tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post8397174337480823575..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Doug's Favorites: Thor 147Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-13796053314133720022016-07-13T08:26:04.302-05:002016-07-13T08:26:04.302-05:00Fun post, since my experience mirrors it almost ex...Fun post, since my experience mirrors it almost exactly. Thor got me into mythology also as a 10-12 yr old. I wasn't lucky enough to find originals, but those marvel spectacular reprints....and yes, I like the scan of the beat-up comic too. The prize in my collection for original, beat-up issue is fantastic four 109 "to die in the negative zone!"spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14576369979304207262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-76164543412788433532016-07-13T08:23:21.555-05:002016-07-13T08:23:21.555-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14576369979304207262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-77518990162037709612012-07-24T08:27:43.401-05:002012-07-24T08:27:43.401-05:00Coincidentally, I recently re-read this one for a ...Coincidentally, I recently re-read this one for a forthcoming post on Marvel University (albeit in the MARVEL SPECTACULAR reprint that sadistically deprived me of my Inhumans). One of the aspects I found most interesting was Thor's humble acquiescence to the letter of the law after the "Caper of the Golden Bull," eminently suited to his do-gooder personality.<br /><br />It is indeed unusual to see Loki wade directly into the fray, without having a Destroyer or Absorbing Man do his dirty work for him, and of course he only dares to do so when Thor lacks his full godly power. I know there are those who feel that Loki was appearing too often in this period, but I prefer to equate him with some of the villains who popped up repeatedly in the Bronze Age, like Kang in AVENGERS or Death-Stalker and Bullseye in DAREDEVIL. Kind of hilarious how, by the end of the story, the mercurial Odin seems ready to banish/punish half of Asgard.<br /><br />Always had a soft spot for Princess Python, because one of the oldest comics I "inherited" from my older brothers was IRON MAN #50, which featured her as a solo villain. Regarding her sometime allies, my standard joke about cosmic or ultra-powerful Marvel heroes is, "Hey, what's he gonna do, fight the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime?" So, of course, that's exactly what Thor did! :-)<br /><br />My own most well-worn comic is AVENGERS SPECIAL #1, missing both the cover and the first-two pages, but luckily I later obtained the GIANT-SIZE reprint. Looking forward to your follow-up post, Doug; nice work.Matthew Bradleyhttp://marveluniversity.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-42649446947435928572012-07-22T23:44:44.427-05:002012-07-22T23:44:44.427-05:00I find it interesting that Thor and Spider-Man wer...I find it interesting that Thor and Spider-Man were introduced in the same month, in 1962, and in many aspects seem like quasi-analogues of Superman and BatMan, respectively, although Spider-Man came off as more of a dark parody of BatMan, while Thor had more in common with the original Captain Marvel than Supes. Of course, within short order Thor had the romantic triangle including his alter ego, Don Blake, and nurse Jane echoing that of Supes, Clark Kent and Lois Lane, while Spider-Man's alter ego wound up working at a newspaper, just like Clark Kent. Thor certainly became Marvel's resident noble powerhouse, just like Superman was for DC, but it was Spidey who came to better symbolize Marvel in the way Superman did DC, hence their eventual meeting in the '70s. At least Lee eventually had the sense to ditch Thor's resemblence to Superman and let Kirby run wild with his take on the mythic elements of Thor which finally transformed it into a great series after a mostly horrid first couple of years.Fred W. Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07602124919964053532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-14025745721833931262012-07-21T22:31:47.618-05:002012-07-21T22:31:47.618-05:00Yeah please give us more actual covers! There'...Yeah please give us more actual covers! There's something about those old covers with their creases, folds, bends and other imperfections which give them a character that a scan of a mint copy just doesn't give you.<br /><br />As for this story, it's interesting to see Loki take on Thor in a physical battle (even a depowered Thor). Most, if not all, of the confrontations I've read between them have Loki using his magic or some other tool (usually the Destroyer!)to fight Thor. I guess this was still early on in the series; Stan and company had Loki rely on magic more and Thor relying on his brawn as the series progressed so as to emphasize the difference in their characters and mindsets.<br /><br />Personally, I always wondered why Odin let Loki get away with all the stuff he did. Loki also seemed to fool the AllFather with his schemes on a regular basis. For somebody who was so omnipotent, Odin sure was gullible! I guess Stan realized that for some plotlines to work, he had to let Odin give Loki leeway in his schemes.<br /><br />As for the artwork,Jack 'King' Kirby does his usual bang up job here (gotta love those blocky fingers). The much maligned Vince Colletta's inks are somewhat passable here. BTW, my favourite Thor artist is Big John Buscema. <br /><br />I read somewhere that Thor was Marvel's attempt at a Superman-like character. Anybody have any additional info on this? <br /><br /><br />- Mike 'for Asgard!' from Trinidad & Tobago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-24288040458856171072012-07-21T22:20:54.728-05:002012-07-21T22:20:54.728-05:00What intrigues me is that panel showing the police...What intrigues me is that panel showing the police officer saying "You can even have your hammer back"....like they could confiscate it from him in the first place?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-8778716507173247532012-07-21T20:05:09.517-05:002012-07-21T20:05:09.517-05:00LOVE the scan, Doug.. I'd actually recommend y...LOVE the scan, Doug.. I'd actually recommend you do more 'actual cover' scans. We can always fine NM scans online. The best compliment of a classic comic is just that, torn, bent, roughed up, you name it ('distressed' is the name the kids use these days..).<br /><br />I love the classic Kirby Thor covers, probably more than Big John Buscema's. This looks like another classic tale and will need to grab another Masterworks (or the original comics..) and read. Despite the Masterworks, I'm stil buying classic Silver Age 12c comics for the house ads and letters pages, most of which are as fun (if not more) than the stories themselves.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-4218843771025880082012-07-21T19:11:55.559-05:002012-07-21T19:11:55.559-05:00That battle with the Absorbing Man was from about ...That battle with the Absorbing Man was from about two years earlier, HB, when Jane Foster was still his main squeeze. That was part of Kirby's first massive string of stories, which began with his initial battle with Crusher Creel in Journey Into Mystery #114, continued through this rematch and his classic battle with Hercules and later fighting the hordes of Hades on behalf of Herc. About the only time Thor had to rest was when he recuperated from battling it out with an advisor to Odin whom the Allfather had unwisely lent his power.Fred W. Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07602124919964053532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-67580427995268900362012-07-21T15:43:44.048-05:002012-07-21T15:43:44.048-05:00*sigh*
Yeah, my analogous loved-to-the-bone issues...*sigh*<br />Yeah, my analogous loved-to-the-bone issues (which your scan immediately brought to mind for me, as well) would be Incredible Hulk #'s 111 & 118; Avengers #'s 58-61; and Amazing Spiderman #80.<br />Plus there are the interior spaghetti stains, and I have more than once come across crumbs from decades-old toll-house cookies. . . <br /><br />Although I was never a Thor fan at all, this story and art certainly whets my interest-- there's a lot goin' on here-! Hmm-- where does this fall continuity-wise w/ Thor's really huge (first?) epic battle w/ the Absorbing Man? I wonder if anyone recalls--- it starts out w/ Thor repairing Mjolnir (!!) at a steel forge in Pittsburgh.<br /><br />HBhumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-78337882370996891362012-07-21T14:49:15.734-05:002012-07-21T14:49:15.734-05:00Edo, if you like this cover, wait until next Satur...Edo, if you like this cover, wait until next Saturday when I put up Thor #148 -- tape, staples, rips everywhere... I can just picture the original owner, book rolled up in his back pocket while he's out riding his bike. Stops to take it out and thumb through it, then rolls it back up and away he goes again! Ah, to be a kid again...<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-63845499804307314352012-07-21T13:36:37.580-05:002012-07-21T13:36:37.580-05:00I just have to comment to say how much I love the ...I just have to comment to say how much I love the scan of that cover. It brings back so many memories: not this cover specifically, as I never even read this story in reprints, but its physical condition. Many were the comic books I had in my old collection that looked exactly like that, and yes, they often had to be scotch-taped to the comic to keep them from falling off.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-20714600584778350102012-07-21T11:56:21.663-05:002012-07-21T11:56:21.663-05:00I got this whole run of stories inthe Marvel Spect...I got this whole run of stories inthe Marvel Spectacular Thor reprints, and, yeah, I thought it was pretty awesome. I really hated how Odin could be such an idiotic jerk, unjust, unfair and easily fooled, but, well, sometimes I felt that way about my own parents back when I was first reading this stuff! These gods were all too human in their foolishness! This was just part of a string of stories that didn't really come to a conclusion until the finale of the first Mangog epic, which I read in one of the Treasury editions. Since Marvel Spectacular was cancelled only a few issues after this mag, it wasn't 'til much later I was able to fill in the gaps that included the de-powered Thor being nearly murdered by the Wrecker, his confrontations with Hela and the original Destroyer brought back to life by the spirit of Sif. Despite some of the repeated elements (such as Odin throwing a temper tantrum and taking away Thor's powers or stopping the near unbeatable foe with a wave of his hand after awakening from his Odin-sleep), overall even more than on the FF, Kirby's stories and art on Thor from 1964 through 1968 are his best stuff and, hence, some of the best comics ever.Fred W. Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07602124919964053532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-21128860814133276242012-07-21T10:16:18.514-05:002012-07-21T10:16:18.514-05:00Having only read a couple of the Inhumans strips i...Having only read a couple of the Inhumans strips in colour- episodes two and three of the Triton story- I would love to read your commentary on the series. I haven't seen them since they were printed in our b/w landscape comics about 35 years ago!<br /><br />Of course The Circus of Crime came back (with Ulik!) in Kirby's last year of Thor. They seemed such a comical set of opponents for Thor, even given that Princess Python was a freaky, reptilian version of Catwoman.Dougiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03965448821892833703noreply@blogger.com