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!

 

Guest Post - Thor: The Truth of History Review

Doug: Edo Bosnar is back today with another Bronze-feeling gem from the 21st century. Join him as he walks us through an Alan Davis/Mark Farmer Thor romp. And yes -- for those scoring at home this is our third Thor post of the last four days!

Edo Bosnar: Once, when Karen and Doug reviewed Avengers 1.5, the post had the title “Finding Silver Well Past Bronze.” Well, I think this book kind of fits that category, although the story has more of a Bronze Age feel.

Thor: The Truth of History (2008)

Alan Davis-Davis/Mark Farmer

Although this book was published in 2008, it could have very easily been released as an annual in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s and nobody would have batted an eye. It is very much like one of those fun, done-in-one stories from that period. (Even the art, except maybe the coloring, wouldn’t have been too out of place: as far as I know, Davis was already working for Marvel UK in the early 1980s).

The story starts with a prologue in modern-day Egypt. Two archeologists (who bear a striking resemblance to Laurel and Hardy) are discussing the sphinx, and some controversies surrounding the hieroglyphs on it, which may or may not speak of a great rainstorm in ancient Egypt. One of the scholars is receptive to the idea, the other is dismissive.

And you may ask, what does all of this have to do with Thor?

Well, the scene then shifts to the distant past, and we see Thor, Sif, Balder, and the Warriors Three storming a fortress inside Asgard held by Storm Giants. There’s a mystical gateway in the fortress that the Storm Giant queen wants to use to access Midgard, which is apparently a no-no due to an agreement reached between all of the pantheons, as Thor explains to the queen. Volstagg, enjoying the heat emanating from the portal, gets closer to warm his posterior, and – of course – ends up falling through it.

This prompts Thor, together with Fandral and Hogun, to go through themselves to retrieve their voluminous comrade. They emerge in a desert, note the furnace-like heat, and then see a construction site nearby and set off for it. The workers are quite frightened at the site of the Asgardians, pointing out that they must be demons since they have the appearance of “blood-drained corpses.” A nice touch here as that neither understands the other (even though I recall reading a Thor comic once in which it was pointed out that Thor understood pretty much every human language). In the first sign that something is seriously amiss in Egypt, the overseer of the workers, a demonic-looking beast, interrupts the attempts at communication and attacks the Asgardians. Thor dispatches quite him easily.

In a an attempt to ease the fears of the workers, he uses his hammer to cut the remaining stone blocks for them, saving them a few days’ work at least. However, this makes them angry, as they shout that he deprived them of their right to “cut the sacred blocks.” Oh, well.

Thor then spies a city in the distance (Giza as it turns out), and they figure that may be where Volstagg ended up. They hope that he’s had a better welcome. And sure enough, Volstagg seems to be having the time of his life – and not really questioning why everyone is content to ply him with food and drink.

Thor and the Warriors Two make their way to the city, where they see, among other things, a pyramid being built. Thor is none too impressed.

They eventually run into a priest who seems to speak a little Asgardian. Specifically, he keeps repeating, rather awkwardly, “wine, mead, food, hungry.” Thor and his companions immediately conclude that Volstagg is somewhere nearby.

While being led through the settlement, the Asgardians also make some disparaging remarks about the Egyptian (they call them Heliopolitan) deities, which seems a bit like the pot calling the kettle black – because anyone who’s read any mythology knows that many of the gods of any of the various pantheons were often than not rather petty and disagreeable sorts.

Anyway, they also pass by the sphinx, which indeed has a different head than the one with which we’re all familiar – it’s also some kind of demonic-looking beastie. The Asgardians are led to a table set for a feast, but Thor is rather disgusted by the fact that this abundance is being offered to them while the common people seem to be on the verge of starvation. So he picks up the table and tips it over so everyone can get some.

At this point, the pharaoh shows up with a rather unusual entourage, and he’s not very happy with Thor’s act of generosity. The Asgardians don’t understand a word, but wonder how Volstagg is involved in all of this.

And the scene switches again to Volstagg, being carried on a litter (I had to sympathize with the guys carrying it). They take him to a dark chamber, where there’s several lamp-wielding priests, some kind of cairn and a pile of human bones. Volstagg finally puts 2 and 2 together and shouts for help, loud enough so that Thor and his companions hear him, and rush to his rescue. The three fight their way to the sacrificial chamber, where Volstagg is now tied to the obelisk, about to be eaten by a giant griffin-like creature that looks exactly the sphinx statue.

Thor takes the (fire-breathing, as it turns out) creature on, and the next few pages contain a nicely drawn battle sequence. The demon puts up a good fight, but Thor eventually smites him down, and in the process summons up a massive thunderstorm.

Oh, and during the fight, much of the head on the sphinx statue gets broken off. Thor muses that the griffin and the other demons must have been some kind of discarded pets of the Heliopolitan gods whom the pharaoh thought he could tame. He also says he will dispel the thunder, but not the rain…

As the Asgardians head back toward the portal, they wonder if their unexpected Egyptian adventure was somehow decreed by fate, seeing as how it caused the downfall of a tyrannical pharaoh, the vanquishment of a demon, and much-needed rainfall in the impoverished and drought-stricken land. Indeed, Volstagg says that the day it rained in Egypt will be recalled “as long as men walk this Earth.” And that brings us back to the present day and the two debating archeologists in the epilogue …

This is a fun little story, and the art is simply a joy to look at. I think it’s still really easy to find this cheaply, and it’s included in a TPB called Marvel Tales that also collects a few annuals done by Davis.

Avengers Firsts: Hercules

 Today's post is #1500 by the Bronze Age Babies - thanks for reading!

Journey Into Mystery Annual #1 (1965)(cover by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta)

"When Titans Clash!"

Stan Lee-Jack Kirby/Vince Colletta

Doug: Stuck in the '60s we are! But it's been fun so far, hasn't it? Today's fare should be a blast, too, as we look in on a beloved series -- the Mighty Thor under the creative direction of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vinnie Colletta. God of Thunder vs. Lion of Olympus? Shoot -- why wait?!

Doug: We open with a nice splash page, perhaps an image that could have taken place a mere moment ahead of the shot on this issue's cover. Even in a stand-off, Kirby's figures exude dynamic power. So we get it rolling on page 2 with Thor and Loki riding their steeds amongst some craggy rocks. Thor has convinced skeptical Loki to ride with him in search of adventure in Jotunheim -- the land of the Storm Giants! Thor knows the legends, that the Storm Giants have been searching for a lost passage to fabled Olympus. But wanting a little action, and glory to report to the All-Father, Thor has come here really to create some mischief. He spies two giants moving heavy rocks and attacks them without provocation. Loki melts away while Thor takes it to these two bozos with all the fury we saw on display in the battle scene that began Thor: The Dark World. This action is fast, powerful, and over pretty quickly. But of course Thor's brazenness could be his worst enemy, and indeed in his lust for a quick and lasting triumph he creates a massive landslide.

Karen: It's interesting that the caption on the splash page finds the creative team sort of hedging their bets, saying that "if ever the son of Odin had fought the son of Zeus" it might have been like this! So maybe they weren't so sure they wanted to bring Hercules into the Marvel universe. This could almost have been Marvel's version of an imaginary story, if they hadn't followed it up with a modern meeting of the two princes in the pages of the regular title shortly after. Also, it's obvious to us this takes place in the past but if I had read this when it first came out, I might have been a little confused about that point. You're right though that this scene with the giants really seems to reflect the Thor films -or is that the other way around?!

Doug: I love these stories that have the flavor of a "Tales of Asgard" yarn, because Thor always seems to be even a bit wilder and more impetuous. In the Earthbound stories his godliness seemed a bit more to the fore.Doug: Thor falls with the rockslide, down, down, down... until he lands upright in a chamber made of stone. He figures that the giants must have been right in their guess as to the placement of the gateway to Olympus, for surely he must be in it. He ventures outside, attempting to remain in the shadows. He marvels at some of the odd creatures he sees, yet thinks that perhaps Olympus is not so different from Asgard. But he knows that he must find a way back to the Realm Eternal, so sets off in bold fashion toward a bridge. But -- you guessed it -- as fate would have it another wants to use the narrow construct first. And that someone happens to be named Hercules. What a great way to introduce the conflict between these two: who can be the first to walk across a bridge. How fitting for both of these characters' temperaments!

Karen: Lee must have felt the need to tie the realms of Asgard/Jotunheim and Olympus together, but the idea that the giants originated in Olympus is an odd one. I can't recall reading of giants in Greek myths -other than the Titans or Cyclops. Kirby gives Olympus a distinctly different look and feel than Asgard. We see typical Greek mythological characters like satyrs and centaurs, as well as the marble columns and temples that typify ancient Greek civilization.

Doug: Even though I read this in the Essentials, I could still get a sense for the brightness and airiness (is that a word?) of Kirby's Olympus. While Asgard was generally depicted as magnificent, I think the notion that it floated as an island in space always transmitted to me a darker setting.

Doug: I truly don't know which I enjoy more in this era of Thor -- Kirby's visuals or Lee's dialogue. Both are just wonderful. Hercules and Thor begin to spar verbally as well as physically, and it's just a hoot. We've provided a few images to let the pages speak for themselves -- pure fun! As we've said in our two previous reviews, it's very interesting that of the four characters we've looked at Stan seemed to have their personalities fully-formed from the beginning. Hercules is every bit as brazen as Thor as he continues to talk trash aloud while marveling at his opponent's prowess and comparing it to his own. Both godlings engage each other with their weapons, with Thor's Mjolnir coming out ahead of Herc's mace. And then they decide to go hand-to-hand. Hercules delivers "the most powerful blow *Thor* has ever felt", but Thor comes to his feet almost instantly. Thor returns the favor, but with the same result. Both combatants declare the other their virtual equal. But with egos like theirs, that just means they fight all the harder to prove one's superiority over the other.

Karen: This younger Thor is much more like Hercules in personality than his later, more somber, self. That does make it a lot more fun to watch them go at it! Hercules' look was definitely inspired by the Steve Reeves' Hercules films, although where the little "H"'s on his heels and belt came from, I have no idea (the same place as Galactus' "G" I guess). I love the dialog just as much as you do - our two boys are threatening to "pummel" and "thrash" each other in every panel! Kirby is at his dynamic best.

Doug: Hercules uproots a large totem and bends it into a shape that he declares he will use to bind Thor and make him Herc's prisoner. Dumb old Thor plunges headlong into the twisted arrangement, and Hercules does indeed ensnare him. But Thor strains against his bonds and bursts free, to Herc's incredulity. They again resume fisticuffs, with Hercules pledging to strike Thor again and again in the same spot until Thor falls. Well, Thor does indeed fall, only to bust out a trick that only fans of the Silver Age could appreciate -- the Son of Odin digs his fingers into the turf and rips up the entire landscape like it was a roll of carpet! Hercules is thrown off-balance. As Thor leaps upon his adversary, Hercules grasps two large stones, which he crashes together in Thor's face, the powder blinding the Asgardian.

Karen: Well, we got the pulling-on-the-ground trick. All we need now is someone wearing a rubber mask that is indistinguishable from a real face, and a hero wearing a really large costume piece, armor, or weapon underneath their street clothes.

Doug: With no vision, Thor knows he must swing wildly in order to stay upright until his eyes are clear of the dust. Each immortal uses his strongest punches to try to vanquish the other. But suddenly the Earth shakes as light cracks the sky. Zeus appears, and orders an end to the battle. Fittingly, he's been watching from afar and thinks the whole thing was just great. In a page out of any parental handbook, Zeus compliments both of the spoiled brats, declares them equals, and makes them shake hands and declare friendship for one another! Thor offers that Zeus has the same lordly qualities as his own father and even kneels to the All-Father of Olympus. But then Thor says he must take his leave of Olympus to return to affairs in Asgard. With some Kirby rays emitting from the royal scepter, Thor is lifted back across the divide to Jotunheim, where his adventure began. Loki awaits, and Thor accuses him of fleeing during the fight with the giants. Loki asked where Thor had gone, but the prince says that his memory is failing him. Suddenly huge boulders begin to erupt from the chasm -- Loki claims it must be the work of the Storm Giants, but Thor knows better. He smiles to himself as he watches Zeus's barrier complete itself, but muses that someday he shall again learn of Olympus and see Hercules.

Karen: Zeus shuts  things down quickly, as Thor pretty quickly accepts his authority. I suppose he was used to this sort of thing with Odin. There's a lot of nice imagery by Kirby here, some of it subtle but very effective. All in all, this was a fun romp, a light bit of early Marvel magic. I couldn't help but think of Thor Annual #5, where these two characters would meet in a much longer story.

Doug: This one was short at only 15 pages. We remarked to each other when we chose this Annual for our little Avengers series that it seemed somewhat out of place, disconnected from Giant-Size July. But when we paged through it and found how short it was it was sort of nice. It's a simple story -- the only motivation in telling it is to pit Thor against Hercules. I suppose it's more satisfying than the Thor-Hulk tussle in Journey Into Mystery #112, although like that there's no real winner here. But it must have been a thrill ride for youngsters who'd have come to this in the year before I was born! And as I remarked above, today's story hails from that time when Stan, Jack, and Vinnie were cranking out top-notch adventures each and every month.

BAB Classic: Doug's and Karen's Favorites -- Thor Annual 5

NOTE:  This post was originally published on July 25 2011.

Thor Annual #5 (Summer 1976)
"The War of the Gods!"
Steve Englehart-John Buscema/Tony DeZuniga

Doug: Man, how do you put your finger on that favorite Annual? The usually-summertime release of these treasures makes them so memorable! I'll declare right now that this is my favorite, and that's saying something. There are some great Fantastic Four Annuals (#'s 5 and 6 come to mind), and I've always enjoyed Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 as well as Daredevil Annual #1. Oh, and I forgot to mention FF Annual #2, with the origin of Dr. Doom. And then there's... See what I mean? But this one's really stuck with me over the past 35 years, and as it also happens to be a fave of my partner's, we're going to give it the BAB treatment to close out this summer's Giant-Size July.

Doug: Scribe Steve Englehart gives us the "Tales of Asgard" treatment over the first 7-8 pages, and it's a nice rendition with John Buscema providing the visuals. Sure, you can't go wrong with Jack Kirby, but there's such a majesty to Big John's art and it's on full display here. Englehart reminds us how, according to Norse mythology, the universe, Earth, the giants, gods, trolls, and finally humans were formed. It's a nice story, and a great entry point for readers who might have come along here to a Thor magazine for the first time.

Karen: I find it really interesting that Steve Englehart wrote this story. As far as I know, Englehart never had any kind of run on Thor. The only time he worked with the character was in Avengers. I'd love to know why he was given this assignment. But whatever the reason, I thought he handled this mythic narrative very well. Of course, Buscema's art is magnificent, even if DeZuniga is not my favorite inker for him.

Doug: As Chapter 1 begins, following the lengthy but able prologue, we meet the mighty Thor, prince of Asgard. Thor's personality is laid out for us: brash, loyal, a fighter. We're told of his affinity for Midgard, and that he is wont to pay heed to the prayers of mortals that are directed toward him. We also see the forging of Mjolnir, and here is the reason why I've always thought the mallet to be made of stone -- it's right here! Of course, every other source tells us it's made of a metal known as Uru, but here Englehart clearly states that it's stone. And no argument from me -- in my eyes, it had always been portrayed as if it were stone. As Englehart's background information segues into today's story, Thor appears near the Arctic circle to join a battle on the side of his beloved Vikings. These men are engaged by warriors not known to Thor, but nonetheless Thor brings death to them. We cut away briefly to the headquarters of the invaders and find that they are Greeks, who now pray to their champion -- Hercules, son of Zeus!

Karen: This reminded me a bit of that sequence in the Thor movie where we see the Vikings and then the Asgardians vs. the Giants. The idea that Thor really is a legendary figure is driven home here. Might this have been the first time any writer presented him as hearing and answering prayers? Regarding Mjolnir, yep, it always looked like stone to me, and Englehart calls it stone here -but we're always told uru is a metal. Eh, it's mythology -maybe it's both a metal AND a mineral???

Doug: So what do you think of this yarn so far? I recall as a kid just hanging on every word and picture. I was really into mythology at this point in my young reading life, so for these tales to spring to life was astounding. I don't think I'd fully fleshed out my opinions on various comic book artists, but I knew that Big John was something special. I knew nothing of Steve Englehart (though I'd been loving his run on The Avengers), but his manner was easy. I probably didn't know him from Roy Thomas, but I'd say now that Roy would have worded this up even more in order to include limitless literary references.

Karen: I checked out every book on mythology from our public library a dozen times. I couldn't get enough of it. So this -and the old "Tales of Asgard" tales -were music to my ears. As for Roy, when he finally did write Thor, we got that "Ring of the Nibelung" storyline that seemed plopped down in the middle of the very exciting Celestials storyline. I know people complain about the "Trial of the Flash" as an overlong storyline, but for me it was excruciating waiting for Roy to get done with his Wagner fixation and get back to the cosmic conflict!

Doug: Well, back to the battle royal at hand. Big John really cuts loose in this scene -- I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say that it's quite possible to hear the battle while looking at the beautiful tableau in hand. After several pages of awesomeness, however, Thor decides that the brutalities between he and Hercules can only end in a draw. So, agreeing to resume the battle of Greek and Norsemen in one week, they part. But, upon retiring to Asgard, Thor is much disappointed when Odin rebukes him for setting up the coming war. Of course Odin is the wiser, but brash Thor will hear none of it and turns on his heel. Wily Loki watches from above, grumbling to himself that Thor is never restrained. Turning himself into a fly, he departs for... you guessed it -- Olympus!

Karen: It's interesting that at this point in time, Thor and Herc have very similar personalities -brash, immature. Back when Hercules first appeared in Thor in the '60s, he was always shown in this manner, while Thor was portrayed as more somber and reasonable. It's fun to see a younger Thor here, with a little more fire -even if he was a dunderhead.

Doug: On the mount, Herc is meeting the same fate that Thor was faced with. It's a bit worse, though, as aside from bloodthirsty Ares (why, oh why, did Bendis ever think Ares was an Avenger??) no other among the pantheon of Greek gods will side with Hercules. I want to add that there's plenty of great characterization here -- Englehart gets the voice and personality of each of these gods and goddesses. But remember Loki... Suddenly "Thor" materializes in the midst of the Olympians and strikes Hercules while hurling insults at one and all. It doesn't take Zeus long to come over to Herc's point of view -- it shall be WAR!

Karen: Englehart knows his mythology too, as he has Hera show her disdain for Hercules, "the unfortunate result of earlier escapades"!

Doug: Yep -- caught that. And if she knew ol' Zeus was going and disguising himself as all manner of beast... What a war it is! Buscema again is really allowed to cut loose. There's a lot of pageantry in this battle, as it oozes "epic" right off the printed page. There's a nice little vignette involving Balder battling Ares and again, Englehart nails it. But in the end, it is the Asgardians who triumph. As the dust clears, the Valkyries ride low to gather their dead. One day, Thor says, all of them will ascend to Valhalla. But not this day.

Karen: The artwork is spectacular. I can only imagine that Buscema had a blast drawing ancient warriors, horses, weapons, etc. This was like Conan but on a larger scale.

Doug: Chapter 3 opens in Odin's throne room, as Loki is in custody and Thor stands before his lord. Thor, dull one that he is, wonders how Odin knew it was Loki who orchestrated the battle. Odin has a couple of great lines in this scene, as does Thor. I know I'm gushing over and over, but this story is so well-played that it rivals anything Stan and Jack did in the Silver Age. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am. Thor, disgusted that his father will not pay him tribute, gathers his mates to set off to inspect their spoils. Venturing across Bifrost, they head to Olympus.

Karen: Odin is very well handled in this story. He comes off as regal and masterful, not petty as he often seemed in the Lee-Kirby era.

Doug: But in Olympus, Thor and the others are not recognized. In fact, they are insulted. Thor, ever the hothead, decides to bring the thunder to the Greeks. But as he raises Mjolnir, naught transpires! Disgusted and dismayed, the Asgardians immediately return to the North. Storming (no pun intended) into Odin's quarters, Thor seeks answers. As father and son battle to be heard, it is the All-Father's voice that wins out. When Odin speaks, he informs Thor of his machinations behind the scenes and with his counterpart Zeus. The Olympians, you see, believe that they won. And then Odin imparts wisdom in a morality play that ends our tale: the Asgardians exist because the Vikings believe in and worship them; likewise for the Olympians and their Greeks. It's a symbiotic relationship, Odin explains, and one Thor doesn't quite grasp. Why, then, would he have power in Olympus? They believe in him not. Departing abruptly, Thor wanders, feeling like he's been played. Venturing near the quarters of Karnilla the Norn Queen, he allows her to prophesy to him -- of coming champions with which he will ally himself: the Avengers. And our young thunder god knows one thing: that he doesn't yet know everything.

Karen: I liked that idea, that the faith of men strengthened the gods. Of course, it doesn't hold up when you think about Thor's battles in outer space with aliens who haven't a clue who he is, but it's still a neat idea. Buscema portrays Thor's frustration very subtly. The quick flash of the Avengers was nice, as was the final page showing the thunder god in his glory.

Doug: This story was recently reprinted in a trade paperback, Thor vs. Hercules. I'd say -- get your hands on it! I'll stop with the praises -- you should have gotten my message by now. What a great way to have spent 30-35 minutes as a 10-year old!