Random Happenstance

As sometimes happens around here, we saw the next issue like nine years back; but today we have from 1988, Thor #392, "Quicksand Kills!" Written by Tom DeFalco, breakdowns by Ron Frenz, finishes by Al Milgrom.

With Asgard under siege and the Rainbow Bridge destroyed, the only way to get to earth is apparently shot out of a cannon: Hogun the Grim lands in Central Park and lands hard. Concussed, he sees the cops as demons (well...) cowards with unmanly weapons (that's a little...well...) and a Plymouth as an armored chariot (okay, that one's way off) before Daredevil arrives to give him the what-for. Meanwhile, in his secret identity of Sigurd Jarlson, Thor visits his construction worker pal Jerry Sapristi. (His identity wasn't that secret: Jerry knew there was something else to Sigurd, while his kids had figured out he was Thor.) With their current job a bit wrecked by a Thor/Spidey/Mongoose fight the previous issue, Jerry thought he maybe had a new job lined up with architect Eric Masterson. Eric had been injured earlier, and while he had a doting assistant and lively son, Thor still has a sense that pain and anguish was in his future. I don't think Thor had that kind of insight very often, but we know why, so all right.

Jerry and Sigurd go with Eric to a nuclear power plant, since Eric was going to bid for the contract on building an office building there. There's a brief moment with his flirty rival Jackie Lukus, before the plant is attacked by Quicksand! While a bystander calls her a "mutie freak," she had been altered in a nuclear accident, and seemingly wanted revenge on nuclear reactors? That seems like it would just make more sand people. Thor throws down with her, not once comparing her to Sandman--wait, had he ever faced Sandman? I flipped through covers going back to Journey Into Mystery, but one didn't jump out. I was momentarily certain there was one with Sandy in his green Frightful Four outfit. Threatening Eric and Jackie, Quicksand is able to get a momentary advantage over Thor, blasting sand down his throat! Is this the end of--wait, we saw the next issue already, sorry.