What a brilliant start for Fraction’s run! This book takes Thor back to where he began: in Kirby’s happy/crazy middle ground between sci-fi and fantasy. The nine worlds are out of balance with asgard in midgard, the realms are spilling into one another and this process appears to be building upon itself, potentially with devastating results. Fraction nails the narrative here. The book perfectly sets up the threat while still managing to provide a clear voice for each of the principle characters. Thor is noble, understandably emotional, but still with that hint of rash (and potentially destructive) decision making that defined his character when he first arrived on earth years ago, this is the side of Thor that he knows is irrational and he has at least matured to the point of knowing this. This issue sets the Thor universe in an exciting new direction: one which is both fresh as well as remarkably true to the original vision of the character. The stage is set for an adventure across the nine realms and I, for one, can’t wait to rediscover them all from the incredible mind of Matt Fraction. (In fact, his crazy, unbounded imagination is definitely present here, a more structured narrative than in his Cassanova work but placing that same manic creative mindset to Thor looks to be a hugely entertaining decision for Thor fans) Oh yeah, and the art fits Fraction’s vision like a glove. The hooks are in, big time. This book just jumped to the very top of my pull list.