The god of fear transcends his nature in Thor No. 13

Cul, the god of fear, is sent to Svartalfheim, behind enemy lines, to discover and possibly disrupt whatever secrets that Malekith hides. Spoilers for Thor no. 13 follow.

Thor is nowhere to be seen, yet again, as these one-shot issues continue in the Thor series, this time focusing on Cul. The issue begins detailing a scene from Cul and Odin’s childhood that feels all too reminiscent of Thor and Loki, only this time, the trickster, as in Cul, wins. By showing the audience this scene, it sets up Cul’s eventual change in heart toward the end of the issue, even if it does feel a bit out of place in the beginning.

As the issue continues, it goes through more of Cul’s life, from the war between himself and Odin for the throne of Asgard to Fear Itself to now, during War of the Realms. His journey bears a striking resemblance to Loki, especially regarding his eventual redemption that very much feels like poetry, which it really seems like this is what Jason Aaron was trying to accomplish.

Image by Marvel Comics/Art by Mike Del Mundo

Eventually, we do catch up to Cul in the present where he discovers one of the secrets to depowering the Black Bifrost is by going after its fuel supply. He immediately goes to the mines where the fuel is being mined from, killing the little guards that they have there. The workers though are child slaves who beg him to save them. At first, he doesn’t due to his bigotry against Dark Elves, but he relents and sacrifices himself so that they can escape.

More from Comics

• X-Men: 6 reasons why Marvel’s mutants are the best superhero team
• Harley Quinn renewed for a fifth season on Max (and it’s well-deserved)
• Marvel Comics announces seven important X-Men comic books
• The X-Men were betrayed by Captain America in Uncanny Avengers
• Spider-Man: Miles and Peter team-up for their first ongoing series

In his sacrifice though, Cul believes he has become a different kind of god, not the god of fear, but the god of love. “A love worth slaughtering for,” in his mind’s eye. And that love is given back by the children he saved rebelling against the Dark Elves that kept them in bondage.

Many of these pasts issues of Thor have not featured Thor at all, which is odd for a comic to do at all. But what Aaron has been able to do with a series of one-shots that tie incredibly well into War of the Realms has been stellar. They’re great character pieces that enhance the story as a whole and that’s no different here.

8.0/10 

Thor No. 13 presents Cul Borson in a new light than previously seen and tells a really solid one-shot story.