Monday, February 04, 2019


I don't think I have all of Thor #301-336, but I do keep picking away at them: from 1981, Thor #307, "Wings in the Night!" Written by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio, layouts by Alan Kupperberg, finishes by Chic Stone. (And that's a surprisingly popular title at Marvel, used in Conan, Spidey, and Solomon Kane stories!)

This is a pretty standard number, with Thor vs. a dream-monster accidentally created by a psychiatrist's research machine. There are a couple interesting scenes, though: when Dr. Blake gets called to the hospital, a peckish Thor checks the fridge and finds "little here to satisfy the hunger of a god." Did Blake just not have any food, or do he and Thor eat differently? If Blake eats, is that enough to hold Thor over, or would he still be hungry? And is Thor able to find...wait, what do Asgardians eat? Boar or something? What did Vikings eat? My grandparents were Norwegian, maybe Thor digs lutefisk.

Later, when the dream-demon attacks a sleeping Blake, we see his nightmares--or Thor's, or both? A co-worker saying he doesn't like him, and a boss waiting to fire him? Well, that's relatable. Also this issue: a Tales of Asgard back-up, "The Chains that Bind!" Written by Gruenwald and Macchio, pencils by Keith Pollard, inks by Chic Stone.

It looks like Loki almost spiked his helmet hard enough to bounce it off a wall and onto his head, which would be pretty impressive...no, Loki is pitching a fit, since he's been chained to his wife Sigyn since Thor #275. (And we've seen that before, way back in Thor Annual #9!) Somehow, everyone seems to act like this was more of a punishment for him than for her. Finally feeling sorry for him, Odin releases Loki, and banishes him to the farthest border of Asgard. Sigyn, being the goddess of fidelity, or doormats, thanks Odin for his mercy, but he can't even look at her: not out of shame, but because he feels like he lost his son. Boo-hoo, jerk.

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