Journey Into Mystery #117, Story B

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: April 1, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
By: Stan Lee + Jack Kirby
Inking: Vince Colletta
Lettering: Artie Simek
5 pages

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For 20 issues, these Tales of Asgard stories have been short stories that resolved in 5 pages. Now, a large saga begins. At least 11 parts, and even then it just rolls into the next saga.

For reading order, I like to keep story-arcs together. Based on that, I could read all 11 parts at once. This is what the CMRO recommends. It actually recommends reading the next 17 back up stories together.

But I also like to keep issues together. It seems weird to get out a comic, read half of it, put it away, then get it out again later to read the other half. Though we have done that sometimes in the name of keeping arcs together. For example, we read the last 5 Human Torch stories from Strange Tales without reading the corresponding Dr. Strange stories. We’ll have to get the comics back out of the box.

How to balance these two goals (keep a story together vice keep a physical comic together) is subjective, and I’m making a subjective call here: reading these Tales of Asgard stories together doesn’t improve the story in any way. I think they read best as they were published, as episodes in the back of the main Thor comic, to be read after that month’s Thor story. And that’s how we’ll read them. We’ll keep Thor story arcs together as best we can and let the main stories set the reading rhythm. That means it may take us a while to finish the Odinsword Saga. I think that will be okay.

The story.

Asgard has been at peace for a while now. Its warriors grow restless and brawl with each other.

Then Odin takes Thor and Loki to see the Oversword of Asgard. Legend tells that if the Oversword leaves its sheathe, it will be the end of Asgard. Odin pulls it out only a little, enough to note that there is a crack. If the crack should widen, the universe will end. The Oversword is sometimes called the Odinsword. It’s very big.

Odin charges Thor and Loki to go on a quest to find the unseen enemy who has cracked the sword before they should damage it further and bring destruction to Asgard and the universe.

A compelling prelude.

Rating: ★★★☆☆, 56/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆

I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol. 3. It is also available on Kindle.

Characters

• Odin
• Thor
• Loki

Story notes:

• Thor blames Loki for the discontent in Asgard.
• Loki again has his bewitched blade.

Previous	#343	Next
Journey Into Mystery #117	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #118
Journey Into Mystery #117	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #118