Some of the world’s most powerful and evil corporations are going to war over turf and Thor is caught in the middle! Well, she will be as long as Jane Foster can escape the clutches of S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, a special tale of young Thor adventuring in the age of Vikings! Meanwhile, Loki conjures up a dark and powerful new enemy: Viking Hulk!

(Panini Books)

An indisputable challenger for the title of best Marvel Comic currently being published, Jason Aaron’s revitalised Thor series continues to go from strength to strength, and has all the markings of becoming one of the all-time greatest runs for the Thunder God.

Dying from cancer which cannot be treated while she maintains her transformations into Thor, Jane Foster also faces the threat of SHIELD agents determined to uncover her alter ego’s secret identity, and the ongoing menace of Roxxon Oil president Dario Agger, who has teamed up with the dark elf Malekith to begin plundering the natural resources of the Ten Realms of Asgard.

Agger’s covert deal comes to the attention of various other company leaders - Tiberius Stone of Alchemax, Wilson Fisk of Fisk Industries, Sebastian Shaw of Shaw Industries, Darren Cross of Cross Technological Enterprises, Zeke Stane of Stane International, Shingen Harada of the Yashida Corporation, Frr’dox of Shi’ar Solutions Consolidated, and Wilhelmina Kensington of Kilgore Arms – who demand a share of the new market, and vow revenge when he refuses to play ball.

Dario is subsequently taken hostage by Harada and Exterminatrix of the Midas Corporation, an action which triggers something called the Agger Imperative, which turns the island on which the Roxxon Corporation HQ is based to turn into a floating missile aimed at New York City. Not only must Thor rescue Agger and prevent the impact, but she must also deal with the interference of SHIELD, and a deadly golden bullet which has infected her body...

This volume also looks at the creation of “Viking Hulk” during the Dark Ages, and reveals hitherto unknown secrets about the origin of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, with both storylines also having consequences in the present day.

The decision to hand over the hammer to long-term cast member Jane, and then to hit her with a terminal illness, was not only a brave one, but has also given a vulnerability to the previously immortal Thunder God, with the fatality of her condition ever-present no matter what other menaces she faces.

With a war against the alien Shi’ar looming on the horizon, Malekith’s invasion plans for the Ten Worlds bubbling away, and the ever-present threat of Jane’s deteriorating health, Aaron is certainly keeping his plates spinning, but he is showing no signs of losing the impetus and imagination which has been a trademark of his run since he took over the title back in 2012.

If you’re not currently reading Thor, then you’re missing a masterpiece in the making, but it’s not too late to catch up with Aaron’s run to date and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.