Thor vol. 2 #61Thor vol. 2 #61
Title: “Sons of the Father”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Art: Ben and Ray Lai
Colors: Brian Reber
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Jake sits in an office waiting. He asks the secretary if it always takes this long. She tells Jake to relax and that disciplinary hearings can take hours. She asks if he would like a cup of coffee. Jake says that a blindfold and cigarette might be better. Mr. Ryan walks out with another woman. He tells Jake to get on his feet and that a decision has been made. Jake says that he didn’t even get to state his case. The woman with Mr. Ryan says that he isn’t going to either. She says that they have heard all they need to in order to render a decision. Mr. Ryan says that Jake is suspended until further notice. Jake says that they can’t be serious. The woman says that they couldn’t be more serious. She says that he operated without a proper license or parental approval. She says that if Sif hadn’t arrived that the boy might have died. Jake says that if he hadn’t operated that the boy would have definitely died. He says that there was no way of knowing that Sif would show up. Mr. Ryan says that is enough and for Jake to come with him. Outside, Jake asks Mr. Ryan what he was supposed to withhold treatment on the hope that a god might swoop out of the sky and save the boy. Mr. Ryan says that he knows Jake did what he had to do. He says that this isn’t a practical decision, but a political one. He says that all the time Jake was operating that the mother was begging him to stop and that a god would come and save her son. He says that sure enough one did. Jake asks him what he would have done. Mr. Ryan says that he would have done exactly what Jake did. He says that is the job, but that now his job is worrying about lawsuits and the press. Jake looks up at Asgard. He asks why if the Asgardians are there to make things better why he is out of work.
Volstagg tells Thor that he would be honored to go to Midgard. Thor says that Fandral and Hogun are on prison duty and can’t come with him. He says that Volstagg’s job is to protect Tarene. He says that she is brash, headstrong, and impetuous. He says that in years to come she will usher man into the next evolutionary scale, and that they have to protect her until then. Thor tells Volstagg to follow Tarene at a discreet distance. Volstagg says that he won’t let Thor down. Thor says that he doesn’t want any worries while he is appearing before the Council Elite. He says that they are looking for someone to fill Odin’s empty seat. Volstagg says that he can’t think of anyone better. Thor says that these matters bore him, but that he goes out of respect for Odin. Thor spins his hammer and disappears.
Hogun, Fandral, and Balder are escorting the prisoners to exercise sessions. Fandral says that there had better be no trouble. Hogun says that he would almost welcome some to ease the boredom. Balder says that is enough. He says that even prisoners deserve respect. Zarrko tells Balder that he has been wanting to speak with him for weeks. Balder tells Zarrko to keep walking and that he has no desire to talk to him. Balder asks if he is afraid of what he might say. Zarrko says that Balder knows that Thor is flirting with disaster. He says that he has to be stopped. Hogun butts Zarrko in the stomach with his mace and calls him a slanderous dog.
Thor appears before the Council Elite. Zeus says that they welcome him. Osiris says that of course they do and that this is a place of equals. He says that Thor has been his friend for a long time. Osiris re-introduces Thor to Yu-Huang of the Ta-Lo, Vishnu of Nirvana, Brahma and Shiva, and of course Zeus. Thor says that they are looking for someone to fill his father’s chair. Zeus tells Thor to go ahead and sit and that the chair is Thor’s birthright. Shiva slams an axe against the table and demands that Thor perform Koronkakkta. Brahma says that is reserved for unknown members and that this is the Thunder God of Asgard. Shiva says that there is much they don’t know about him, and that he may not be half the man his father was. Thor tells Shiva to have a care and that he didn’t come there to suffer insults. Zeus says that no offense was meant. He says that Koronkakkta is a test of character that will determine if he is fit to sit among the Council Elite. Thor says that he fears no challenge and that if they require proof that they will have it. He says to let the test begin. Osiris says, “As you wish.”
Thor finds himself in a snow covered mountain. He says that they have transported him and that such parlor tricks are for lesser beings. Suddenly a large monster comes charging at Thor. Thor kicks the monster away. Thor says that attack without reason is cowardly. The monster charges again. Thor says to stop and the monster comes to a frozen halt. Thor asks why the monster is attacking him and that there is no reason to attack him. Thor looks and sees pups. He says that they must her hers.
Osiris says that Thor passed the test of awareness. Zeus says that this is a waste of time and that they don’t need to test Thor. Osiris says that once begun the test cannot stop.
Thor finds himself on the beach and says that again they move him. Thor hears voice asking him to find and help them. Thor says that the voices are distant and hollow. He says that it is if the wind itself was talking to him. He says that there is nothing but sand there. He touches the sand then looks up and sees the stars. He says that the stars are somehow connected.
Traffic is building up after Volstagg smashes a bus. Tarene, standing with her friend Amanda, asks him why he would do that. Volstagg says that it was about to run her down. Tarene says that the light was red and that the bus would have stopped. Volstagg says that the crimson hue informing the driver to stop is ingenious. Tarene asks if Volstagg would leave so things can get back to normal. Volstagg is about to tell Tarene that Thor sent him to protect her because she is the Designate, but Tarene cuts him off and says that she is a desperate girl who got mixed up with the Grey Gargoyle when he attacked the school. She says that she will be fine and to tell the boss not to worry. Volstagg keeps following her, but he spots a hot dog stand. He goes over to get some. Amanda asks what that was all about. Tarene pretends she doesn’t know and says that since Asgard appeared that those gods are everywhere. Amanda asks if she really believes that they are gods. Tarene asks what else they would be. Amanda says that maybe they are mutants or other ordinary super heroes. Amanda says that all she knows is that her mom says that they have cured a lot of people at her hospital. Tarene asks who else but gods could do all that stuff. Amanda asks what happens if Thor goes further though. She asks what if he doesn’t like their music or TV. Amanda goes in and says that she will leave Tarene with her cousin Jake. Tarene asks why he isn’t at work. Jake says that he was suspended. Volstagg catches up and asks why she ran off like that. Jake asks why he is there. Tarene says that he is her personal watchdog. Volstagg says that he is their to ensure that she is safe in a dangerous world. Jake says that Thor is making it more dangerous. Volstagg says that Jake is a blasphemer and that he is lucky not to be struck down by lightning. Jake asks if that is how Thor deals with those that disagree with him. Jake says that Thor’s scheme is insane. Tarene says that Thor is the son of Odin. Jake says that so is he. Jake says that Volstagg is trying to prove that he is worthy of Thor, and that Thor is doing this to prove he is worthy of Odin’s throne. Jake says that Odin was his father too, and that he was right to steer clear of Earth’s affairs. He says that he owes it to Odin’s memory to stop this. Tarene asks how Jake can ignore the good that he has done. Jake says that he just wants to talk to Thor to show him how nuts this is. Volstagg asks why Thor would listen to a mere mortal. Jake says that it is because he is him. Jake says that he is the human part of his soul that was cast aside when Odin made them two people. Tarene says that his words aren’t lost on her. She stamps her fist against the ground and is transformed. She says that they are off to Asgard.
Thor picks up some of the sand and sees that some of the stars extinguished. He says that they are connected. He looks at the sand closely and sees that they are not sand but tiny lifeforms. He says that they are to be protected. He apologizes and says that any damage was unintentional and won’t happen again. He flies off the ground.
Osiris says that Thor passed the test of insight. Shiva says that she still says that he is unfit to serve. Zeus tells Shiva that she is stubborn and that Thor may be more worthy than her. Yu-Huang says that Thor has broken their covenant of noninterference with Earth. Osiris says that the test resumes.
Thor appears before a group of people. They tell him off how they are starving and that their crops won’t grow. They say that he is mightiest of all and asks him to save them. They say that they will satisfy his every desire. They offer him sacrifices. Thor tells them to stop. He says that if it is food they want that it is food they will have. Thor makes some food appear. He tells them that he needs no sacrifice, but then he disappears.
Thor appears back before the Council Elite. Zeus says that the trials are over, but Osiris says that sadly he did not succeed. Thor asks how he could have failed. Osiris says that he made the wrong choice feeding the starving. Thor asks how that could have been wrong. Zeus says that Thor should have taught them how to grow their own food. He says that they are too dependant on him and worship him beyond reason. Thor says that he didn’t ask to join this council and that he only came to honor his father. Shiva says that it is his father that he dishonor with his actions on Earth. Thor says that they are fighting words. He says that his father was committed to the protection of lesser beings and that he is too. Thor says farewell and spins his hammer to disappear. Osiris wants to explain, but Thor is already gone. He says that he didn’t know he was so impetuous. Zeus says that he doesn’t pay much attention to Earth and asks what Thor has done. Osiris says that they have pledged to leave mortal men in charge of their own destiny, and that Thor has clearly violated that oath. Yu-Huang asks if Thor can violate a pledge that he never made. Zeus says that is a worthy point because Thor has always been devoted to the betterment of mortals. Shiva says that she thinks that he is bringing them to the brink of war.
Thor reappears in Asgard. Volstagg says that
he wants no part of questioning Thor’s dictates. Jake asks
why and that Volstagg would challenge him. He says that he has as
much right to the throne as Thor. Jake says that he remembers
fighting beside Volstagg against Ulik on the plains of
D’Takron. Jake says that he saved Volstagg before the
Jgagraft serpent could behead him. Tarene tells Jake to talk to
Thor and that he will convince him that his ways are proper. Jake
says that taking over a world isn’t proper. Jake says that
Thor couldn’t be more wrong. Thor says that he thinks
otherwise. He says that one can’t calculate the number of
people whose lives he has bettered. Jake says that he knew that
Thor would hate dealing with him. He says that he is a bad memory
that won’t go away. He says that he won’t back down and
that Thor is headed for disaster. 
Thor says that
he sees no reason to debate this with him and that they are no
longer one being. Jake says that is why he should listen to him.
He says that he can relate to Earth in a way that Thor
can’t. Jake says that Thor doesn’t realize that he is
making humanity dependant on him. Thor says that Jake isn’t
even a true living being. Jake says that isn’t true and that
Odin is his father. Thor says, “Odin is not your father! He
created you as a convenience to me… that I might serve
Asgard as lord and ruler without mortal entrapments!” Jake
says that it doesn’t matter why he did it, but that if he
hadn’t that none of this would be happening. Thor says that
mortals would still be waging war, starving to death, and
suffering from diseases. He says that if Odin were alive that he
would applaud his work. Thor says to see for himself. Neffethesk
is walking with Jarrod and his mother. Jarrod is on crutches, but
his leg is reattached. The mother tells Jake that without Thor
her son would have a handicap for life. She asks how he be so
cruel as to hope for such a thing. Jake says that he is glad that
he is okay, and that Asgard’s medicine is better than
theirs, but that Thor is still wrong. Jake says that he admits
Thor has made things better, but that he has started something
worse and that he can’t control it. Thor says that he is
bringing order to a world drowning in chaos. He tells Tarene to
take Jake home and to not bring him back.
As Tarene flies him away, Jake asks why she takes orders from him. Tarene tells him to be silent or he will be in jail like those below. Jake looks down to see Zarrko there. Zarrko says, “Interesting. There may be a way out of this after all.”
Lightning Crashes rating: 7 out of 10
I like the Council Elite and hope to see more of them, but the rest of the issue just seems to be Jake getting suspended and Thor not listening to him still… which has been done. The Lai brothers are okay, but they’re nothing spectacular. 3.5 out of 5 for both writing and art.
Review and pictures by The Leader