Then I Guess He Had to Crash - Thor 269

Thor #269 (March 1978)
"A Walk on the Wild Side!"
Len Wein-Walt Simonson/Tony DeZuniga

Doug: Marvel should have been embarrassed to put these two on the same cover. Am I seriously supposed to believe that Stilt-Man's rocket pods could vanquish the God of Thunder? The same God of Thunder who Marvelites continue to argue over concerning the victor in a tussle with the Hulk? That guy. If you're stopping by for the first time, back in April we had a fun conversation about mismatches in comics -- and a couple of weeks ago we checked in on one, when Daredevil was pitted against ol' Jade Jaws himself. If you're in a hurry today, I'm going to save you some time and just say this comic was "average". It wasn't horrible, but it certainly in no way distinguished itself in any positive light beyond expectation. I've been reading and have provided the scans from the Gods, Gladiators, and the Guardians of the Galaxy! trade (recommended for the reprints of Thor Annual #s 5 and 6). Here, then, are the details: 

100 Word Review: It’s all cloak and dagger as we find some menacing electronic voice and a shadowy hirsute brute egging on Wilbur Day, also known as the Stilt-Man. Day’s armor has been specially augmented for a job: steal cargo from a messenger helicopter and return it to the electronic voice. For the job, Day’s armor has been adamantium plated and loaded full of gas, concussion blasts, etc. But in the middle of the heist the Stilt-Man is accosted by Thor. In a match that lasts far longer than it should, Thor is victorious. His prize, though? A challenge from Day’s co-conspirator – Blastaar!

The Good: I never think of Walt Simonson's Thor during this period; instead I of course think of his turn as writer/artist a few years hence. I like his work here -- and just to show my heretical side, I'll say that his style here is more pleasing to my eye than his later work. Some may argue that Simonson is aping John Buscema during this run -- and who could go wrong if that was indeed the case? This is a mighty God of Thunder, well-muscled yet regal. He moves smoothly, though, whether on land or in flight. And Tony DeZuniga's inks? DeZuniga's in the same category for me as Pablo Marcos, in that I can pick out his work from a mile away. I don't dislike it at all, but these guys are definitely in the neighborhood of Joe Sinnott's overpowering style. Hear me -- I don't dislike the art. I'm just not sure how much of Walter Simonson I'm seeing. But overall it's pretty tasty.

The scan to the right captures a nice scene that was reminiscent of the airplane catch in Superman Returns, albeit shorter and less dramatic. After Stilt-Man's aerial robbery, the whirlibird went into crisis mode and began to descend wildly over Manhattan. Fortunately, one Dr. Donald Blake happened to be among the masses below. The art team did a nice job of conveying the duress Thor came under.

The story had a one-page vignette with the Warriors Three and the All-Father, Odin. It's not much -- just the boys coming home from a mission accomplished and Odin offering them a boon for their trouble. But Odin does utter a cliffhanger statement about the Realm Eternal being threatened... to be continued. I always dig Fandral and his mates; Balder, too. Thor's supporting cast, melodrama aside, is always a favorite.

Stilt-Man's dorky, but I've always kind of liked him...

The Bad: ...when he's fighting Daredevil. This book is pretty lame. It really is. We've had some arguments around here in the past about street-level stories versus cosmic stories. I've argued in the past and will do so again that my favorite Thor stories are in far off lands, pitted against other gods, or spacefaring. I get that he's not a cosmic hero like Captain Marvel or the Silver Surfer, but if Stilt-Man and Blastaar are all Earth has to offer in the way of adversaries, then editorial needs to make a change.

The plot of the story is basic, and not suspenseful at all. The hidden voice commanding Wilbur Day, the heavy in the background there to keep Day in check (c'mon - who didn't know that it was Blastaar right from the beginning?), the heist, Thor's initial engagement of Stilt-Man, the foregone conclusion that was the outcome, and the "big reveal" splash to end the story. I did not have this particular book when I was 12, but I'd like to think I was a more discerning reader than to be infatuated with this book.

 

Additionally, are we really to believe that Mjolnir wouldn't put a pretty severe dent in Stilt-Man's armor? Adamantium is not vibranium -- I don't think it repels energy. So while I could accept that the outfit wouldn't crack or split, I do think Mjolnir is more formidable than was implied in the script. That being said, Thor did use the hammer to solve the problem, and that alone makes the plot bad. If Stilt-Man's armor could have been disrupted by lightning, then that could have happened at any time. The battle scene then simply negates itself in my mind.

 

The Ugly: My frame of mind, for one. I'm sorry to bring a cloud over your Monday. It's not what I usually do -- generally I can get on board with most of what I read for the reviews I write. But outside of the art, I can't toss a single kudo Len Wein's way. Well... OK, I lied about that. There was one specific panel, early in the story, when I segued back to my 12-year old self and did a Beavis and Butthead laugh in the back of my head. So maybe my sense of humor is the "big ugly" here. And a request for forgiveness if my sophomoric humor offends anyone. Thanks in advance.  

Who's the Best... Asgardian?

Doug: I actually want to expand this beyond the Realm Eternal and offer you the chance to expound on all of Thor's supporting cast (like the Recorder, for example). The denizens of the Nine Realms await!

 

Inaugural Post - 100-Word Review

Doug: A few weeks ago I challenged our readers to enter the Guest Writer arena and perhaps take a baby step by writing a 100-word review. Apparently fish aren't biting, but since I've long had today's story on my mind I thought I'd try this myself. So here goes -- and at the end I'll evaluate the experience. Was it easy or hard to hit that 100-word parameter? What could I discuss, and what did I have to leave out? We shall see.

Doug: My earliest Thor story was the Mangog epic reprinted in Marvel Treasury Edition #10. Awakened by Ulik, Mangog lumbered off to defeat Odin. The All-Father had beaten back an invasion by an alien race and imprisoned them in the form of Mangog, who then possessed the strength of billions! This 4-issue novel is replete with action, suspense, awe, love... Love? My major takeaway was Asgardian loyalty. Thor’s devotion to Sif, she to him, the valor of Balder and the Warriors Three, and everyone’s willingness to die for the Realm Eternal seemed genuine. If you’ve not read this arc, seek ye it!

Doug: My 100-Word Review landed on your computer at 101 words. Not bad. But certainly not easy. I decided to start with as brief a review as I could craft off the top of my head, and here is what I got:

One of the earliest Silver Age Thor stories I read was the Mangog epic as presented in all its giant glory in Marvel Treasury Edition #10. Jack Kirby’s engine of destruction would surely bring about Ragnarok in Asgard. Freed by his would-be master, the Mangog dominated Ulik the Troll before lumbering off to defeat him who he hated most – Odin. The All-Father had beaten back an invasion by an alien race and imprisoned them in the form of the Mangog. Now this creature possessed the strength (and hate) of a billion billion people! The Lee/Kirby juggernaut gave us a 4-issue novel replete with action, suspense, awe and love. Love? My major takeaway was how loyal Thor and his friends were to each other. His devotion to Sif and she to him, the valor of Balder and the Warriors Three, and their willingness to die for the Realm Eternal all struck me as genuine. If you’ve not ever read this arc, seek ye it!

Doug: That's not very long, is it? But at 163 words, it's pretty far away from our target. Why does it have to be oh-so-close to 100 words? Because that's the hook, the gimmick. And it became a war against myself to trim it as close to the goal as I could. I initially wanted to include thoughts on Loki, the Odinsleep, and the Odinsword, but I knew space would not allow me to touch on those major plot points. So not even going there, I was still challenged to communicate some sort of brief synopsis with at least one parting thought or recommendation. I think I did that, but you tell me.

But man -- that wasn't easy! Next! 

PS: By the way, I read this story for today's review from the new tpb Thor Epic Collection: To Wake the Mangog. The book is chunky, reprinting Thor #s 154-174 in full color. Highly recommended, as the Galactus origin is in that run. Great, great stuff from Stan, Jack, and Vinnie.

 

Tales of Asgard: Journey into Mystery 104 and 105

Tales of Asgard: Journey Into Mystery #104 (May 1964)
"Heimdall, Guardian of the Mystic Rainbow Bridge!"
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker: Don Heck

Karen: This time around, we're focusing on one of Thor's supporting cast, that far-seeing guardian of the Rainbow Bridge, Heimdall. You'll notice the inker on our first tale is Don Heck, and of the various inkers we've seen on these short stories, I'd probably place him in the middle of the pack. He's not bad but I still prefer Colletta far and away on Kirby when it comes to Thor.

Doug:  Karen had mentioned to me in an email after she was done with the framework for this post that we were going to see a "new" inker over Kirby in this story.  I was surprised when I opened the tpb for reading that Heck was on the assignment.  However, after much scrutiny I declare that I really couldn't tell that it was the Dashing One doing the embellishing.  In fact, I'll wager that I could have guaranteed that it wasn't Vinnie, but would have been hard-pressed to identify which of Kirby's other Silver Age inkers I was seeing.  It's Vinnie all the way for me as well.

Karen: This tale tells us how Heimdall became the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge. It seems that the enemies of Asgard have been using the bridge to make their attacks upon Asgard, and Odin has decided he must appoint someone to guard it. Makes sense. But as with all things in the godly realms, rather than just look over resumes, Odin has selected three candidates and he summons them before him to make a case for themselves. The first, Agnar the Fierce, demonstrates his powerful lungs by blowing the enchanted dragon horn of Asgard. It's such a powerful blast that it sends the Asgardians running for cover. Agnar says he can warn all of the realm if any foes were to attack. The next candidate, Gotron the Agile, describes how he took down seven storm giants that attacked the realm the previous year. 

Doug:  The Asgardians have nothing on the Inhumans in the exploitation of other races department.  As the Inhumans kept the Alpha Primitives as subservient, here the Asgardians have "a force of trolls" doing repair work on the damaged Bifrost, while in an earlier story we saw Thor journey to Mirmir to encounter a gang of dwarfs, who "forged all the enchanted weapons of Asgard".  Now maybe these little dudes are just good at their various crafts, but it does look a little suspicious when the much-larger Nordic-looking gods are free to make use of the toil of these "little people".

Karen: It seems like Stan used the terms "trolls" and "dwarves" somewhat interchangeably for a while, but yes, your point is well-taken. In the myths the Dwarves did produce awesome goods for the gods but usually there was payment. Here it does have that uncomfortable feeling of the caste system -or worse.

Doug:  I thought Agnar (at first I misread that, and thought I was getting Angar the Screamer!) and Gotron were typical blowhards, while Heimdall displayed a reserved nobility.  Fandral's a blowhard, but he's not all about self-promotion.  And think what these guys were applying for -- am I correct that Heimdall never leaves his post on the Bridge? 

Karen: Finally, Odin turns to Heimdall the Faithful and asks him what he has to say. Heimdall removes his rather large helm and tells his sire that he can sense danger approaching before anyone else can. To prove it, he lies upon the ground and places his ear to the grass. He tells Odin that he can hear a tiny plant starting to sprout in the Hidden Hills. This outrages his two competitors, who accuse him of lying. Odin silences the men, and then sends his gardener out to the hills to check on Heimdall's claim. The gardener is rather rotund and reminded me of Volstagg -but of course he predates that mighty warrior. The gardener goes out to the desolate hills, which had been scorched by a dragon's breath, and is stunned to find a small plant just breaking through the soil. He brings it back to Odin and the All-Father is pleased, but remarks that he has heard that Heimdall has other powers still. The warrior says yes, he can see across time itself, and at this moment, he sees a war party of giants not two days out from Asgard. Odin sends a force of warriors out to check and they come back with the king of the giants in tow. This is all Odin needs to make his decision. He declares Heimdall guardian of the Rainbow Bridge "forever!"

Doug:  OK, so I'm back to a question that I asked two weeks ago.  Do all of the Asgardians have certain powers, and/or are they all the God of This-or-That?  And I'm wondering if Odin was just being conversational when he said he'd "heard" that Heimdall had other powers.  Ya think he'd know!  Maybe omniscience ain't what it used to be...  I really liked, though, this two page explanation of and display of Heimdall's powers.  There have been times throughout comics history when creators have done a nice, yet subtle, job of bringing new readers along.  This explanation fits very organically into the story.  I enjoyed this one -- these short tales are fun.  And I think we've heard some commenters voice concern over the Claremont/Bolton add-ons in the back of Classic X-Men as retconning the classics.  I don't have that sense here -- this is more like an "untold tales" sort of deal, and in my mind does not offend the material either in the front of Journey Into Mystery or any Thor stories that had come before. 

Tales of Asgard: Journey Into Mystery #105 (June 1964)
"When Heimdall Failed!" 
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker: George Bell

Karen: Another story, another inker! This time it's George Bell, aka George Roussos. I wasn't a big fan of his FF work, and I think his inking comes off a bit heavy here, particularly in comparison to Colletta's feathery work. Our story is another Heimdall-centric tale. It begins with King Brimer of the storm giants conspiring with Queen Nedra to attack Asgard. They know that nothing escapes Heimdall though, and must come up with a way to break the realm's defenses. Nedra is apparently some sort of witch or conjurer and she summons up and air elemental -a Vanna -to serve her. She says that even Heimdall will be unable to detect it, and it can move through Asgard, spying for them. The sprite-like creature agrees to serve (not like it has much of a choice) and goes flying off towards Asgard.

Doug:  In the panel at the bottom of page 2, I thought we were seeing the return of the Impossible Man!  The little sprite looked just like Impy!  Are we to assume that Nedra is a giantess?  If she is not, then there were some major problems with scale in the introductory scene.  So we should assume that Heimdall is susceptible to magicks of concealment?  I find that difficult to believe, since he can see across space and time, but I'll roll with it here.

Karen: The Vanna flies towards Heimdall as he stands watch on the bridge. Although he is unable to see it, the warrior feels something is amiss and even swigs his sword in the air, berating himself for acting so oddly. He's gripped with a sense of uncertainty. Meanwhile, the Vanna flies over Asgard, noting the weaponry and troops available to Odin. The little bugger gets so full of himself, he even flies into Odin's royal chambers, where the All-Father is holding a counsel. A messenger arrives and informs Odin that Heimdall says even though he has seen nothing, he feels the realm should be on alert. This concerns Odin, and he focuses his powers. As he does, the Vanna flies past him and the All-Father commands the creature to show himself. The lord of Asgard grabs the sprite in his gauntlet, astounding his men. The creature proclaims his innocence but Odin orders him to be silent. Heimdall is summoned to the chamber. The guardsman is dejected -he tells Odin he has failed and deserves whatever punishment Odin sees fit to give him. But Odin will have none of it. He tells him to rise -he hasn't failed! Even though he couldn't see the Vanna, he sensed the evil creature and risked the scorn and derision of others by reporting his fears to Odin. Odin tells Heimdall that he has a place in his heart second only to Thor. Wow - he really caught Odin on a good day! So Heimdall goes back to guarding the bridge and all is well with Asgard. 

Doug:  Is it just me, or did the Vanna look like a pink sperm making its way around Asgard?  At first I was going to say "segmented worm", but upon further inspection...  As I said last week, I'm always amazed at Kirby's juxtaposition of the archaic and the cosmic when depicting Asgard.  Here we see beings of great power who dress in some stew of Greco-Roman/medieval garb and weaponry, but with these huge laser cannons.  It's a weird sort of awesome.  

Karen: I think that interpretation is all you buddy, but now that you mention it, I do sorta see it...OK, that's kind of disturbing now.

Doug:  Then we have indeed crossed into new territory on the BAB, with the inaugural use of the word "sperm".  I'm glad we've finally gotten that out of the way! 

Doug:  It would be difficult to decide who is the nobler soul -- Balder or Heimdall.  Each is about as selfless as they come.  I loved the depiction of Heimdall in the first Thor movie -- along with the Destroyer, he was one of the real bright spots in that picture. 

Karen: Just as an aside, the final caption of this story is a "personal note" to the readers thanking them for their enthusiasm for these Tales of Asgard. I wonder if this was just more Marvel hyperbole, or if there really were a lot of letters written praising the series? I think these early stories are nice, but the later, continued ones, like the Harokin one, were really something. I'm sure we'll get around to reviewing those eventually. But I wonder now what the actual reader response was?

Doug:  That is indeed an interesting query.  We're troubled by our doubt of that due in no small part to Stan's unabashed promotion of himself and of the company, but we also live in a world where people can gain employment as "paid reviewers" of consumer goods.  One does have to wonder.  But, and I have no insight, my guess is that they did get a positive response to this series.  I know that I really like it!  I can honestly say that in books I read from the Silver and Bronze Ages, I do not at all mind when the feature is only 14-15 pages and a nifty little "extra" was tucked in the back.

Discuss: Gods, Demons, and Metaphysical Beings!

Doug:  This past Sunday, frequent commenter William Preston quipped that he thought our Discuss topic on the Big Guys would be a request to discourse on comic book gods.  Well, it was not, but today we can!  So thanks to Bill, and make it wide open -- certainly don't confine your comments to the images below, and if there are theological themes you've encountered within the four-color world bring 'em up.  This crowd is certainly close enough and mature enough to handle that -- I'm confident!

Headgear

Doug:  Man, it's wide open today, kids -- masks, hats, helmets, cowls, goofy make-up looking disguises...  You name it, we're discussing anything that our favorite heroes and villains wear on their noggins.

Doug:  Who has a good-looking get-up?  One would have to take a step back and admire Daredevil's cowl -- the color is befitting his name, and the horns on the top front finish it off smartly.  Shoot, there's even a nostalgic coolness to the yellow version, isn't there?

Doug:  But on the other hand, how silly are we to think that young Dick Grayson is even the least bit disguised when wearing his little black mask?  Or Dinah Lance in her wig?

Doug:  Hats?  Ever see Green Arrow's fall off?  And does anyone beat the All-Father Odin in the outrageous chapeau department?  Let's hear it for lids!