Villordsutch reviews Ragnarok #2…
Walter Simonson’s grand epic continues! The Black Elf Assassin and her team of trolls, orcs, and renegades has reached to the Fortress at the Edge of the World. Their masked employer gifted them with the spells necessary to break into Kliffborg to destroy whatever, or whomever, they find within. And in a stone chamber surrounded by a field of stars, they come face to face with a myth all but forgotten in the wake of the Enemies’ victory at Ragnarök, a myth more dangerous than anything they could have imagined.
With issue #2 of Ragnarok I can’t help feeling that this introduction to resurrection of the Mighty Thor would have best been served as a special bumper issue due to the second instalment seriously lacking in anything of substance. I’m reminded of the Death’s Head issue#2 cover (with Dragon’s Claw cross over) where Death’s Head comments “Articulate lot, yes?” in a retort to the Claws grunts. It’s similar here for the middle section of this comic barely anything is uttered beyond, “AAAAAAARGGH”, “URRRGGHH”, “MINE”, “EGRHHH”; also with Ragnarok issue #2 if you dig on onomatopoeia then this comic is a must for you.
Our story takes place immediately after the discovery of the skeletal remains of the chained God and instead of dispatching of the fallen deity – as Brynja the Dark Elf insists – the band of cutthroats decide to mock the once great warrior; this is where it goes wrong as a Red Squirrel appears (Ratatoskr I’m assuming) and whispers in the dead God’s ear. The Son of Odin now awakens from his slumber and begins makes short work of the band of killers leaving Brynja alone to make her move with her poisoned blade, whilst the Thor is distracted.
It’s a shame that in issue#2 we are given so little other than a fight scene. The art and colours from Walter Simonson and Laura Martin are enjoyable but to only be given a small bite of a story in the second month is a bit of a let-down; I really would have trimmed the fight down or even found a way to bring it along later in the series. I’m unsure how issue#3 is going to pan out as Thor is now on his way to locate the new Lord of Death and I can only assume that we’re going to see another brawl shortly; let’s hope I’m wrong.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
Originally published October 9, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
