The story of Thor's interference with the mortal realm has been a bit uneven, and this issue is a perfect example of both the ups and downs. The central story, involving how Thor interacts with the other godly pantheons, serves to illustrate in different terms how Thor's proactive attempts to help people could be harmful as well as providing another potential avenue by which the title can be restored to its inevitable status quo. I'm less interested in the sudden reappearance of Jake Olson and Tarene, supporting characters from Jurgens's earlier run, but even those subplots have something to offer, whether it's the comedy relief of Volstagg or the personal face that Olson puts on the human point-of-view on Thor's activities.
This is the second part of the "Spiral" story, but it's the first issue for new artists Ben and Ray Lai, late of Crossgen and Image. A lot of their work here is pretty great, particularly the sequences focusing on Thor and his tests. Their take on the various gods, whether inspired by previous appearances in Marvel or newly designed, fit right in with the "gods meet super-heroes" design sense of Thor, and their work on the snowy beast is an impressive design as well. They bring a sort of Simonson-tinged approach to Thor himself, which is always appreciated, even though most of their work is less abstract and more realistic. The Lais aren't quite as accomplished on the Earth-bound sequences or characters, and their regular humans have faces that seem a little craggy and strange, but when it comes to the "godly" part of the book, their work stands out.
Jurgens seems to be developing several levels of story in "Spiral," and I'm not so sure I'm interested in all the layers. What has appealed about the Thor stories in recent months has been the fact that it's easy to get into even if you haven't been reading, but the unclear relationship of Jake to Thor or the role of Tarene goes back to earlier in the series, and brings in unnecessary continuity. In addition, while having Volstagg try to be a covert bodyguard is a fun story, it makes Thor look like an idiot for having assigned him, and it reads as deliberately inserted comedy relief as a result.
Though Jurgens has done a great job with the build-up of Thor's role on Earth, the way the story will eventually be judged is in how it wrapped up, and I'm starting to have worries on that score. Too many of the complexities of Thor's actions are being done in broad brushstrokes, such as showing his troops herding prisoners or Jake's overly melodramatic protestations.
I'm intrigued by the possibilities of the other gods, who have removed themselves from humanity, coming after Thor because he's broken some ancient agreement, but less interested in the more likely scenario of him re-bonding with Jake Olson or being framed for crimes by his adversaries like Zarrko. The upside is that Jurgens has some potential red herrings, and could end the story in fine fashion, but the downside is that right now some of the obstacles being thrown at Thor seem contrived.
