Reading The Unworthy Thor is like listening to a Wall Street finance executive who just lost his job: It’s hard to feel pity for someone who fell from the top. The once and probably future God of Thunder mills about the galaxy, getting into drunken brawls with space orcs and nursing his wounds after losing Mjölnir. The comic may not make you feel bad for Thor, but it sure is a blast to read.
Unworthy Thor picks up several months after the original Thor Odinson loses his ability to pick up the magical hammer Mjölnir. Rejecting his name, the former God of Thunder now refers to himself simply as “Odinson” and spends most of his days drinking, self-loathing, and fighting cosmic bad guys with the help of his (huge) goat, Toothgnasher. Basically, Thor is that one drunk uncle who pretty much spends all his days doing the same thing (sans magical goat).
One day, after getting beaten up by a bunch of orcs, a new galactic overseer called the Unseen pays a despondent Thor a visit and tells him that there is actually a second, more powerful hammer hiding somewhere in the Marvel universe.
Odinson’s current state is actually very much like Chris Hemsworth’s Thor during the “Roommates” short directed by Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi. Odinson is sarcastic, a bit depressed, and full of anxious energy. It’s great.
The problem, however, is the fact that the Marvel universe already has such a cool, new Thor in Jane Foster that it’s kind of easy to forget about Odinson. However, it makes for quite a ride to see him thrash around and brawl, drink, then brawl some more. As far as action is concerned, The Unworthy Thor is just raw energy.
This makes me wonder if Odinson isn’t taking cues from the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, or just prior Chris Hemsworth performances as the character. Odinson’s personality shines more brightly in Unworthy Thor when he’s monologuing about all his continual failures. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and although we all know that eventually he will become Thor again, his Unworthy adventures are looking to be one of his most exciting.
The Unworthy Thor #1 is available now in comic book stores and digital retailers.
