thor – Coke & Comics

Thor #130, Story B

The Fateful Change!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: May 3, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: Vince Colletta
Lettering: Sam Rosen
Costumes: Asgard Haberdashery
5 pages

Previous	#504	Next
Thor #130	Reading order	Daredevil #16
Thor #130	Thor	Thor #131

My glorious record proves that Volstagg knows not the meaning of fear! But, why do we race so quickly into a land where death lurks everywhere?

The meandering Odinsword Saga came to an unclimactic resolution, but this led into a couple good issues showing us Ragnarok, the end of Asgard and the death of the gods. That’s led into this story of Thor and friends battling Harokin to retrieve the Warlock’s Eye.

Kirby does cool things with the 5-page/at-most-17-panel format when doing sweeping arcs of abstract history, but it’s limiting when trying to tell a piece of a more standard story. It just doesn’t get very far.

Thor #130

Thunder in the Netherworld!

Featuring: Thor
Release: May 3, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Stan the Man Lee, Writer
Jack King Kirby, artist
Vince the Prince Colletta, delineator
Artie Pussycat Simek, letterer
16 pages

Previous	#503	Next
Thor #129, Story B	Reading order	Thor #130, Story B
Thor #129, Story B	Thor	Thor #130, Story B

” Let there be no further battle! Only the weakling seeks to prove his strength at every turn!”
“Thy words have wisdom, Thor– even as thy limbs have power enow to make Hercules pause! Henceforth, I shall call thee friend!”
“And I thee!”
“What riotous revels we shall enjoy together! What battles we shall share, at each other’s side!”
“Alas, Olympian– revels are not for such as me– And, my hammer swings only for justice– never for the thrill of battle alone!”
“But, what good then to be a god?”
“Thy careless query, Hercules, is far more profound than you suspect!”

Stan the Man Lee. Jack King Kirby. Every issue Stan’s had new nicknames for the creative team. We’ve seen this particular set of nicknames before. And we’ll see it again. These are the nicknames that will stick for Stan and Jack. The Man and The King.

The issue’s title is “Thunder in the Netherworld”. Seems like a missed opportunity to call it “Thunder Down Under”.

Hercules had stupidly signed a contract saying he’d rule the Netherworld and let Pluto free. Hercules thought it was a movie deal. Zeus is enforcing the contract. Hercules’ only way out is for a champion to fight in his stead, to challenge Pluto and the armies of the dead to win Hercules’ freedom.

Thor is that champion.

Thor #129, Story B

The Hordes of Harokin!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: April 5, 1966
Cover: June 1966
12 cents
Fabulously written by… Stan Lee
Fantastically drawn by… Jack Kirby
Fastidiously inked by… Vince Colletta
Finally lettered by… Artie Simek
5 pages

Previous	#502	Next
Thor #129	Reading order	Thor #130
Thor #129	Thor	Thor #130

Yet, the Lord of Asgard must first be a monarch– and then a father!

Clean story breaks are hard to find. The Odinsword Saga seems to be over. It bled into stories about the prophecies of Ragnarok. Which brings us here. For his role to be in Ragnarok, Loki is to be punished.

I don’t know if I approve morally of punishing someone for what he might do in the future.

Thor #129

The Verdict of Zeus!

Featuring: Thor
Release: April 5, 1966
Cover: June 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, writer
Jack Kirby, penciller
Vince Colletta, inker
Artie Simek, letterer
16 pages

Previous	#501	Next
Thor #128, Story B	Reading order	Thor #129, Story B
Thor #128, Story B	Thor	Thor #129, Story B

I have received plaudits and accolades from the highest and mightiest of mortals, yet, the words you have spoken shall gladden my heart for as long as memory endures!

Thor and Hercules have beaten back Pluto in Los Angeles, but Pluto escaped, and still has Hercules’ signed contract, which will condemn Hercules to rule the Netherworld in his place. Thor has returned to New York.

People usually credit the turnaround in the Thor stories to Kirby taking more control and bringing in his interest in mythology. But Stan also pulls his weight. I actually have to make a hard choice to get a pull quote out of the issue. I found at least four good options. The first I considered was the most humorous, where Thor shouts to the New York crowd: “The endless prattle of thy voices proves wearisome to mine ears!” Stan seems to have Thor’s Shakespeare-lite dialogue down now.

This unnamed taxi driver is a favorite character of mine. Thor’s sentimental words to him are what I chose for the pull quote above. The cabbie had been a soldier, and thus Thor finds a kindred spirit. He’d fought in World War II, and been wounded in Anzio, Italy, which would have been in 1944.

Thor #128, Story B

Aftermath!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: March 3, 1966
Cover: May 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Pencilling: Jack Kirby
Delineation: Vince Colletta
Lettering: S. Rosen
5 pages

Previous	#500!	Next
Thor #128	Reading order	Thor #129
Thor #128	Thor	Thor #129

For this is the destiny of god and man alike… this is the lesson supreme… all that live must die… but, all that die shall live!

Hey, we come to the 500th Marvel story in our reading order. That’s cool. Thanks to everybody who’s been reading along since the beginning and to those who have joined us recently. We’ve covered almost 5 years of Marvel history and have many more years ahead of us.

I admit somewhat to wishing it were a different comic for this anniversary. It was almost a really cool comic in an early draft of the reading order. But at least we get probably our best Tales of Asgard story yet to mark the occasion. How much can one do in 5 pages? Let’s find out.

Thor #128

The Power of Pluto!

Featuring: Thor
Release: March 3, 1966
Cover: May 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, writer
Jack Kirby, penciller
Vince Colletta, inker
Artie Simek, letterer
16 pages

Previous	#499	Next
Thor #127, Story B	Reading order	Thor #128, Story B
Thor #127, Story B	Thor	Thor #128, Story B

Let silence reign! The God of Thunder doth take his rest!! By order of Imperial Odin!

After the battle with Siedring, the wise and mighty Odin has issued an imperial decree: Thor needs a nap.

I like to imagine the herald yelling extremely loudly about how Thor needs his rest.

Most artists who need to draw a bed just draw a bed. But this is Jack Frigging Kirby. And that’s the bed of Thor.

Thor #127, Story B

The Meaning of… Ragnarok!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: February 3, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Pencilling: Jack Kirby
Delineation: Vince Colletta
Lettering: Artie Simek
5 pages

Previous	#498	Next
Thor #127	Reading order	Thor #128
Thor #127	Thor	Thor #128

In the name of the omnipotent Odin– in the name of eternal Asgard– by the power of my hammer– for the glory of our cause– onwarrrrd– to victory!

The Odinsword Saga might be over now. Unclear. The story never seemed to be going anywhere and in the end it didn’t go anywhere. The whole thing was a ruse by Odin, who felt his warriors needed a bit of adventure.

So why was the Odinsword cracked if there was no enemy? Was it really cracked? Had it just always been cracked? We’ll never know. We’re moving on.

Thor #127

The Hammer and the Holocaust!

Featuring: Thor
Release: February 3, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Delineator: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Sam Rosen
16 pages

Previous	#497	Next
Avengers #29	Reading order	Thor #127, Story B
Thor #126, Story B	Thor	Thor #127, Story B

For one brief, fleeting instant of eternity, a god hath dared to love a mortal! Till the universe crumbles, my heart is ever thine! Let that be our epitaph… and our glory!

Now that’s a cover.

We discussed Pieta-inspired covers with Journey Into Mystery #110. This is a much better example of such a cover. I would call this awesome.

As with Avengers, I want to note where Thor is during an upcoming Fantastic Four story, published concurrently with the last few issues. What keeps him away from helping the FF? I don’t believe his short fight with the Demon nor his tiff with Hercules would do it.

Also, the last year of Thor stories still must have taken very little time, as there has been little room for pausing. So it’s likely these Thor stories take place before a lot of the other stories we’ve been reading, and the adventure that seemed more important than helping the FF is still ahead. We’ll be on the lookout for it!

In that sense of there being not a lot of time passing, this picks up precisely where last issue left off, with Jane trying to comfort a moping Thor, who has just lost his first fight, because his daddy halved his powers. Notably, Odin finally seems to support the relationship.

Of course, now there’s a new reason Thor and Jane can’t be together. It’s not about his bum leg or his daddy issues. How could she love a man who can’t even beat Hercules in a fight?

Thor #126, Story B

The Summons!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: January 4, 1966
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: V. Colletta
Lettering: Artie Simek
5 pages

Previous	#466	Next
Thor #126	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #34
Thor #126	Thor	Thor #127

Thy mission is ended! The danger you have been seeking is here– in the City of the Golden Spires! Return then at once– to Asgard!

Thor and his crew sail to find an unknown foe, but keep facing random dangers. At present, Loki has been captured by Queen Ula of Thryheim, and Thor has come to save him.

Ula wants Thor to be her King. If he agrees, she will release Loki. Else, she will kill his crew.

It’s important to note that Ula had nothing to do with cracking the Odinsword. She is not the unknown foe they are searching for, just a woman who wants to marry Thor.

Thor #126

Whom the Gods Would Destroy!

Featuring: Thor
Release: January 4, 1966
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee the literary lion!
Jack Kirby the pencilling pussycat!
V. Colletta the delineating dragon!
Artie Simek the lettering looks it!
16 pages

Previous	#465	Next
Journey Into Mystery #125, Story B	Reading order	Thor #126, Story B
	Thor	Thor #126, Story B

“By the cloven hooves of Pan!! What doth it take to defeat the Son of Odin!??!” “A stronger arm! A stouter heart! A nobler soul! And none doth Hercules possess, thou blabbering, blustering, boastful buffoon!”

This is the first issue of Thor. It’s also the 126th issue of Thor.

Which is a little confusing. Last month (well, last week for us), we read Journey Into Mystery #125, which starred Thor, as it has for the last 40+ issues. Now the comic will just be called Thor.

Why not call it Thor #1?

For complicated and probably shady legal and financial reasons, they found it more sensible to keep the numbering of the old magazine.

Thor’s name has been prominent on cover going back to issue 104. But it’s no longer “Journey Into Mystery with the Mighty Thor”. It’s just: “The Mighty Thor”. The official title as seen in the indicia is simply “Thor”.

Starting a new superhero title that keeps the numbering of the horror title will become a common practice… though not soon. We’ll talk more at the end of this post about Marvel’s history of naming comics. Let’s get into the comic, starting with the title.