Thor by Donny Cates vol. 3: Revelations

With the threat of Donald Blake dealt with, this should be a time of rejoicing in Asgard, right?  Wrong.  Thor is brooding over how his powers and Mjolnir failed him in the previous battle and, along with that vision of Thanos he had back in vol. 1, he worries that his reign may be coming to an end sooner than he thinks.  So he decides to talk to those he knows best for advice on what to do.  Loki, Cap, and Jane Foster are consulted first, but they don’t have any real answers for him.  It isn’t until he has a nice sit-down with certain other members of his family that the King of Asgard gets some perspective.  Just in time for things to get even worse as something very important to him goes missing.

This volume is titled “Revelations,” but there’s actually precious little revealing going on.  Much like the Loki stinger at the end of the previous volume, your enjoyment of the main story here will likely depend on how engaged you are by the mysteries Cates is setting up.  In addition to the work he’s doing with the characters here, as well.  Speaking for myself, I’m more impressed by the latter than the former, particularly in regards to the moment Thor and Freyja share regarding a plot point set up over in Jason Aaron’s “Avengers.”  I also liked seeing the new team of “Avengers” established here, while Michelle Bandini (along with Pasqual Ferry and Bob Quinn) do solid work overall with the art here.

They can’t hold a candle to the work done by Aaron Kuder in the “Infinite Destines” Annual here.  He delivers impressively detailed art showcasing the realm of Alfheim and a lot of characters that will be familiar to anyone who’s read Aaron’s “Thor” run.  The story itself doesn’t make me want to track down the other entries in this themed Annual event, but it’s a serviceable enough story where Thor fights an evil version of himself and some good laughs are had at Hawkeye’s expense.  The art is the main reason to read this issue, though, and it ultimately makes me glad that it was included here.