Featuring: Thor
Release: July 2, 1964
Cover: September 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee, the idol of millions!
Illustrated by: Jack Kirby, the toast of the town!
Inked by: Chic Stone, the man of the hour!
Lettered by Art Simek, the people’s choice!
18 pages
Stan Lee grants himself the tagline that will eventually get applied (usually self-applied) frequently to Ben Grimm: “the idol of millions”.
We get an offbeat opening sequence. Maybe it’s cool. I find it stretches credibility, though I confess a difficulty expressing what doesn’t in Thor stories. Thor appears to go mad, striking the ground with his hammer to create an earthquake. This shaking threw a truck off the ground a few blocks away, just high enough to not hit a boy. I find it hard to believe Thor could be that precise, and that nobody else was injured. Thor claims there was only some damaged property, which could be paid for out of the Avengers emergency fund.
The notable event in this issue is the first meeting of Thor and Dr. Strange. Dr. Strange had just barely defeated Baron Mordo and was left weakened by the battle. Strange fights Mordo pretty often. The last battle we saw was a few months ago and didn’t seem to leave Strange this weakened. There is likely some untold battle between Strange and Mordo that precedes this story.
Dr. Strange needs medical assistance, which Thor can provide in his alter ego of Dr. Blake. Great depiction of an operating room by Kirby. Lots of time spent on detail.
Odin attempts to summon Thor in the middle of surgery and Blake ignores him. Not used to being ghosted, Odin flies off into a temperamental rage. He’s been doing that a lot lately. For his first dozen or so appearances, he did nothing but shower praise on his favorite son, Thor. Lately, he’s been getting angry at Thor and doling out random punishments. Most of the tension has been around Jane.
Odin has now repeatedly sentenced Loki to eternal prison, yet Loki never actually seems to be a prisoner. Here, he decides to go to Earth and menace Thor again. Heimdall’s unerring watch is supposed to prevent this, but Loki makes getting past Heimdall seem pretty easy. This time, he changes into a bee.
This title has improved since Kirby took over. It used to be their worst comic and now it’s not. But the plots are still head-scratchers. Loki manages to steal Don’s cane from him. That should be it. That really ought to be game over. Now Don can’t turn to Thor. Loki just won. Instead, Loki threw the cane out the window and then ran off.
Also, Loki kidnapped Jane for some reason.
Getting his cane back isn’t easy. Don finds it missing from the street below, and his dad isn’t talking to him, so no help from there. He calls on a favor from Dr. Strange to locate his cane. A vagrant was using it for a fishing rod.
I rather like this panel of Don trying to contact Odin. The art is quite good in this issue, even if the story is rough. It’s also worth noting that Don Blake can try to mentally contact Asgard in his human form. He has no other Thor powers when Dr. Blake, but does seem to maintain some form of psychic connection with Odin.
The Avengers offer to help Thor with Loki. Thor refuses. Let’s reflect upon this. First, Thor says the fight is personal. While true, a girl’s life is in danger. Surely, her safety means more than pride. Thor also expresses his concern the Avengers are no match for Loki. Yet, they defeated him before in their very first battle. Admittedly, he was already a prisoner before the battle.
Loki sends Jane to Limbo. This is not her first time being sent to Limbo. I remain curious if Limbo is a single specific place (non-place?) or used as a generic term for a variety of in-between realms. Loki, Executioner, the Watcher, and the Space Phantom have all sent people to Limbo. Are they all going to the same place?
Odin and Thor calm down and each apologizes for not answering the phone when the other called and they make up.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 51/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
I’ve decided I’m going to start deducting points every time the super-villain holds Jane hostage. The comic earns some of those points back with the art.
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol. 2. It is also available in Thor Epic Collection vol. 1: God of Thunder. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- Thor/Dr. Don Blake
- Dr. Strange
- Odin
- Loki
- Heimdall
- Jane Foster
- Iron Man
- Giant-Man
- Wasp
Story notes:
- Thor receives mental summons from Dr. Strange. Dr. Strange had just saved the city from Mordo, but the attempt left him weak.
- Odin is enraged when Thor ignores a summons in the middle of surgery. He swears on the Furies and creates an electrical storm on Earth with his temper.
- Odin leads his armies to battle without Thor.
- Dr. Strange staying at City General Hospital.
- Dr. Strange protects Jane in Limbo from Loki’s attack.
- Odin sends Asgardian warrior to retrieve Loki.
#237 story in reading order
Next: Journey Into Mystery #108, Story B
Previous: Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1, Story C
