Review: Jane Foster: Valkyrie #2

Â By:Shawn Warner
Two issues into the debut arc and Jane Foster already has more than enough on her plate to keep her busy. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the exploits of the one time Goddess of Thunder, successor of Thor and wielder of Mjolnir, not to mention cancer survivor, Jane Foster. Jason Aaron has assured himself a spot in Valhalla with his epic run on Thor including the senses shattering, universe spanning event, War of the Realms. Now he is joined by co-writer Al Ewing to further explore what the gods have in store for Jane Foster in her new role as the last Valkyrie.
This issue begins with Heimdall at death’s door after being run through by Daredevil arch-villain, deadly assassin and all around bad dude, Bullseye. As if that wasn’t bad enough news, the weapon used by the sinister killer was no mere blade, but the sword of the previous Valkyrie, a magical weapon called Dragonfang. The sword boosts the user’s ability and skill, however Bullseye being as lethal as they come all by his lonesome makes Dragonfang’s power kind of like putting a hat on a hat. The surprise revelation of Bullseye as the antagonist has given this series an explosive, no-holds-barred feeling right out of the gate and with Aaron’s reputation for high stakes excitement and expect-the-unexpected twists this is sure to make for one heck of an introductory arc. The narrative has already gone from dramatic character work to intensive on the job training as the last Valkyrie; the writing team of Aaron and Ewing has already reaped so serious contextual rewards as far as further developing Jane Foster’s multi-faceted character. The duo have raised the emotional ante by placing the two opposing elements of Foster’s compartmentalized life in direct conflict. This has led to her current demotion to a stint in the hospital morgue where she is faced with some big decisions concerning her career and her life going forward as a full-time super hero.

The writing is first rate, as is to be expected from this team of seasoned writers. Aaron and Ewing craft an intriguing narrative full of plot twists, intense action and well written dialogue. The characterizations are genuine adding an authenticity to their interactions, particularly the poignantly dramatic scenes featuring Heimdall and Foster. Their take on Bullseye is as dark and evil as a cup of steaming black coffee with a shot of ethylene glycol thrown in for sheer nastiness. He’s just plain nasty and the dialogue written for him puts that nastiness front and center. Aaron and Ewing seem to revel in Bullseye’s villainy while avoiding the trappings of the mustache twirling big baddies that can end up so flat and one dimensional.

The transition of Jane foster from Thor to Valkyrie is a journey that lives in the details. One of the most telling bits of character work centers on the weapons of Asgardian design and how they influence Jane Foster on this journey. Where once she entered battle with the enchanted hammer Mjolnir, now asÂ the last Valkyrie she wields the Asgardian All-Weapon a device of such power it can be whatever the situation calls for. The weapons play such a major part thematically, contextually and philosophically that they serve as elements of character development. The All-Weapon is as powerful a weapon as you are likely to find anywhere in the Marvel Universe. While not as fabled as Mjolnir, the All-Weapon remains shrouded in mystery which makes it even more intriguing and with Jason Aaron’s track record of building Asgardian lore I look forward to learning more about this weapon and its influence on Jane Foster’s story going forward.

Visually this series is a knock out. Artist Carlos Alberto Fernandez Urbano working as CAFU has a singularly recognizable style. Dynamic, eye catching and fast paced storytelling bring a cinematic sensibility to his work, especially here in the action sequences. His sensational images work so precisely with Aaron and Ewing’s kinetic narrative, especially his imaginative approach to page design and layout. CAFU almost completely avoids anything even resembling conventional use of panels in favor of his unique, organic style of placing images upon images. This inventive approach to visual storytelling allows the plot to flow in a more fluid manner than the static effect that traditional panels can sometimes unintentionally create. Jesus Aburtov’s stunning colors add an ethereal aura to the issue that works hand in glove with CAFU’s Asgardian images. Aburtov’s expert use of highlights heighten the “godly” feel of these characters.

Overall this is sequential art storytelling at its apex. This creative team is as good as it gets, this prolific writing duo coupled with the amazingly talented artistic team can’t help but produce at this stellar level. The epic saga of Jane Foster continues to enthrall as it entertains. If you are like me and have been following Aaron’s Asgardian epic, you are not going to want to miss this next chapter of the story and if you are new to this lush, exciting world, this is a perfect place to jump in. This issue sets up the coming events with urgency, tension and extremely high emotional stakes. You won’t want to miss a single issue of this mind-blowing “Journey into Mystery.” 4/5

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writers- Jason Aaron & Al Ewing
Artist- CAFU
Color Artist- Jesus Aburtov
Letterer- VC’s Joe Sabino