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
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|---|---|---|
| Thor #128 | Reading order | Thor #129 |
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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.
We were in the middle of Volla’s prophecies. About Loki leading armies of evil in final battle with Thor and Asgard’s armies. We left off when the Midgard Serpent arose to devour Asgard.
Volla claims the day is at hand. But we know these stories take place thousands of years in the past and Asgard is clearly fine today. So her prophecies must be a little off.
We see the destruction of Asgard. Then Surtur rises to burn what’s left.
But from the ashes of the old gods, new gods arise. There’s a cycle to life. Of death and rebirth.
Pretty epic stuff.
Rating: ★★★½, 66/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
While terse, I think this is cool enough to be on the Best We’ve Read page. This knocks out Fantastic Four #32, which featured the death of Franklin Storm. This puts Dr. Strange ahead of the FF again in terms of presence on the list.
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol. 4.
Characters:
- Midgard Serpent
- Thor
- Surtur
- Volla (not pictured)
- Odin
- Volstagg
- Fandral
- Hogun
- Balder
- Loki
Story notes:
- Volla, the prophetess, says the Day of Ragnarok is almost at hand.
- Ragnarok is the final battle between good and evil; Midgard Serpent is vanguard.
- Asgard destroyed in explosion which shakes infinity.
- Surtur before dying renders Asgard to a cinder with his flaming sword.
- As eons pass, seas return, new continents form, vegetation bursts out, new gods emerge.
- Loki claims Ragnarok is nonsense, but Odin reveals that Loki will be the cause!
| Previous | #500! | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Thor #128 | Reading order | Thor #129 |
| Thor #128 | Thor | Thor #129 |
At this point, your chronology – at least for story B – should bring us right to New Gods #1.
What a shame that creators of comics, unlike many creators of pulp stories, didn’t retain rights to their own stories. Then again, publishers of comic books and publishers of Tarzan, John Carter, Sam Spade, and Conan were coming from entirely different mindsets…even when publishers of comics were publishers also published comics. History is so messy self-contradictory.
The opening page of New Gods #1 has a lot in common with this comic, indeed. I figure I’ll cover at least some of the Fourth World stuff when we get there.