Magic and Music in Marvel’s Thor: Metal Gods Episode 2

If you haven’t heard the news: Serial Box (now Realm) has started its first Marvel series. And its focus is on the one and only Thor. The journey continues in Thor: Metal Gods Episode 2. Thor has dived into a new battle, all at the request of an old ally. And that means trouble isn’t far behind – which likely means that Loki is involved as well.

Thor: Metal Gods has been a unique journey so far, told in both text and audiobook format. Each week brings fans a new chapter for us to follow, splitting up the series in an almost episode-like format.

The second chapter of Thor: Metal Gods lives up to the title in more ways than one. This tale merges magic with the god of thunder in ways that we had never expected. It’s been a fascinating story, and it has only just begun.

The Journey Continues

Thor: Metal Gods Episode 2 was a truly unique experience. While the introduction and title hinted heavily at the music theme, it’s understandable for us to be unsure how strong that theme would be. This chapter once again touched upon the musical element, proving that this is going to be a core part of the story.

Thor and music might not be the first combination that comes to mind. But thus far, it has been an interesting tale that Aaron Stewart-Ah and Yoon Ha Lee have woven together for us. The new ally introduced in the last chapter was a good call, as she adds something to the series.

The antagonist was finally introduced in this chapter – though it feels like we haven’t gotten a complete understanding of what he has done. Or, more importantly, what he is capable of. Still, Thor now knows his face, and that can only mean one thing.

It was entertaining to see Thor out of his element, as was clearly the case here. We even see him caught off guard in at least one moment, a rare and amusing sight to behold. It’s all further proof that this series is going above and beyond with bringing us something totally different.

The Audio

Daniel Gillies has done a fantastic job of narrating this series thus far. I still maintain that hiring an actor for the job was a surprising – yet brilliant decision. He manages to infuse his words with such poise and emotion. I can’t picture the series holding the same weight without him.

Thor: Metal Gods Episode 2 did several things right for this audiobook. The subtle background sounds were a nice touch, for example. It added something to the story while not being at all intrusive. The windy sound, in the beginning, was almost soothing, in a way. The rock elements woven into the background later felt right at home with the plot itself.

Gillies has developed several distinct voices while reading this series. There’s his narration voice, naturally. And then there’s Thor and Horangi (the new ally I mentioned above). There’s no mistaking one voice for another, which is vital for any audiobook, as fans will happily tell you.

Conclusion

Thor: Metal Gods Episode 2 managed to surprise me on more than one occasion. We’re diving deeper into the core of the plot with this chapter, and that means there’s a lot that went on here.

This is not quite like the Marvel comics I’m used to, but I think that’s a good thing. This is something of its own making, being made up of print and voice. And so far, that unique combination has been working quite well for it.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.