Odinson’s got jokes in Thor #7, written by Donny Cates, with art by Aaron Kuder, and colors by Matt Wilson, and then there’s all the deadly serious stuff going on beneath that. Previously, Thor became king of Asgard only to find out he’s not all that well suited for the job. A welcome distraction came in the form of Galactus, begging for help in defeating a potentially universe-ending entity called the Black Winter. Thor accepted the role of the world eater’s herald to track down specific planets that would grant Galactus enough power to defeat the Black Winter upon being consumed. This uneasy alliance led the two into a confrontation with Thor’s old friend Beta Ray Bill, which ended in Bill’s enchanted hammer, Stormbreaker, being destroyed. After that, the partnership became rockier and rockier, as Galactus proved he did not share Thor’s value for life when it came to saving the populations of the planets he ate. Finally, the Black Winter arrived and revealed that it had no desire to destroy the universe, only wanting to kill Galactus. Angrier than he’s possibly ever been before, Thor turned on the great devourer, consumed his energies, and destroyed the Black Winter in one fell swoop. Odinson then returned home with Galactus’ helmet in tow, uneasily taking his throne once again. Now, with Mjolnir inexplicably becoming heavier by the day, and Thor realizing he needs support as the king of Asgard, he must forge ahead into uncertain times.

Cates takes the time this issue to provide a much needed downbeat after an intense first six issues. Along with that, downbeat comes some unexpected humor that lands unexpectedly well within the trappings of this, so far, dark tale. Hopefully, Cates will continue to find his moments to alleviate the tension of his story, because it makes the other parts work so much better when you get an issue or two to relax and laugh with the characters you know and love.

Speaking of, given the insanely brutal fight that Thor and Beta Ray Bill had a few issues ago, it wasn’t clear if those two would ever make up. Cates immediately addresses that issue, treating the two as brothers who may fight, but will never lose their love for each other. These scenes work the best in this issue, as they give new depth to Thor and Bill’s relationship and push it forward into unexplored territory at the same time. One can only hope that Bill will be sticking around for the foreseeable future because Cates is the first writer in a while that has demonstrated the ability to write these two as well as he has.

Kuder steps in as guest artist and does an outstanding job, especially with the degree of difficulty of the issue. True, there isn’t much action to illustrate in this chapter of Thor’s story, but the quiet scenes where characters have to do real “acting” can be the most difficult for artists to draw (keep in mind, one of the said characters has a horse face that emotes almost nothing at all). Wilson also gets to stretch his legs in this issue, having a brighter palette to play with, considering most of his previous chapters have taken place in the darkness of space. He, too, steps up and delivers outstanding work.

This is the installment of the story that proves Cates has something a little more up his sleeve than the initial gimmick of Thor becoming Galactus’ herald. There are several intriguing ideas introduced here that indicate Cates seems to have long term plans, and they’re more than enough to hook you into reading more. If you’re a fan of Cates, this book has been some of his best work. If you’re a fan of Thor, this story has delivered a classic understanding of the character while pushing him into unfamiliar/uncomfortable territory, making for a great read so far.

Grade: A