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
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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.
Odin has summoned all the warriors back to Asgard to hear the prophecies of Volla, who tells them of Ragnarok.
Now this I find pretty cool. It’s still terse because they only have 5 pages. But it’s the story of the death of the gods in final battle against the forces of evil. I’m digging it.
Volla speaks of the light from the stars fading, Asgard covered in frost and storm, friend turned against friend.
It’s then that the forces of evil attack, with Loki at the lead. That must be embarrassing for Loki, standing right there next to Thor.
We see Thor and Loki in final combat. It’s one epic final battle as gods die. Until at last appears the Midgard Serpent. We’ll pick up there Friday.
This has been one of my favorite of these Tales of Asgard stories since the very beginning. 5 pages and at most 17 panels isn’t a lot to tell a compelling drama. But it worked well in the earliest issues for giving us a mythological overview of the dawn of time. And similarly it’s working here showing us the same but for the end of time.
Rating: ★★★½, 63/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I liked this better than I’d been enjoying Tales of Asgard of late. Enough to get it on the Best We’ve Read, displacing Hercules’ first meeting with Thor in Journey Into Mystery Annual 1.
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol. 4.
Characters:
- Odin
- Thor
- Balder
- Loki
- Hogun
- Kroda
- Magrat
- Fandral
- Volstagg
- Volla, the Prophetess
- Heimdall
- Midgard Serpent
Story notes:
- Odin sent them on the quest because they needed purpose. All a ruse.
- Volla commands the Vapors of Time to reveal the future.
- Defenders of Asgard destroy Rainbow Bridge.
- Heimdall’s last act is to sound alarm.
- Odin leads final charge.
- Thor and Loki fight for the final time.
| Previous | #498 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Thor #127 | Reading order | Thor #128 |
| Thor #127 | Thor | Thor #128 |
