Al Ewing made his 'Immortal' reputation as the writer of the now seminal Immortal Hulk - and now he's bringing that same epic scope to Immortal Thor, launching this August, as announced through Polygon.
Alongside artist Martín Cóccolo and colorist Matt Wilson, Ewing aims to not just match but surpass the storytelling heights of Immortal Hulk's 50-plus issue run. The story picks up where the previous volume of Thor left off, with the god of Thunder on the throne as the King of Asgard, with Mjolnir back in hand.
"Putting [Immortal] on a book I'm writing is a promise to the reader, and to myself," Ewing told Polygon in an interview accompanying the announcement. "I was the one who pitched the title - not editorial, not anyone else - and it was basically a self-challenge. Can I do a book like that again? Can I do my end of it better this time? I have to try, because the alternative is just lie down and let the grass grow where I fell."
According to Ewing, Immortal Thor will pit the King of Asgard against "elder gods" who will have Earth in their sights, and only Thor to fend them off. And with this return to a classic, mythical Thor status quo, Immortal Thor is also enlisting cover artist Alex Ross, who also created a revised version of Thor's original Jack Kirby costume design for the title.
"In Norse myths, they called him Thunderer. Vuer has he been called, and Hloriddi. The Gods know him as Asgard's King, keeper of Mjolnir, hero of the tales," reads Marvel's official solicitation for Immortal Thor #1. "When injustice grips the Earth and ancient powers bring down the sky, he fights for those who cannot — and when the tale is done, we will know what that cost him. This is the story of the Immortal Thor."
Ewing puts the epic scope of Immortal Thor compared to Immortal Hulk in biblical terms:
"If Immortal Hulk was the Old Testament, Immortal Thor is the New Testament," he states.
Immortal Thor #1 goes on sale August 23.
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