Thor No. 9 review: Roz Solomon, Agent of Wakanda

With the War of the Realms looming overhead, Thor and Asgard are going to need all the help they can get. Thankfully, they have at least one new ally, Rosalind Solomon, Agent of Wakanda.

It really feels like it’s the beginning of the end for Jason Aaron’s run on Thor. Every character that has played a major, or even minor, role at any point in the various Thor books (Thor: God of Thunder, Thor vol. 4, The Mighty Thor, and Thor vol. 5) is coming back around to more than likely play a role in the War of the Realms.

The character up for the spotlight this time around though is Roz Solomon who hasn’t been all that prominent lately. It’s nice to see her appearing again here and to give her a bigger role other than being simply a background character at points. The only real problem with this though is that this issue suffers from feeling like overt set-up rather than something more organic to the story.

To elaborate more on that is the problem is that a lot of the issue feels like exposition for character motivations and where the characters currently are. It’s not about the characters having changed, which feel right, especially regarding Roz, but rather that the changes are explained too much and too on the nose at times.

Image by Marvel Comics/Art by Mike del Mundo

Really though, the more things change, the more they stay the same, especially with Roz. Her arc during the entirety of Aaron’s run has been to take down Dario Agger, the CEO of Roxxon, and that continues here in this issue and is probably the best part of the issue overall. Roz’s interactions with Agger are compelling and frustrating, but it’s really her thoughts that are the most compelling.

Every thought she has throughout the issue feels like a PTSD-like response to her actions during “The Last Days of Midgard” and the atrocities that Dario Agger has brought to Earth. Intercut that with her actions fighting dark elves and a frost giant shows how far she has fallen from her idealistic self that was presented when she was first introduced.

Somehow, the art captures this perfectly as well. Mike del Mundo uses vibrant colors that really displays the craziness that Norse mythology often feels like and it brings a great amount of life to the page. His action scenes are kinetic and exciting, while also managing to balance fun action with the brutality and viciousness that Roz now has.

Where his art really shines, or doesn’t, is when Roz is confronting Agger in his mansion at night. There’s a dark tone to the art in these scenes that convey the inner turmoil that Roz is carrying with her now after everything she has been through. It makes you scared for what she might do while also contrasting her personal feelings about her situation with the bright reality that she inhabits. It’s a great juxtaposition.

7.8/10 

While dealing with some great character drama regarding Roz Solomon, this issue of Thor suffers from feeling like forced set-up a slight bit.