I've had a contentious relationship with Marvel and DC superheroes, but despite the massive amounts of money attached to these 'properties' and 'franchises', superhero comics are still being made that don't feel like spineless, compromised, manipulative piles of shit. This isn't news to plenty of comics fans who have learned to spot the gems amongst the offal, but I dismissed them all as being not worth the effort -- especially given the still growing percentage of alternative and underground books demanding attention. I don't mind admitting I'm wrong now and then. The problems still exist, since they're mostly systemic, and the Big Two don't like to risk facing the ire of fans with changes. Making the solicitation date deadline is still more important than getting the art right, and there still doesn't seem to be much concern with creating stories that new readers can pick up and enjoy. The 'event comics' I like bitching about are one of the primary culprits for the latter, tying up every monthly mid-narrative arc in a transparent gambit to force a few more titles onto reader's pull-lists. But thanks to some fine GR reviewers whose opinions I respect and trust, finding the 'worthy' books is easier than I anticipated.. 
 'Thor -- God of Thunder: The God Butcher' is the ideal example -- a monthly book, featuring one of the biggest stars in the Marvel constellation; but surprisingly -- to me at least -- Jason Aaron has still found plenty of interesting ways to abuse The God of Thunder without provoking the wrath of the Uber-God With Mouse-Ears that rules them all. 
 Aaron splits the story into three narrative timelines presented simultaneously: a neat device, and one that's easy to fuck up. But Aaron's been one of the big names in mainstream comics for years now with good reason. He knows what he's doing, and resists the impulse to keep adding plot elements certain to turn the whole thing into one of those convoluted messes everyone loves so much. 
 It's pretty simple: something has been not-so quietly slaughtering gods for thousands of years, without any multiversal alarms or warnings being triggered. A young Thor, minus Mjolnir, ignores a fairly obvious clue in the form of a Native American deity's head, floating close to one of the Viking shores of Midgard. He soon finds out that prayers are going unanswered across the cosmos, and his investigation leads him first to the butchered corpses of the missing and dead immortals -- apparently not an oxy-moron -- and then to a climactic confrontation and a mistake with tragic consequences. 
 This plays out as the older, slightly wiser, present-day Thor deals with the ramifications of his youthful pride, as gods continue to fall. In a truly apocalyptic future, meanwhile, the one-armed, sword-wielding, grey-bearded Thor ruling a desolate Asgard faces Ragnarok alone. Aaron manages the narrative jumps with skill, and it never feels pretentious or disruptive, as it so easily could. The fact that the Norse pantheon is unique for having a paradoxical, confusing sort of expiry-date woven into their DNA gives the story an added depth; the 'Twilight of the Gods', aka Ragnorak, is the final climactic battle that Thor and Odin and Freya look forward to fondly, though they are well aware it will mean their destruction. Aaron's take on the idea is pretty clever, but he never bangs the reader over the head with it. 
 The other reason for the story's success is Esad Ribic. While I've admired the cool tones and clean European style of his painted covers, I hadn't seen much of his interior art; as I suspected, it's beautiful stuff; it's a fusion of the sharp delineations of Georges Bess, Goran Sudzuka, and the gone-but-not-forgotten Edvin Biukovic, with more than a little of Frank Frazetta's profiles and cross-hatching. 
 The only minor criticism I can make... well, not a criticism, I guess. I wish I could see some painted interiors by Ribic, like Ariel Olivetti's beautiful work on Conan (the two artists are lumped together in my foggy memory, as they've long been two of Marvel's best cover artists). The first time I encountered 'finished pencils' as they're now often done was the Marvel series '1602' -- written by Neil Gaiman, who no doubt had an influence on Aaron's storytelling on Thor -- with art by Andy Kubert... and I fucking hated it. I don't love his art fully inked, but the process of adding computer colors to fully rendered pencils did not impress me. That has changed, as artists like J.H. Williams III and Lee Bermejo have used the method to great effect, and turned grey-wash inks into pages indistinguishable from fully-painted art. Ribic's pencilling looks great, but I would have preferred this story to be done as a mini-series, giving him more time to add inks (or paint), and detail to some of the spectacular alien vistas. 
 This is a very entertaining read (thanks to Jan for the recommendation), and I'm looking forward to reading more of Aaron's super-hero story-telling. I've seen negative reviews for some of his titles, but given the mad word-count this writer's cranking out, that's to be expected, unfortunately. Certain people thrive under the whip, using deadlines and page-rates to push them; but not many. I think the monthly comic isn't really necessary anymore, with TPB's and hardcovers selling as well as they are, but that idea might seem like treason to some fans, I'm sure. 
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