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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 14, 2024 15:57:05 GMT -5
I keep forgetting (or almost forgetting) to write about Tales of Asgard as we are going through every issue. I really love Tales of Asgard! In the 1970s, when I was buying some of these 1964 and 1965 issues of Journey into Mystery, I came across Tales of Asgard for the first time, and I remember being very impressed with them, and maybe even being more than a little charmed. I especially remember "Trapped by the Trolls!" in #108. And also, the Tales of Asgard offering for #105, with the nasty little air sprites, the Vanna, and the one that snuck by Heimdall to spy on the Asgardians. I read and re-read some of those stories so often that, even today, I practically have them memorized. But I guess I consider them separately from the regular Thor series. To me, Tales of Asgard is its own thing. For a long time, I had the one-shot Tales of Asgard reprint comic from 1968, which reprinted a bunch of the earliest of the stories. So when I'm reading through the regular Thor series, I'm always ready to move on to the next story in the regular Thor continuity. I'm actually way ahead of the reviews. I read Journey into Mystery #120 last night. WHen I backtrack to write a review, I just forget about Tales of Asgard. Mr. Trombone reminded me that I forgot to mention Tales of Asgard when I reviewed JIM #101, so I'll get to that in a minute. And I'll try to remember to review Tales of Asgard from now on. Journey into Mystery #101
February 1964 Tales of Asgard: "The Invasion of Asgard!" This is one of "The Boyhood of Thor" stories. It starts on the Rainbow Bridge. Young Thor is asking Heimdall if he can help guard the bridge from the Forces of Evil, who appear to be massing nearby for a massive offensive against the Asgardians. Heimdall is very dismissive of the young godling. But young Loki is nearby, and he's always so eager to help! He knows where there's a breach in the wall! He'll show it to Thor and thus Thor can defend Asgard at this weak point! Loki is such a good brother! Of course, Thor doesn't think it's a bit suspicious that Loki knows where there's a hole in the wall. Loki gloats to himself that Thor is so trusting that he doesn't suspect that Loki knows about the hole in the wall because Loki made it! He hopes that Thor will be overwhelmed by the Forces of Evil, and the magic hammer that Odin has set aside for Thor when he matures will instead pass to Loki! So young Thor must face the Rime Giants, the Norn Hag, Ulfrin the Dragon, Skoll and Hathi the Wolf Gods, Geirrodur the Troll and the Ice Giants ... all alone! (It's a great half-page panel from Kirby and George Roussos.) He holds them off for two pages until one of the Rime Giants turns him into a shrubbery, but he is saved by the timely arrival of the Asgardians who heard the sounds of the mighty battle from afar. The Forces of Evil retreat and the Asgardians celebrate their victory, and none suspect that Loki was responsible for the breach. We'll eventually come across a few of these Tales of Asgard stories that aren't so great, but these early ones are solid!
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 14, 2024 16:00:53 GMT -5
I was thinking about 'Get Jane Foster'... I wonder what Marvel female was damsel in distress the most times? I want to say Sue Storm(Richards), but could it be Jane? Any other candidates? (I'm sure Lois wins for DC and overall)
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 14, 2024 16:01:32 GMT -5
You were the one that clamored for the TOA , so I’m surprised for you to forget it as part of the review “battle “. Lol.
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 14, 2024 16:02:44 GMT -5
I was thinking about 'Get Jane Foster'... I wonder what Marvel female was damsel in distress the most times? I want to say Sue Storm(Richards), but could it be Jane? Any other candidates? (I'm sure Lois wins for DC and overall) It’s especially grievous for a female superhero to be the damsel in distress.
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 14, 2024 16:20:40 GMT -5
I was thinking about 'Get Jane Foster'... I wonder what Marvel female was damsel in distress the most times? I want to say Sue Storm(Richards), but could it be Jane? Any other candidates? (I'm sure Lois wins for DC and overall) Well, Sue is at least part of the team, and she frequently makes up for being captured by using her invisibility to sneak in and save the day ... not to mention how formidable she becomes later when she gets her force field powers. Jane is at the mercy of whoever stops by the doctor's office to get revenge on Thor or Dr. Blake.
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 14, 2024 16:26:45 GMT -5
I was thinking about 'Get Jane Foster'... I wonder what Marvel female was damsel in distress the most times? I want to say Sue Storm(Richards), but could it be Jane? Any other candidates? (I'm sure Lois wins for DC and overall) Well, Sue is at least part of the team, and she frequently makes up for being captured by using her invisibility to sneak in and save the day ... not to mention how formidable she becomes later when she gets her force field powers. Jane is at the mercy of whoever stops by the doctor's office to get revenge on Thor or Dr. Blake. Blake put her in danger. It just so happens that many villains found their way to his office.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 14, 2024 18:07:40 GMT -5
I did some googling... Seems like some people think Robin and Jimmy Olsen are in the running as well.
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 14, 2024 21:17:06 GMT -5
I did some googling... Seems like some people think Robin and Jimmy Olsen are in the running as well. I guess females, being the weaker sex, is the go to person to be victimized. It took on a whole level when " woman in refrigerators " became a thing in the 90's.
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 15, 2024 5:18:23 GMT -5
Journey into Mystery #101February 1964 "The Return of Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man!" Thor is big mad! He is just striding down the street and not even looking where he's going. He even inadvertently chips off a piece of a lamppost and smashes a steel waste basket with his big dumb feet. The police are holding everybody back! Some ants report back to Dr. Pym and Janet, and they tell the other Avengers (which is just Iron Man at this point, so this must take place before Avengers #4) and they rush over to see what the fuss is. Just in time to see Thor step in front of a speeding truck! The driver cries out, "Watch out, fancy pants!" And Thor is like "Make me!" and he punches the truck and the front of the cab goes flying! Commentary: It's too bad there aren't any other super-heroes around to help. I guess the Hulk and the Fantastic Four and the X-Men and the other Avengers (who didn't have anything else to do seven pages ago) are all busy and can't help Thor. Pencils by Jack Kirby and inks by George Roussos, and they are a great team! I especially love all those FF issues by Roussos. Zarrko gets extra points for not trying to abduct Jane Foster! Maybe he just didn't see her. She's only in the flashback to the previous issue and is not otherwise in this issue. I think Zarrko just doesn't know about Don Blake and the doctor's office. I think it's nice that Jane got a well-deserved rest in this issue. Maybe she went to the movies. Commentary : I loved this issue , it’s maybe the best Thor issue so far in the run. Having Thor rampage through the city makes him closer to the god that was sent to earth because of his arrogance. I love the appearance of the Avengers trying to calm him down. I thought for a moment they would violate their rule of not interfering in the personal matters of individual members , but they caved and left him alone. I found it interesting that Thor didn’t feel remorse for the property damage and the endangering the lives of people, but that’s what love does. The Avengers appearing is not as problematic as it would seem. It’s true that the Avengers fight the Hulk and Submariner in issue #3 which leads to them finding Captain America while returning to NY, but this piece of continuity can fit in right after the Hulk leaves the team at the end of issue #2. And JIM # 101 actually was on sale prior to Avengers #4. Loki reaching into the future to return Zarrkos’s memory was more acceptable because he is aided by the norn hags magics. In the past issues, Loki’s power was unlimited and he could do anything. The issue featured Thor's attempt to pass Heimdal and the battle is great. You feel the frustration of his power being halved, even his hammer is affected. It was a great plot device. This is not the last time you'll see him lose half his power as a punishment. Because of this, losing to Zarrko and his robot works, and we are treated to a great page layout by Kirby depicting the battle. Really nice combo of Kirby and George Bell on the art. Great Issue !The Tales of Asgard is entertaining and introduces a few of Asgards foes for future use. Young Thor is so trusting of Loki who is a real scum bucket. At the end Thor can lift the hammer a bit more but it’s described as his getting more strength. I didn't know that being more worthy was tied into his getting stronger. The worthy criterion is yet to be fully explained. SidenoteHoosier X , man are you obsessed with Jane Foster.
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 15, 2024 5:37:54 GMT -5
This is a great page and anything having to do with the original Avengers, I love.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 15, 2024 8:55:05 GMT -5
"NO HARM DONE??? Tell that to my insurer, ya big galoot!"
Also, where does Iron Man keep his wallet?
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Post by kirby101 on Feb 15, 2024 9:21:46 GMT -5
Geo Bell/George Rousos was an awful inker, there I said it. Granted, word is he often had a very short turn around to do them, but he never did Kirby justice. His style is rough and and line work is weak. There are examples of people like Stone or Tuska doing fast jobs that look 100% better. Rousos was an excellent colorist though.
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 15, 2024 9:54:25 GMT -5
Journey into Mystery #101February 1964 "The Return of Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man!" Thor is big mad! He is just striding down the street and not even looking where he's going. He even inadvertently chips off a piece of a lamppost and smashes a steel waste basket with his big dumb feet. The police are holding everybody back! Some ants report back to Dr. Pym and Janet, and they tell the other Avengers (which is just Iron Man at this point, so this must take place before Avengers #4) and they rush over to see what the fuss is. Just in time to see Thor step in front of a speeding truck! The driver cries out, "Watch out, fancy pants!" And Thor is like "Make me!" and he punches the truck and the front of the cab goes flying! Commentary: It's too bad there aren't any other super-heroes around to help. I guess the Hulk and the Fantastic Four and the X-Men and the other Avengers (who didn't have anything else to do seven pages ago) are all busy and can't help Thor. Pencils by Jack Kirby and inks by George Roussos, and they are a great team! I especially love all those FF issues by Roussos. Zarrko gets extra points for not trying to abduct Jane Foster! Maybe he just didn't see her. She's only in the flashback to the previous issue and is not otherwise in this issue. I think Zarrko just doesn't know about Don Blake and the doctor's office. I think it's nice that Jane got a well-deserved rest in this issue. Maybe she went to the movies. Commentary : I loved this issue , it’s maybe the best Thor issue so far in the run. Having Thor rampage through the city makes him closer to the god that was sent to earth because of his arrogance. I love the appearance of the Avengers trying to calm him down. I thought for a moment they would violate their rule of not interfering in the personal matters of individual members , but they caved and left him alone. I found it interesting that Thor didn’t feel remorse for the property damage and the endangering the lives of people, but that’s what love does. The Avengers appearing is not as problematic as it would seem. It’s true that the Avengers fight the Hulk and Submariner in issue #3 which leads to them finding Captain America while returning to NY, but this piece of continuity can fit in right after the Hulk leaves the team at the end of issue #2. And JIM # 11 actually was on sale prior to Avengers #4. Loki reaching into the future to return Zarrkos’s memory was more acceptable because he is aided by the norn hags magics. In the past issues, Loki’s power was unlimited and he could do anything. The issue featured Thor's attempt to pass Heimdal and the battle is great. You feel the frustration of his power being halved, even his hammer is affected. It was a great plot device. This is not the last time you'll see him lose half his power as a punishment. Because of this, losing to Zarrko and his robot works, and we are treated to a great page layout by Kirby depicting the battle. Really nice combo of Kirby and George Bell on the art. Great Issue !The Tales of Asgard is entertaining and introduces a few of Asgards foes for future use. Young Thor is so trusting of Loki who is a real scum bucket. At the end Thor can lift the hammer a bit more but it’s described as his getting more strength. I didn't know that being more worthy was tied into his getting stronger. The worthy criterion is yet to be fully explained. SidenoteHoosier X, man are you obsessed with Jane Foster. It’s hardly my fault that Jane Foster is HILARIOUS!!
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 15, 2024 10:21:44 GMT -5
Geo Bell/George Rousos was an awful inker, there I said it. Granted, word is he often had a very short turn around to do them, but he never did Kirby justice. His style is rough and and line work is weak. There are examples of people like Stone or Tuska doing fast jobs that look 100% better. Rousos was an excellent colorist though. Don’t forget Colletta
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 15, 2024 11:56:48 GMT -5
"NO HARM DONE??? Tell that to my insurer, ya big galoot!" Also, where does Iron Man keep his wallet? A little compartment on the back of his armored codpiece/tush cover. He pops a button on a wrist panel and the little door pops open and a little launching chute pops out and ejects it in an arc over his shoulder and into his hand.
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