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
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| 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.
Siedring was better dressed when we saw him last.
Artists such as Gene Colan have been using splash pages far more often than Kirby does. But when Kirby gives us a splash page, he really delivers. An image no small panel could possibly contain.
Hippolyta’s outfit reminds me somewhat of a future Asgardian character we will meet: Valkyrie.
I quite like this comic. I thought Thor taking a nap was awesome, but now Thor and his buddy Balder go fishing. What more could you ask for?
Alas, Thor is sad on this fishing trip, because he lost that fight with Hercules. He won’t feel himself again until he gets a rematch.
Hercules presented with a contract to sign if he wants to be in the movie. No reason to read all that fine print. It just has standard clauses like that his responsibilities will include helping with promotion; that the studio has the right to generate his likeness with AI; and that he will have to rule the Netherworld for all eternity in Pluto’s stead. Standard, boring legal stuff.
It turns out that was Hyppolita playing Hyppolita! She swore revenge when Hercules spurned her. Spurning her is better than killing her, as he did in some tales.
Her name is more commonly spelled “Hippolyta”.
Thor fights with Volstagg, but it’s just not the same. He’s in a rut and really wants to fight Hercules again.
This represents Volstagg’s introduction into the modern stories. We’d only seen him in Tales of Asgard stories set in the past. We’ve not yet seen Fandral or Hogun in the present.
But when Thor learns Hercules has been condemned to the Netherworld, he decides the rematch can be postponed for a bit.
But it must be noted that Thor didn’t come to help Hercules against the Netherworld hordes, though that’s what he ended up doing. He came to fight Hercules. The hordes of the Netherworld were in his way.
Rating: ★★★½, 63/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Between the nap and the fishing, I declare this one of the best comics we’ve yet read. Leaving no room for the Molten Man from Amazing Spider-Man #28.
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol. 4.
Characters:
- Thor
- Odin’s physician
- Odin
- Seidring
- Hercules
- Hercules’ agent
- Hyppolita
- Pluto
- Balder
- Volstagg
Story notes:
- Thor has redeemed himself in Odin’s eyes by defeating Seirdring, but he was felled by the bolts of fundamental energy Seidring hurled.
- Odin regrets halving Thor’s power and intends to restore it.
- Seidring banished to rule the land of the Rock Trolls.
- Rock Trolls welcome their new king.
- Hercules tours movie set at Stardust Studios.
- Hercules’ agent still doesn’t believe this is the son of Zeus.
- Agent warns Hercules could be replaced with Steve Reeves.
- Hercules fights a mechanical device to see how he photographs.
- Balder takes Thor hunting for beast-fish on the frozen sea of Marmora.
- Thor wants a rematch with Hercules.
- Hercules signs with his thumb print.
- Titan warriors drag Hercules down to Netherworld.
- Thor jousts with Volstagg to regain his strength.
- Thor requests to return to Earth for a rematch with Hercules. Odin agrees.
- Thor was hoping to fight Hercules, but instead helps him against Netherworldians.
- Pluto and Hyppolita go to Olympus.
| Previous | #499 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Thor #127, Story B | Reading order | Thor #128, Story B |
| Thor #127, Story B | Thor | Thor #128, Story B |
