As the current story continues, it looks like Jurgens might be bringing the story of Asgard's pro-active position in the world of mortals to a close. While I've enjoyed those stories, I'm glad to see a little more movement on that front, as the overall plot seemed to be stalling a bit, but with this issue, Jurgens explores a little more of the negative effects of Thor's reign, providing a believable reason why his positive actions could be harmful and contextualizing it in the way that modern religions and some of their more devoted (and whacko) followers can act. It's not always subtle, but it's certainly interesting, and seeing the darker side of Thor's actions rather than the reactions of those unable to handle his status-quo busting seems like a much more enjoyable way for the story to move along.
As he has done with several issues, Jurgens explores the story through the eyes of a variety of different characters, showing the reactions to Thor more than Thor himself. So the story here, though it all plays into one theme about how the Asgardian presence is disrupting Earth, follows a student, a teacher, a reporter and a talk radio host through their days. Each has a different take on Thor, whether it's as a religious icon, a source of potential news or a potential danger, and their conflicting viewpoints and the reactions they get to them make for an interesting tapestry of a story.
It seems as if one of Jurgens's larger points in this issue was that humankind as a whole can be rather stupid. Though the teachers asking for Thor's Day off are not angry zealouts, they do come off as unreasonable and uncompromisingly hostile in their actions. Meanwhile, the students who follow Thor come off as even more dangerous given their actions. Those who oppose Thor don't come off much better, as the talk show host makes good points but also comes off as a demagogue trying to stir up anger and violence, and the reporter, while dedicated, seems dumb enough to have a dire need for the "elixir of wisdom" she encounters.
Much of the story this issue is grounded in the normal, rather than focusing on the fantastic or the action-oriented, which means it doesn't necessarily play to the strengths of the Lai brothers. Their characters seem a little flat, their expressions too unreadable much of the time, but their basic storytelling is sound, so it doesn't so much distract from the story as remind me that their strengths lie elsewhere. The backgrounds are likewise a bit on the bland side, which is a shame when the sense of place is so important, especially as regards Asgard.
Though I'm generally not much of a Thor fan, it is issues like this one that have made me a fan of Jurgens's take on the character. He takes an approach that is more similar to Astro City, exploring the effects that a living, active god could have on humanity, whether it's in terms of religion, law or simply curiosity.
