Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: October 1, 1963
Cover: December 1963
12 cents
Presented with pride by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
5 pages
As with previous issues, this tale of Asgard is short, terse, and very plot-dense. Odin battles trolls and Surtur the fire-god. By the end, the moon has been created, the Rainbow Bridge has been created, Odin has started Earth’s rotation, and Surtur has been imprisoned in Earth’s core.
This is our second time seeing Trolls. Their look is pretty consistent with how Kirby drew a Troll in Avengers #1. At some point, the generic look of a troll in the Marvel Universe will change radically.
The main story in this issue was our last entry, which concerned Mr. Hyde. There is also a reprinting of a prose tale from the 1950s and a short science fiction tale before this “Tales of Asgard” feature.
The science fiction story concerns a scientist who shrinks an entire population to deal with issues of overpopulation. I bring it up because it reminds me somewhat of the plot of Fantastic Four #7, where they shrunk the population to more easily transport them to another world. More directly, it’s basically the idea behind the film Downsizing, where people are economically incentivized to shrink down and join sustainable communities of tiny people.
Rating: ★★★½, 60/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol.1. It is also available in Thor Epic Collection vol. 1: God of Thunder. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- Odin
- Troll King
- Surtur
Story Notes:
- Trolls live under hills and are responsible for creating the hills.
- Trolls join with Surtur to rebel against Asgard.
- Odin invades the land of the Trolls.
- Grip of a troll is unbreakable, except by the force of Odin.
- Plunging his sword into the ground grants Odin the power of the gods.
- Odin goes to the sea of flame to find Surtur.
- Surtur’s fingers transform into serpents.
- Odin calls down frozen remnants of dead planets.
- Odin loves Earth, so Surtur attacks it.
- Surtur creates the moon from a chunk of Earth.
- Odin forms the Rainbow bridge to connect Asgard to Earth.
- Surtur sends Odin a gift of a winged horse through a volcano.
#135 story in reading order
Next: Journey Into Mystery #100
Previous: Journey Into Mystery #99
