Pull of the Week:

Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #3 – Marvel – $3.99

Score: 8.0

I want more Beta Ray Bill. There, I said it. As long as Kieron Gillen writes it, I will be picking up anything that has the horse-headed version of Thor in it. Either that or more stories of Galactus and his heralds written by Kieron works too. This issue concludes the miniseries in fantastic style as the much made fun of hero Beta Ray Bill nears completion of his quest to eliminate Galactus. The issue opens with a scene the likes of which had only been witnessed with Galactus’s imprisonment to Annihillus during the Annihilation Wave (which is also shown during the issue) as the fading World Eater discusses the current state of affairs with his two heralds, Stardust and the Silver Surfer.

The opposing forces of the Silver Surfer and Beta Ray Bill play greatly in this issue as both are the sole survivors of their respective races at Galactus’s hands and seeing how they respond to that in different ways leads to some great moments between the two in this issue. Now, in addition to being hunted by Beta Ray Bill, Galactus must deal with the survivors of the I’Than race who now seek vengeance upon Galactus and Stardust. Beta Ray Bill finds the Surfer on a desolate, unpopulated planet where he looks to battle his old friend.

Silver Surfer halts Beta Ray Bill’s attack, now without the power of his Stormbringer hammer after the heinous actions Bill did in the previous issue to get them to leave their planet. Instead of fighting, Surfer explains to Bill the consequences of what could happen if Galactus were to be killed, knowing full well that in the god’s weakened state, Bill could have the power to finish Galactus off. They also know that the I’Than are on their way as well.

Pull of the Week:

Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1 – Marvel – $3.99

Score: 8.0

Every now and then it’s a good practice to pick up something off the rack you have little knowledge of or something that hasn’t been covered extensively by the internet hype machine. A lot of those times it can pay off with something really interesting and enjoyable. A good example of that is this week’s Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter. With Bill being more of a background player, this three issue miniseries gives him a great spotlight as it sets him up to go toe to toe with some of Marvel’s biggest players.

Godhunter begins with Beta Ray Bill teaming up with Thor and his ship, Skuttlebutt, to stop a tidal wave caused by an ocean quake from destroying a seaside town. After their success, Bill asks Thor for his aid in going after the god that destroyed his home planet and the rest of his race, the devourer Galactus. Thor, thinking Bill’s idea to be suicide, passes and tries unsuccessfully to convince Bill not to go.

The issue provides a cameo for S.W.O.R.D. and Agent Brand as they are rebuilding their facility after the Skrull attack when Brand meets with Bill. In exchange for a location of Galactus, Brand asks a small favor of Bill to deal with a lesser known villain by the name of Voidian. After dealing with Voidian, Bill heads off to a distant planet where he encounters the Herald of Galactus Stardust and unveils his plan for how he will be the one to finally stop Galactus. Also included in the issue is a reprinting of The Mighty Thor #337, the first appearance of Beta Ray Bill.

One of the things I like best about this issue is that it is doing something that Marvel has done a great job as of late, letting talented creative teams take the lesser known heroes and allowing them to take bigger roles. What this does is make their appearances in the larger titles mean more to the reader because we have been given the chance to become more emotionally invested in the character and their story. A great example of this is Drax.