Random Happenstance

Over his career, Daredevil has beaten some opponents well out of his weight class: the Sub-Mariner. The Hulk. Ultron. (With a stick!) The Absorbing Man. And by beat I mean "stalled his opponent to a standstill but ended up in the hospital for his trouble," for the most part. Still, maybe Hogun the Grim shouldn't feel too bad for having so much trouble with DD in Thor #393, "The Blaze of Battle!" Written by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Ron Frenz, inks by Brett Breeding.

While Thor battles Sandman in drag Quicksand at a nuclear plant; Hogun has come to earth to get him, but after a head injury he sees Daredevil as an actual devil. Yeah, let's just blame Loki, that'd make more sense. DD tries to help or at least contain the rampaging Hogun, but I can't help but think maybe if he'd gone home, Hogun would've calmed down a little.

When the nuclear plant threatens to go critical, Thor uses Mjolnir to spin the whole thing, "down to the foundations," into another dimension. How Thor and/or Mjolnir know a dimension is uninhabited is anyone's guess. Maybe Thor keeps track, as he comes across them in his travels, or just has a specific dumping ground: "Aye, nothing here...mayhap this would be a worthy place to dump a nuclear explosion, or Loki, or what have you." It's a very convenient, very Superman-style resolution to that problem, although Quicksand escapes.

In retrospect, though, DeFalco may have been planting seeds for the future: his Thor is on top of his game, one of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Universe. But, he would be replaced by the Eric Masterson-Thor, who tried hard but was generally clueless. (To his credit; and that's why Eric worked pretty well in stories like Infinity Gauntlet.) It's an interesting contrast, but I may be giving DeFalco too much credit, since Eric-as-Thor was still like three years away. (In 1991's Thor #433, per the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor is no longer the Shakespearean speaker, rather he is a streetwise smartass.")

Meanwhile, Hogun manages to put Daredevil on the canvas, just long enough...to get shot by a SWAT team. I bet Volstagg and Fandrall still give Hogun the hassle about that one. Every time he gets a little too grim, Fandrall goes "COUGH! Daredevil!" just to piss him off more...

I know I didn't like the DeFalco/Frenz run on Thor that much; although I admit a good chunk of that is because they were following Simonson, and I sure as hell wouldn't want to come on stage after that. There's also a doggedly retro, silver age style to most of their issues; which is good in some ways (the action keeps moving, in a bombastic, Kirby-style fashion) but not others. (The book felt dated and simple, even at the time. Subplots, especially romantic ones, were seemingly given one panel an issue and dragged forever.) But, in hindsight, I know I've read a lot worse Thor comics than Defalco and Frenz's.

I wanted to hit this issue since I saw it in the quarter boxes (I know I had it at some point...) but it's also a good excuse to give a shout-out to the Daily Thor! Covering an issue of Thor every day, from his first appearance in 1962's Journey into Mystery #83 to the present, which is a helluva goal and a helluva read. Check it out! Luckily, they won't get to this issue until, um, next March or so?