The universe is dying, and Jane’s emergency medical squad is on the ropes… Your Major Spoilers review of Valkyrie: Jane Foster #7 from Marvel Comics awaits!

VALKYRIE: JANE FOSTER #7

Writer: Al Ewing & Jason Aaron
Artist: Pere Perez
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

Previously in Valkyrie: Jane Foster: Valkyrie teams up with Marvel’s Mightiest Medics to save the life of the ultimate patient… Death herself! With a universal force on the cosmic operating table, the end of everything is one slip of the scalpel away… but has one of Jane’s surgical team forgotten their Hippocratic Oath?

A NEW MEANING TO ‘SURGICAL PRECISION’

Having been demoted to working in the morgue, thanks to her Valkyrie/Thor-related absences, Jane has discovered that Death herself is dying and has assembled a team of superhero doctors to travel into Death’s own realm, where they have discovered a startling sight: The Living Tribunal as a skeleton, embodying The Death of Death. Jane is barely able to hold onto her sanity, thanks to a little nudge from Doctor Strange, traveling past it to find a literal River Styx… made of pus. (Ew.) Faiza Hussein, the current wielder of Excalibur strikes with her sword, holding off the “infection” long enough for the others to press on, only to find themselves in a gallery of paintings, one of which depicts the effects of Death on them. In fact, each of them sees a different image, each equally horrifying. While Doctor Strange is distracted, Cardiac takes a moment to incapacitate him, leading to a battle between Cardiac and Manikin that ends with one of them dead, and only Jane able to enter the “patient’s room…”

OMIGAWD, THEY REMEMBERED WHITMAN KNAPP!

I’m totally here for the use of lesser-known Marvel folks, so the return of Excalibur and Manikin makes me quite happy, but seeing how they’re used is even more interesting. The idea that even Jane isn’t sure that she wants to help the embodiment of Death after losing her family and even dying herself is an interesting one, and once again the rapid resurrection of characters is actually an in-universe problem rather than just a fan complaint. Most interestingly, Doctor Strange isn’t able to handle this crisis, as his painting is blank, he hasn’t had the traumatic interactions with capital-d Death that Jane has, leading her to be the natural one to resolve the story. Perez’ art is incredibly subtle throughout, with facial expressions that are perfect, especially Jane’s face as she returns to reality and states that they didn’t lose… but she’s not sure if they actually won. It’s a subtle moment for both the art and the writing, and the final page shot of Death literally gave me goosebumps.

BOTTOM LINE: AN EXCELLENT ISSUE

In short, this book is my jam, reviving old-school Marvel heroes, dealing with cosmic archetypes in interesting ways and ending with enough ambiguity that you wonder if it’s a win at all. Valkyrie: Jane Foster #7 hits the sweet spot with 4.5 out of 5 stars overall and making me want to go back and read it from the beginning… If you’re not reading this book, you’re missing out.

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