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Issue - 600 Title - Victory Writer - J. Michael Straczynski Art - Olivier Coipel
Summary: Loki manages to resurrect Bor, the father of Odin. Appearing in Manhattan he creates havoc and attacks everything around him. Loki has cast a spell which alters his vision so that he only sees demons around him. When news reaches Thor that someone who appears to be Asgardian has suddenly appeared, he travels there to greet him. Bor sees only a demon claiming to have killed Odin, so he responds by attacking him. A colossal battle erupts enveloping the city. Back in Asgard, Loki tells Baldar of the news of Bor's return and the two race to reach the scene of battle before the two kill one another. They are too late. Just as they arrive, Thor has already delivered a killing blow. Having killed Bor, the first king of Asgard, Thor is punished with eternal exile from Asgard. Thor's exile leaves Baldar heavily distressed. Loki suggests to his fellow Asgardians that perhaps they should move some place more like their home, a place where they would be welcome. He suggests they move to Latveria.
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Issue - 601 Title - Defining Moments Writer - J. Michael Straczynski Art - Olivier Coipel
Summary: Balder and Loki meet with Doom to discuss allowing the Asgardians to live in Latveria. Doom offers them all the hospitality of Latveria: access to the lands, hunt, and free of the rules and laws of the US. Balder inquires about Thor and whether he would be welcome, arguing that since Latveria is not Asgard, Thor should be free to join them. Loki tells Balder that Asgard is where the King resides. Balder further raises tensions by asking Doom if then it is his plan to rename Latveria, Asgard. Doom becomes angry at the proposition. Loki tries to cool things by reminding Balder that Latveria and Asgard are no different, each has their own King.
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Issue - 602 Title - Uncertain Destinies Writer - J. Michael Straczynski Art - Marko Djurdjevic
Summary: Doom asks Loki how the Asgardians are settling in. Loki informs him that most are happy, and he has prepared for those that would cause trouble.
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Issue - 603 Writer - J. Michael Straczynski Art - Marko Djurdjevic
Summary: Doom provides Loki with Doombots programmed to kill Donald Blake. Meanwhile, Loki keeps his end of the bargain and provides Doom with an Asgardian with which to experiment on. Doom hopes to learn the secret of Asgardian immortality and thus gain it for himself.
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Writer - J. Michael Straczynski Art - Marko Djurdjevic
Summary: Balder learns of Doom and Loki's treachery thanks to Bill, but at the cost of Bill's life. Doom sends his modified Doombots on a strike mission to kill Donald Blake.
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Issue - 604 Title - Latverian Prometheus Writer - Kieron Gillen Art - Billy Tan
Summary: Kelda arrives at Doom's castle seeking Loki. She desires revenge for the death of her beloved, Bill. Doom tells her that Loki has left and baits her into using her power against him. Unknown to her, Doom is harnessing this power. Luring her deep into the castle, Kelda is struck down, her heart ripped from her body by Doom's latest creation. Later, Balder leads the Asgardians to Doom's castle to reclaim the bodies of their kin which Doom has killed in his experiments and to punish him for his crimes. Doom unleashes his captive Asgardians who he has reanimated after death into grotesque killing automatons. As the battle ensues, it begins to rain. Doom looks skyward to find Thor above him.
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Issue - 605 Title - Latverian Prometheus Writer - Kieron Gillen Art - Billy Tan
Summary: Thor brings his hammer down upon Doom for what he has done. However before he can deliver a fatal blow, Doom's reanimated Asgardians crowd dangerously around Balder and he leaves Doom to aide the king. In the midst of battle, Doom emerges from the castle with Kelda's body and throws it back to the Asgardians. An enraged Thor flies up and strikes Doom down with the full force of his hammer. A Doombot is revealed and once more Doom has used one as bait to trap Asgardian power. Loki examines Kelda's body and claims that he can save her if her heart can be recovered. Thor breaks through the walls of Doom's castle to search for her heart. Inside Doom's lab, Thor is attacked by a suit of Destroyer armor which Doom has constructed. Doom explains that building the armor was easy, but it lacked the spark of life. That spark he could only find within the Asgardians, the Odinforce. Doom enters the Destroyer armor and prepares to kill Thor.
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Issue - 606 Title - Latverian Prometheus Writer - Kieron Gillen Art - Billy Tan
Summary: While Thor is occupied fighting Doom, Balder assumes the task of recovering Kelda's heart. In Doom's lab he discovers more Asgardians who have fallen victim to experimentation. He delivers a final blow to all of them in order to release them from the hellish existence Doom has given them. Outside, the energy which Doom has stolen from the Asgardians is nearly spent. Thor presses the advantage and breaks through the Destroyer armor with his hammer. As he is about deliver the fatal strike, Doom disappears. With her heart back in her bosom, Kelda lives once more, though her heart remains broken over the death of her beloved Bill. With Doom gone, they have no one to take their vengeance upon and decide to return to Asgard. Later Loki and Doom speak of the mutual end of their plans. Loki looks on the bright side, things are as they were before. Doom however feels that Loki could have teleported him to safety sooner instead of waiting for the armor to be destroyed. Their conversation ends with Doom admitting that Loki ever remains the trickster. Meanwhile, in another one of his labs, Doom continues his investigations of Asgardian anatomy by dissecting clones which he has made of Loki.
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Comments: Its amazing to think that a story thread which started way back in 2007 has come to an end now in 2010. Its to be expected since a writer like JMS likes to take his time with stories. But there were other factors such as Thor not always coming out on a monthly basis, and Doom himself has been very busy around the Marvel Universe. Its unfortunate that JMS ceased writing duties before actually getting to the good bits with Doom, but Kieron Gillen does a fine job of picking up where he left off. Doom is apparently in a Dr. Frankenstein mode here. This harkens back to the days of Astonishing Tales when he created the Doomsman from cosmic power. The idea of Doom wanting to conquer even his own mortality is in keeping with the character. Doom operates on the Asgardians with trademark coldness. They are after all a means to an end for him.
Although Doom is scarce in the first four issues of this arc, he gets a few great moments in the final three after the action starts. My personal favorite is the cliffhanger at the end of issue 604. Our final view of Doom provides a sneak peak at a possible future storyline. Hopefully this is not the end of Doom's presence in Thor. Bottom Line: * * * * out of 5
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