Immortal Thor Leaves Everything to Chance (Literally)

Writer Al Ewing is one of the most creative writers in the comic industry. Ewing can write just about every kind of story imaginable. Ewing does sci-fi, superheroes, horror, and fantasy unlike any other writer out there, constantly getting better. Ewing’s The Immortal Hulk is one of Marvel’s best series ever, and it’s looking like his Immortal Thor might actually be better than that fabled title. Immortal Thor is doing for Marvel fantasy comics what The Immortal Hulk did for Marvel horror books. The book is following Thor on his most harrowing journey, one that has taken him to Utgard, Asgard’s dark shadow, and is leading him on a path to his death. Immortal Thor combines Norse mythology with the mythology of the Marvel Universe to create a brilliant Thor experience, one that gets better and better with every issue.

Immortal Thor #22, by Ewing and Jan Bazaluda, is yet another of example of why Immortal Thor remains Marvel’s best non-Ultimate solo series, as well as why fans love Ewing’s work so much. The book does something that few other comics have tried in the past, using the participation of the reader in the physical medium of the story to illustrate a very important aspect of the issue’s story as well as giving them an amazing reading experience. It’s a gimmick, but it’s one that makes Immortal Thor #22 a must-read comic.

A Flip of a Coin

Immortal Thor #22 begins with Utgard Loki, the god of tricks and magic of Utgard, explaining to readers that this whole story is a magic trick, and introduces the idea that a coin represents the endless city maze that Thor and his ally Skurge are trapped in. Utgard Loki then gives the readers the instructions they’d need to read the story the way they are supposed to. He tells the readers about flipping the coin and moving forward or backward based on the result — tails means going backwards and heads means going forward. From then on, at the bottom of every page of the issue, there is a picture that is meant to tell the reader when to flip the coin. The reader uses this coin flip to either move the story forward, or make it go backward.

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This is an ingenious way to show that Thor and Skurge are trapped in an endless maze, going backwards in time and space at times, not knowing where or when they are. These types of stories have been told many times in comics, but they never really capture the feeling of being in a maze. Immortal Thor #22 finds a way to make the characters stuck in time and space that fits the story, and uses the coin flips to give readers the feeling of being lost as well. Comic books are a remarkable medium. In a very real way, every single issue is an entire universe, its events fit into the other universes with the same title by the minds of the readers. Readers constantly interact with comics, whether it be by turning their pages or by bringing the stories to life in their own minds. Ewing utilizing the coin flip takes this to another level and honestly feels a bit inspired by ideas set forth by Grant Morrison in DC’s The Multiversity, that the time flow of comics are malleable because of their nature and that the reader controlled that flow while reading the comic. Comics are one of the most rewarding audience participation entertainment mediums out there and Immortal Thor #22 uses this brilliantly, creating a unique reading experience.

Not All Comic Gimmicks Are Bad

For years, gimmicks in comics were mostly about the covers. The ’90s was full of foil, holographic, chromium, 3-D, die-cut, and other gimmick covers, and the industry of the time is roundly mocked for it. Nowadays, it’s mostly variant covers, with readers hunting down the various covers of every individual issue. Gimmicks are a marketing tool in the comic industry, but it’s rare that those gimmicks have anything to do with the actual stories in the comic. Immortal Thor #22 hearkens back to the old gimmicks of 3-D art, a gimmick that changes the way the reader reads the comic.

Immortal Thor #22 takes the audience participation that is crucial to comics — the mental and physical interactions with the comic itself — and uses it a smart and fun way. If the reader is lucky, they’ll get through the maze quickly. If they’re unlucky, they’ll constantly experience the events of the story over and over again, and eventually understand how Thor and Skurge feel. It’s an excellent addition to an already outstanding comic.

Immortal Thor #22 is on sale now.