilee or Scarlet Witch or Jean Grey or Misty Knight or,....oops I was rambling.