JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #124January 1966
"The Grandeur and the Glory!"
It's a battle of the subplots as Thor gets caught up on the news, Jane is on the verge of a breakdown, Odin is all mad at Thor again, Zeus sends Hercules to Earth, and the Demon is conquering Central Asia (various random generic parts of Central Asia, it seems) and assembling an army of THOUSANDS for new conquests.
With GET JANE FOSTER! on hold while Jane is on the injured list, we have a substitute game called THE CHOICE. In which Thor is presented with several subplots and HE MUST CHOOSE!
It begins with Thor in front of the newsstand, reading a newspaper. And a crowd of New Yorkers is hanging around and watching because it's Thor! And he's reading the news!
(Because the first thing Thor does when he gets back to New York after the defeat of Loki and the Absorbing Man is ... he reads the newspaper. Before checking on Jane or stopping by the doctor's office.)
He finds out from the newspaper that the Demon is threatening Central Asia. As a matter of fact, everybody tells him about about the Demon. The folks at the newsstand. A patient at the office after he turns back to Blake. "Wow, I with somebody would do something this Demon that's threatening these unnamed, random countries in Central Asia."
Well, except he meets a girl at the newsstand who wants to tell Thor about her daddy. He was wounded in Vietnam and he's big and strong ... just like Thor. And she wants to know if Thor has been to Vietnam. He tells her he's been to Vietnam and many other places. And he gives her a big hug and tells her to write to her daddy and to say that Thor wishes him well as he fights for liberty. And then a cop yells at him for creating a public spectacle so he takes an elevator to the roof of a nearby building and swings his hammer and goes to see Jane. So this is the first subplot that Thor chooses.
Jane is not doing well. She's not recovering. She's confused and feels weak and abandoned. But we have to wait to find out why because we must check on the Demon for a few panels while he attacks a fort and shrugs off a grenade and a boulder that's dropped on him. And then it's on to the next fortress with his growing army.
Getting back to Jane, she's going crazy. Don Blake tries to find out why. And it's not really any big secret. She loves Don. and Don says he loves her. But he's never there. He's gone with no warning for days or weeks. He knows it's getting to be a problem. So he tells her he's Thor! And transforms in front of her! And she accepts it and says she must have known in her heart. But she makes him promise to never leave her, and he agrees.
Meanwhile, in Asgard, Odin is watching, and he is angry! Thor had pledged his love and shared his secret! This is intolerable. Odin decides to sulk for a while and then save the reckoning for later.
The patient whose grumbling about the Demon turns on the radio while he's in Dr. Blake's office and of course it's a news station reporting on the situation with the Demon! Another generic Central Asian has fallen to the Demon.
Blake realizes that the Demon is causing much death and havoc and chaos and things in Central Asia. And he can't ignore it. Despite his promise to Jane, he must turn to Thor and go to all the unnamed Central Asian nations until he finds the one being menaced by the Demon. So Thor chooses THIS subplot for now.
Meanwhile, on Mount Olympus, the home of the Graeco-Roman gods, Zeus interrupts a battle between Atlas and Hercules and requests an audience with Herc. (I don't know who is holding up the skies while Atlas takes a little break from his duties to scrap with Hercules. I guess there are a handful of Greek gods who could do it, but I think it would be a hard sell even to those guys.) Zeus has sensed that things are happening on Earth, and it's perhaps time for the gods to be more involved with the mortal world. he's sending Hercules to investigate. Hercules says "Neat-o!" and takes off for the mortal realm without packing anything except a mace and some breath mints.
Back on Earth, Thor goes to some place in Central Asia and interrupts while he's attacking another fort. The Demon is like "RUDE!" and they face off, preparing for next issue's BIG BATTLE!
CONTINUED NEXT ISSUE
Commentary: Well, technically not a lot happens. The only action is the Demon's mad rampage through Asia. Thor hangs out in Manhattan, checks on Jane, reveals his secret identity, promises never to leave her, breaks that promise and flies around the world to face the Demon. And then here's Odin being mad for four panels. And here's a couple of pages of Hercules and Zeus. And then Hercules starts walking down a mountain.
But still, it's fascinating! And beautiful. such great art.
But Jane Foster's characterization. Yeesh! She's been through a lot. She's recovering from a gas explosion. So I guess we can give her a little slack. It also seems like Jane doesn't have anybody in this world who will come and visit her except Dr. Blake. She needs to get out more and make some friends. Keep your chin up, Jane! It's not your fault you're so badly written!
Tales of Asgard: "Closer Comes the Swarm!": After several issues of desperate floating around the straits of Utgard with mutiny imminent, the readers are just as relieved as the Asgardnauts to find the Odinship no longer in peril as everybody gets a few panels to take a break.
Ulla, queen of the flying trolls of Thryheim, has heard that the Odinship is nearby, and it's in a vulnerable state after the Utgard incident, and she sends her flying trolls to attack, and they swarm out of the giant stone hive in which they all live.
Back at the Odinship, Hogun takes care of Balder, who has collapsed after sounding the giant horn that put the dragon to sleep. Or whatever it was that happened last issue. It was something like that, wasn't it?
Anyway, as everyone else is celebrating, Loki and Magrat and Kroda conspire in the shadows. They seem very mad that the ship is saved. If everyone had been killed, it would make Thor's leadership abilities look bad!
As Volstagg celebrates and tries to blow on the enchanted horn, they all notice in the distance ... the flying trolls! They all draw their weapons and brace themselves for the attack!
TO BE CONTINUED
I've always liked this one. Queen Ulla and her flying trolls are one of my favorite things from Tales of Asgard. I wish they had appeared more through the years.
