1. In this issue Mephisto is Mephisto and so allows the Desir to wreak havoc on Hela’s new domain within Mephisto’s realm, since it isn’t breaking the letter of his agreement with Loki.
2. Thor’s goodbye speech to Loki is fitting. They hated one another and I’m glad Thor isn’t suddenly forgetting that.
3. I totally get people not wanting Baldur to rule makes sense, since his reign has been an epic fail, from the Latveria experiment to the destruction of Asgard. He’s incompitent.
4. Mephisto’s betrayal is marvelously written. It’s sheer pragmatism and selfishness from the devil. What else did you expect?
5. Hela is impressive but naive. I like that she isn’t evil, but merely doing her job and trying to honor and protect the dead.
6. Artistically, this is excellent. It’s a book of character moments and posing, which really fits in with this story. These are gods and so are constantly posing, even when they’re not really supposed to be, but the human expressions are what make this work.
7. Marvel editorial rather annoys me. Why is Thor going to hell at the same time Wolverine is about to go to hell in his own book? It really can’t be that hard to stagger these stories so they don’t happen at the same time.
8. The Disir are established as a major threat here for new readers by attacking a demon and killing an Asgardian for mentioning their name, but long-time Thor fans will appreciate that they can overpower the immensely powerful Hela.
9. Loki is still alive somewhere since he made a deal with Hela that he couldn’t join her realm. I’m torn if I want him to continue his rehabilitation by showing up and tricking the Disir and Mephisto, or if I want him to stay gone for awhile so his return means more.
10. Rating: 7.5 – This is a very good comic. All the character moments really do more than work; they add layers and depth to the characters involved. Baldur and Thor storming Mephisto’s realm, where he’s nearly all powerful, sounds fantastically fun, while the Disir seem like deadly foes with an agenda that makes sense. These cursed hand-maidens of Bor are a great addition to Thor’s collection of villains.
