Today, the High Evolutionary tries to break his monologue record.

Remember the other day when we were talking about the High Evolutionary, and how he and Hercules returned after the Evolutionary War in an issue of Thor? Sorry, it's not this one, although it does feature H.E. I bought another copy of this out of the quarter bin because I thought that might be our old pal the Man-Beast on the cover, but nope, per the GCD it's Count Tagar. From 1995, Thor #482, "A Long Day's Journey Into Mystery" Written by Roy Thomas, pencils by M.C. Wyman and Keith Pollard, inks by Pollard, Mike DeCarlo, and Carmine Imperato. Cover by Lou Harrison, who also did the Fury we saw the other other day.

This is a double-sized issue, and not unlike a double-ply garbage bag, it's extra-stuffed full of mess. Thor--in a new, and terrible, costume--was hanging out in Wundagore with the High Evolutionary. The latter had created two new groups of super-evolved types, the Godpack and the Animutants, to combat his earlier creations the New Immortals. Aside from newbie thunder goddess Blitziana, not a one of the three groups is memorable; and Blitziana only is because she seemingly drops her own name like eight times in as many pages. (She doesn't really, but it feels like it!) There's a fight with the Stone Men of Saturn, the Kronans; but they're "somewhat altered" and only recognizable as such because Thor calls them that. Likewise, there's a Recorder, a robot that had been a supporting character more than once in past runs, here also evolved into "Deus Ex Machina!" He's only recognizable since he introduces himself, and does helpfully show a picture of his old face on a screen. And Jane Foster and her son are also there, as is Dr. Donald Blake, although no one can figure out why: he's seemingly a separate person from Thor, but later is struck by pain until Thor touches him and becomes trapped in him! Thor frees himself shortly, but "Blake" realizes he may have thought that's who he was, but he never was, and you'd have to wait for the next issue to figure that one out.

Thor also busts Loki out of hell here--fairly easily, since Mephisto was believed dead at the time. Thor needs Loki's help against "Nobilus, a being who partakes of the nature of us both." Okay, whatever. Thor actually makes a deal with Loki: Loki gets a pass, as long as he doesn't threaten earth. Jane has a hard time buying that, but Thor argues Asgard can take care of itself.

A chapter of this, for no real reason, goes to Sif and the replacement Thor Red Norvell, who I know would be around until the end of this series, #502. There's a back-up Warriors Three feature as well.