Random Happenstance

Even though I love Walt Simonson's run on Thor to death, I hardly ever scan anything from it here; honestly, because you don't need me to tell you it's good. Some of the issues before he came on, though, could use a little love. Like today's book! From 1981, Thor #309, "Beware the Bombardiers!" Written by Bill Mantlo, pencils by Rick Leonardi, inks by Chic Stone.

That's not the latest model of Batmobile, but rather the rocket-car of the arsonist crew the Bombardiers. They've been knocking down buildings for landlords looking to cash in on their insurance, and have begun to leave a trail of bodies in their wake. After destroying the Savoy Building, the Bombardiers have attracted some attention...because a rocket-car destroying buildings was oh-so-inconspicuous to begin with...and now Detective Blackbyrd, Dr. Donald Blake, and an old man's cat are on the case. The old man died in the Savoy, and the cat hangs out with Blake, not looking for kitty yum-yums, but vengeance!

A quintet of jerks in a rocket-car hardly seems a match for the God of Thunder, so the Bombardiers did have an ace up their sleeves: their car, and the cables they tie Thor up with, are "an alloy of adamantium!" Wait, could you make cables entirely of an unbreakable metal? Wouldn't they be unbendable, then? Maybe that explains how Thor snaps said cables when he gets pissed. The rocket-car is somewhat more of a problem, and Thor even compares it to Ultron...sick burn on you, Ultron.

Still, the car's windows are not unbreakable; as Blackbird is able to shoot them out; then the cat (!) gets in there, and goes for the eyes of the head Bombardier, who gets electrocuted by falling onto a control panel. The rocket-car takes off, and Thor makes sure it doesn't hit anything and saves the avenging cat; whom Thor probably should've adopted, if only to ensure it didn't kill again.

I have little hope of my Wife's cats avenging my death. At this point, I'd be glad if they weren't the cause of it...I had this issue as a kid, and I have to say, I still kind of dig it.

Bonus: I think Phillip Reed of Battlegrip mentioned it on Twitter some time ago, but if you read any Marvel comics the summer of 1981, you probably saw this ad for the game "Attack of the Mutants!" I never saw the game, but if someone made a six-inch scale version of that "brave little robot," I would buy it up in a heartbeat!