War of the Realms Omnibus

This is a review for the book itself, not the content.Once again marvel drops the ball and puts all of the issues out of order. It starts out in order with the lead up Thor issues, then drops the entire 6 issue War of the Realms series at the front. The entire rest of the 1000 pages is all of the tie in issues, out of order. So if you want to enjoy any kind of continuity with the tie in issues (like I do) you have to go online and look up a reading order guide.Ok, fine. Super annoying but I’ll get by... they list the order of the issues in the index at the front.BUT WAIT, THERES MORE!No page numbers. Anywhere.So good luck finding what you need to read next even if you know. I just can’t in any way remotely understand this decision. People complain EVERY time it’s done and yet no one complains when it’s in order. I just don’t get it.

War of the Realms was for the most part the culmination of Jason Aaron's multi-year and multi-series run on Thor. This omnibus in addition to the main event includes every tie-in associated with it. I will be reviewing each of these individually (because I'm a madman), then average those ratings for the total. Note that some of these tie-ins I've already reviewed previously in various formats and I will be reworking those reviews here for my own convenience.*Thor (2018) #8-11 [Originally reviewed as Thor (2018) Vol. 2 (Paperback)]These aren't the best issues Aaron has ever written but they're still good. Their main purpose is to get all the pieces in place for the War of the Realms. It's all necessary but probably could have been told in half the length with a tighter paced narrative. There are some exciting revelations moving forward. Mike Del Mundo does the majority of the art and though his fluid and abstract art style isn't bad, it just doesn't fit the world of Asgard. Lee Garbett as the fill-in artist does much better.4/5War of the Realms (2019) #1-6Despite all the careful build up this event received the end result seems rather unfocused. I still enjoyed it overall but felt that Aaron could have better mapped out the story. Characters appear in it seemingly at random even if they could be expected to appear and too many characters share the focus. At least this event relies less on tie-ins to fill in the story than the recent event Empyre (2020) though there is still some of that. On the other hand Russell Dauterman deserves to go down as one of the greatest Thor artists of all time if this event proves anything.4/5*Thor (2018) #12-16 [Originally reviewed as Thor (2018) Vol. 3 (Paperback)]These issues are an ending of sorts for Aaron. The King Thor miniseries is set to fully wrap up any plot points not covered in War from his run but these issues are his end with the main Thor series, which is still a major deal. Aaron's run was vastly entertaining and added so much to the mythos that I'm sad to see him go. These issues give there due to more than just Thor and it is well worth a read. Del Mundo really gave these issues his all and Scott Hepburn is just as good.4/5*War of the Realms: War Scrolls (2019) #1-3An anthology series released to further expand on the event, the content herein is a mixed bag. Most relevant is Aaron's three part “God Without Fear” story which is for whatever reason placed all in one section before the rest of the series. Though a good writer who can usually handle weighty philosophical concepts well his Daredevil feels like it's trying too hard and it comes off as hollow. A mostly pointless side quest in the grand scheme of things. Andrea Sorrentino's art is also nothing like I'm used to and doesn't look anything special. The rest of the stories are mostly irrelevant and easily skipped.3/5War of the Realms: Punisher (2019) #1-3Gerry Duggan impressed me with his Guardians of the Galaxy (2017) run but his Punisher is incredibly one-note. This is certainly full of action but is just incredibly boring and pointless. Forcing Frank to team-up with the criminals he usually "punishes" could have been interesting but falls flat. Marcelo Ferreira's art is full of shadows but I like the look of the end result.3/5War of the Realms Omega (2019) #1All this is really is a preview of the three new series which spun off from the main event. Those being Daniel Kibblesmith's Loki, Jason Aaron and Al Ewing's Valkyrie: Jane Foster, and Gerry Duggan's Punisher Kill Crew. I wouldn't recommend the Punisher one given the previous miniseries but the other two I enjoyed for a while. Some pretty good art here from a handful of artists.4/5Avengers (2018) #18-20I haven't found myself reading Aaron's Avengers and these issues prove why. I actually really liked the new Squadron Supreme focused issue but after that it gets really bad. Despite being the main architect of this event these issues still by him do nothing to expand on it and rather focus solely on his Avengers arcs. Whether it's uninteresting side characters' plights or making the current She-Hulk situation worse by positing that she always wanted to be a monster there's plenty not to like. At least Ed McGuiness is a good artist but that’s all I can say about it.3/5*War of the Realms Strikeforce: The Dark Elf Realm (2019) #1One of three “Strikeforce” issues released to expand on events in the main book, this comes to us from Bryan Hill. Thor's mother, the Goddess Freyja, must destroy Malekith's Black Bifrost at all costs by assembling her own team of Avengers. The majority of this story takes place in the pages of the main event, but unlike War Avengers this issue gives insight leading up to it. Hill does great work with all these characters. The comic is drawn by the legendary Leinil Francis Yu. As an expansion of Jason Aaron's main series, this works really well. The story has a real weight that will likely give the reader an extra understanding of the event.4/5*War of the Realms Strikeforce: The Land of Giants (2019) #1The second "Strikeforce" issue, it is written by Tom Taylor. His biggest work at Marvel at the time was Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man so it's not surprising that Spidey is the star of the comic. Thor is trapped in Jotunheim and unless he's freed Malekith wins. This details the rescue attempt and it's a lot of fun. Taylor understands Spidey's dual humour and seriousness but at times inadvertently creates giant tone shifts with it. The other characters are recognizable but nothing beyond that. Jorge Molina is the artist, and I've already said a lot of good about him in my Spider-Geddon reviews.4/5*War Of The Realms Strikeforce: The War Avengers (2019) #1Last of the "Strikeforce" issues and written by Dennis Hallum, it centers on Captain Marvel as she assembles an oddball team of antiheroes to hold off Malekith's invasion of Earth. The character interactions here are a lot of fun and the action is fast paced and exciting. Kim Jacinto and Ario Anindito's art is exactly the type of solid work this story needed. Though enjoyable this doesn't feel necessary.4/5Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #12-13Whether by choice or not I don't know but Dan Slott did not end up writing these issues of his series. Instead, Gail Simone takes over in his stead. I'm not much of a fan of her work but this is pretty good and by my impression fits perfectly with the rest of the series. The main problem is that this barely crosses over with the main event and really outside the setup scene could have been completely unrelated. I did appreciate having a dragon as the villain though, that's always awesome. Paolo Villanelli's art is a bit stretched but solid.4/5*Asgardians of the Galaxy (2018) #8-10 [Originally reviewed as Asgardians of the Galaxy (2018) Vol. 2 (Kindle)]These issues are essentially meant to tie-up the loose threads from Angela's story but it doesn't have the time to properly flesh it out. Disappointingly, Cullen Bunn does with these issues what a lot of modern tie-ins do where rather than tell a complete story running parallel to the main event it's just a bunch of barely connected issues around certain events in the main instead. All of the artists, because there are multiple now, do a fine job with the characters at least.3/5Captain Marvel (2019) #6-7I've never been a huge fan of body-swapping stories but I do like Kelly Thompson's writing so no surprise that she does a good job with it. Sharing the spotlight these issues are Black Widow and Doctor Strange, all of whom have a great chemistry together. This is also the only tie-in so far this collection that addresses the Enchantress's part in the event outside her appearance back in War of the Realms (2019) #1. Artist Annapaola Martello lastly gives a decent effort that relays good comedic timing, which is good as this is one of the more humorous tie-ins.5/5*Champions (2019) #5-6Though I like the concept of the Champions I never thought Mark Waid was able to pull it off. I think current writer Jim Zub is much better. These issues start by catching readers up on what's been happening in the series previously and in individual character titles. It's all quite intriguing and I find myself tempted to look into some of it. The tie-in is rather light on War of the Realms content outside a welcome appearance from the cannibal Valkyries the Disir, clearly using it as a means for conflict. The art by Jaunan Ramirez is alright. Good with the action, but faces and bodies look really jagged and off.4/5Deadpool (2018) #13-14I really thought Skottie Young was a good fit for Deadpool but after this I'm glad I never picked up the rest of the series. This was an exhausting read. Outside of a couple humorous ideas not so much gags it's surprisingly unfunny. Deadpool comes across as a cheap Spider-Man knockoff rather than an insane mercenary with underlying heroic tendencies. As far as event content it opts for the simplest route, pick an army and attack, but I won't fault it too much on that. I'm also disappointed in Nic Klein's art when compared to his later work on Thor.2/5*Fantastic Four (2018) #10The FF are still adjusting to moving to Yancy Street when the War of the Realms comes to town. Meanwhile, teen angst, a lot. It's overplayed but writer Dan Slott's decision to age up the FF kids was a smart way to grow their characters. Especially as characters rarely age in superhero comics. There's an inevitable wider Marvel Universe guest appearance that works as well as readers would expect. This issue is also the first major crossover with a major Marvel event since the series returned. Paco Medina with Kevin Libranda deliver solid, FANTASTIC artwork.4/5Giant-Man (2019) #1-3This series reminds me a lot of the Deadpool tie-in to this event, in that they're both by talented writers with a great cast of characters and the stories still manage to suck. This is marginally better than the aforementioned issues. Leah Williams is slowly becoming one of my favorite writers but this just doesn't feel genuine. The mission at the heart of the story is by far the most interesting part but the characters feel artificial. I do like the look of the book though. Marco Castiello's work reminds at times of Leinil Francis Yu's and in a good way.3/5War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery (2019) #1-5The McElroys are newcomers to Marvel who before this were known for podcasts. That's secondhand knowledge though as I'd never heard of them before now. Though this miniseries can be a bit childish and immature at times, I really enjoyed it. The writers clearly know their Marvel history, filling the book with numerous callbacks. The characters make an odd ensemble but they work off each other well and no one feels out of character. The series really manages to feel a part of the event without necessarily crossing over with it. André Lima Araújo's artwork is much better than I expected too. It's usually terrible but with the right colorist can look decent so we can thank Chris O'Halloran for it here.5/5Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2016) #43This barely ties-in to the main event despite claiming to, only two pages actually. The rest is a flashback to an unseen team-up between our stars and those of Asgard. As a series aimed at younger readers I haven't read much of it but I know Brandon Montclare can do better. He spends too much time making Lunella seem smarter by making Thor and everyone else an idiot. It's probably done in humour but it makes the characters somewhat unrecognizable. Gustavo Duarte and Ray-Anthony Height are the artists and I'm not a fan of whichever does the cartoony art style for the bulk of the issue.3/5War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas (2019) #1-4The roots of this series actually originated in Greg Pak's own previous series, Totally Awesome Hulk (2016). This pushes the concept further and it's a great read for it. It does lead to a lot of characters, most of them new to an extent, to keep straight so be warned. The best thing though is that the story feels important to the main event which hasn't been the case with a lot of these tie-ins. Lastly Gang Hyuk Lim does a fantastic job on the art just like in Infinity Countdown: Darkhawk (2018).4/5Spider-Man and the League of Realms (2019) #1-3Sean Ryan really proved himself as a Spider-Man writer in the Spider-Geddon tie-in for Spectacular Spider-Man (2017). The character is more than comic relief and Ryan exhibits that in a way that allows the character to stand tall among the other members of the League of Realms. Though parts of this story resolve too easily there is a lot to like. Foremost the resolution of a former member’s character arc. Nico Leon does a good job on the look of the book, handling Spidey's unique movement style well.4/5*Superior Spider-Man (2019) #7-8Though these issues are good there's not much else to them. They tie-in impressively to War of the Realms as Otto and the West Coast Avengers travel from one major event of the series to the next. Unfortunately that's as deep as it goes and it feels that Otto must relearn the same lessons of heroism this arc as before. The crossover with the West Coast Avengers is probably the most fun of the issues as it had been a long time coming. Lan Medina is a fill-in artist and he does great.4/5Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015) #43-46Even before this tie-in I never really found myself a fan of this series. I always got the impression that Ryan North thought he was much more clever than he is and though there is sometimes some good humour it can be a chore to read through. Each page is filled with so many distractions that are ultimately meaningless to the story. The way it runs parallel to the War of the Realms is impressive I'll admit. Derek Charm's art is an improvement on regular series artist Erica Henderson's, whose work I find really ugly.3/5War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men (2019) #1-3For an X-Men title this was surprisingly boring to read. If this is indicative of this pre House of X/Powers of X era then I'm not likely to read more. Matthew Rosenberg's dialogue is so flat and uninspired that no amount of action can save it. Dani Moonstar, X-Man and Valkyrie, deserved a better role in this event than this. The War of the Realms content is decent but that has proven to not be a high bar. At least Pere Pérez does a good job drawing the series.3/5Venom (2018) #13-15Like with Tony Stark: Iron Man, regular Venom (2018) writer Donny Cates did not for whatever reason write the tie-in for his series. Instead, Cullen Bunn weaves an exciting and introspective tale about the one and only original Venom; Eddie Brock. I'm not sure how much in line this is with what was happening prior in the series and I'm kinda lost at the start but it's a compelling read. With Iban Coello on art it really becomes a standout, even with a weak link to the main event.4/5Though not a perfect end result overall it's clear Aaron still cared about his story and there are some great moments throughout it and the tie-ins. The formatting for the omnibus is odd though, as some parts are arranged in chronological order whereas other parts are not. There's also very little extra content outside variant covers, noticeably omitting Aaron's farewell letter from the final volume of his Thor (2018) series. In spite of that this is the biggest omnibus I've ever gotten and a worthwhile addition to any Thor fans shelf.4/5*(These are the series I've previously read and reviewed outside this collection.)

While not technically Aaron's last Thor story (I believe that's King Thor), this Omni wraps up pretty much all of the storylines Aaron had going and it is amazing! The art is great, and the story is hard to put down. While most of the character development for Odinson comes towards the end the insights we get into Odin, Freya, and Loki are pretty cool.

Great book good art and story

Really good worth reading