Featuring: Thor
Release: December 2, 1965
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Bombastically written by: Stan Lee
Brilliantly drawn by: Jack Kirby
Beautifully inked by: Vince Colletta
Bashfully lettered by: Artie Simek
16 pages
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But even a Thunder God has the right to love!
We come to Thor’s final adventure in Journey Into Mystery, the series concluding after 125 issues. We’ll see next month what they have instead. Such a finale would be a good time for an overview of the series as a whole, but I gave a summary to celebrate the 100th issue, so I’ll just point to that. It may even spoil what’s coming next month.
“By the bristling beard of Odin,” Thor exclaims. We’ll start hearing that oath a lot. Have we heard it before? I failed to note it if we did.
Thor’s battle with the Demon concludes pretty readily and Thor takes the final Norn Stone to return to Odin.
“A mute testament to the folly of possessing great power without the wisdom to use it justly!” says Thor. Seems like another way of saying, “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.”
When Thor gets back to Asgard, he finds that Odin knows he’s revealed his identity to Jane. And that Odin is angry. Odin subjects Thor to the “Ritual of Steel”. Which means a bunch of guys attack him with swords.
“By the Golden Spires” — Another good Asgardian oath.
“Though every blade in Asgard be raised against me– Thor fights on! Though the heavens themselves tremble and quake– Thor fights on!!”
It’s fine for Odin to forbid Thor from going back to Earth. But what about Don Blake? The poor guy who happened to find Thor’s hammer a while back. What about his life? Is he condemned to just be Thor forever. Doesn’t he have a mother or friends who will miss him?
We only met Hercules briefly last issue. Zeus sent him to Earth on a mission. He very somberly accepted. He seems less somber and more frivolous this issue. Perhaps he behaves differently around his dad. And whatever his mission it, it doesn’t seem that urgent to him.
He helps a train that’s been blocked by a tree, but I doubt that’s his mission from Zeus. And he only helped so as not to have his slumber disturbed. He then decided to head to the city for merriment. We learn he enjoys mirth, food, and women.
Hercules had the same mace when we met him ancient times. It seems to be his signature weapon, like Thor’s hammer.
Boy do these criminals choose the wrong club to attack.
Jane hears commotion and assumes her boyfriend is involved, but really it’s Hercules. Who is instantly smitten by Jane. Hopefully Thor is not the jealous type.
Turns out he is.
Next up, we’ll read this issue’s Tales of Asgard back-up, and with that, we will bid final farewell to Journey Into Mystery.
But first up, it’s December 1965. Let’s see what’s going on with the help of Mike’s Amazing World and the Grand Comics Database.
It’s a hugely significant month for Marvel, as we’ll see when we get to this month’s Fantastic Four. Looking instead to the Marvel books we won’t be reading, two stand out.
Marvel introduces Fantasy Masterpieces, dedicated to reprinting the odd “weird tale” features that titles like Journey Into Mystery once focused on, before being phased out for superheroes. In addition to an old Journey Into Mystery story, it features old stories from other series we know which became the home for superheroes: Tales of Suspense (now featuring Iron Man and Captain America), Tales to Astonish (now featuring Sub-Mariner and Hulk), Strange Tales (now featuring SHIELD and Dr. Strange), and Amazing Adult Fantasy (introduced Spider-Man before being cancelled).
And Patsy Walker’s Fashion Parade is an over-sized annual, but one that features no story content, focusing instead on, well, fashion, via pin-ups and other features. Patsy Walker’s solo ongoing series had ended 2 months earlier, after an impressive run of 20 years. She’ll still have her shared series Patsy & Hedy, but only until next year.
Let’s see what the other publishers are up to…
- Herbie #15, ACG
- Josie #18, Archie
- Battlefield Action #62, Charlton
- Wyatt Earp #62, Charlton
- Adventures Comics #341, DC
- Brave and the Bold #64, DC
- Heart Throbs #100, DC
- Star Spangled War Stories #125, DC
- Heckle and Jeckle #1, Dell
- Daffy Duck #44, Gold Key
- Casper and Nightmare #12, Harvey
- Eerie #2, Warren
Rating: ★★★½, 60/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol. 4.
Characters:
- Thor
- Demon
- Hercules
- Casting agent
- Odin
- Balder
- Jane Foster
- Heimdall
Minor characters:
- Willie (train conductor)
- Marvin (train conductor)
- Charlie (bassist)
Story notes:
- Thor battles the Demon.
- Odin sentences Thor to the Ritual of Steel and decrees that if he survives he will nevermore set foot on Earth. Recall Thor had promised Jane he’d be back soon.
- Casting agent calls J.B. Stardust to tell him about Hercules.
- Hercules plays the guitar as it reminds him of his own lyre.
- Hercules ignores the casting agent, for he is smitten by Jane.
- Heimdall will not let Thor cross the Rainbow Bridge.
- Heimdall’s Uru sword is equal in power to Thor’s Uru hammer.
- Balder offers his life to Odin for his unwillingness to slay Thor.
- Thor finds Jane and Hercules getting a drink. Hercules is holding her hand.
- Jane is unimpressed that she’s been been unknowingly dating Thor, and is just angry he left without explaining why.
- Thor and Hercules prepare to fight.
| Previous | #463 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Journey Into Mystery #124, Story B | Reading order | Journey Into Mystery #125, Story B |
| Journey Into Mystery #124, Story B | Journey Into Mystery | Journey Into Mystery #125, Story B |
