Monday, December 10, 2012

Thor doesn't remember most of this one, but maybe you do:


This is a bit of continuity fluff; but I still like it. Thor '99, "Tears of a God" Story and art by Dan Jurgens, inks by Klaus Janson.

At the end of Heroes Reborn/Return, as said heroes were making their way back from the pocket universe to the Marvel U. proper; Dr. Doom tried to take Franklin Richards. Thor grappled with Doom, and both were left behind. This issue, the returned Thor visits the Fantastic Four. While grateful, Reed wonders why it took Thor a couple weeks to return; and Ben points out that in that time, Reed was struggling to find a way to rescue the missing god.
For his part, Thor remembers nothing, although for the moment he's more concerned with the destruction of Asgard and the missing Asgardians. In fact, on a distant planet, Thor was found and nursed back to health by a desert-dweller named Ceranda. She admits to having been banished for practicing sorcery, but Thor doesn't judge. He also isn't able to use Mjolnir to get home.

Meanwhile, Dr. Doom pretty easily crushes the technologically advanced natives, takes over, repairs his armor, and then moves against Thor. When Doom realizes Thor hasn't been looking for him, he knows something else must be keeping the thunder god there. Planting a bomb to force the natives to obey him, Doom attacks Thor; who easily routs the natives and destroys the bomb. That was a feint, though: Doom's real target was Ceranda; who, in her lonely exile, used a spell to bring Thor to her and keep him there. Doom steals Ceranda's magic, mortally injuring her, and returns to earth.
Dying, Ceranda erases Thor's memory of her. Thor eventually returns to earth, but as he contemplates his missing time, he is stricken with a sense of loss. Luckily, the FF is there to cheer him back up, and Thor is touched by the gift of a hammer from Franklin.
Doctor Doom doesn't have the same level of rivalry with Thor that he does with Iron Man; which of course doesn't hold a candle to his hate for Reed and the rest of the FF. In fact, as far as the big Marvel heroes that Doom has tangled with, I'd say Doom probably dislikes Dr. Strange, the Hulk, and even Spider-Man more than Thor. That doesn't make this a bad issue, but Doom doesn't seem as invested as usual, either.

1 comment:

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

That's a cute quote on Franklin's made up hammer, and really rings true to his personality.

And yeah, Thor doesn't rank high up there on the Doom's hate-o-meter, but Tony, Spidey(to a point) Dr. Strange, Black Panther(sometimes), and the FF do, boy howdy:)

I'd love to see Captain America go one-on-one w/Doom just to see how he handles everything Doom throws at him just for the hell of it.