Journey Into Mystery #113Issue(s): Journey Into Mystery #113 Review/plot: After that, Thor has another fight with his dad and it drives him to decide that he's going to reveal his secret identity to Jane Foster. It's another fake-out, though, because Odin gets so mad about it... ...that he prevents Donald Blake from transforming into Thor in front of Jane, and Jane just thinks he's nutty. Then, the Grey Gargoyle, recently revived when he was pulled out of a river... ...heads to Blake's office, demanding that Blake put him in contact with Thor. The Gargoyle is still interested in the secret of immortality, which is a nice unique motivation. Since Blake can't transform into Thor, a group of his "faithful friends" (which is Balder and a group of generic guys, since the Warriors Three haven't been introduced yet)... ...decide they're gong to Earth to help him out. But Loki pulls a bunch of tricks to prevent them. However, a mysterious stranger does help Thor out, first shooting a blinding arrow at the Grey Gargoyle... ...and then granting Blake the ability to transform into Thor for thirty seconds. Thor uses his time to tap the power source of a traffic light into his hammer (ConEd - when Asgardian magic isn't enough!), fusing the Grey Gargoyle. We then learn that the stranger was Honir the Hunter, and he was action on Odin's command. Losing his power was a real eye opener for Thor, because he thinks to himself, "How can I again give up so precious a gift -- even in the name of love?" and doesn't attempt to reveal his secret to Jane anymore. The Tales of Asgard shows a young Thor and Loki watching an arena battle. Loki uses his magic to affect the outcome because he's annoyed with Thor always being right. But when the adults come to blame Loki, Thor steps in and demands he be punished too, which impresses everyone. I really like Kirby's depiction of young Loki. Quality Rating: C Chronological Placement Considerations: The Official Marvel Index places this before Avengers #12. References:
Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor vol. 3 Inbound References (2): showCharacters Appearing: Balder, Grey Gargoyle, Heimdall, Jane Foster, Loki, Odin, Thor 1965 / Box 2 / Silver Age CommentsThis story and Tales of Suspense 95-96 both treat the Gargoyle's power as if both hands, or maybe his whole body create the petrifying effect. Every other story will make it clear that only his right hand has this power. Posted by: Omar Karindu | October 8, 2016 4:45 PM Loki resembles Desaad here. Maybe that is why they combined them in Amalgam Comics. Posted by: Bobby Sisemore | October 30, 2016 10:33 PM The Grey Gargoyle may have been motivated by learning the secret of immortality, but was that ever mentioned again in his subsequent appearances (which were not plotted by Kirby)? Furthermore, it never occurred to me how exactly the Gargoyle would learn the secret from Thor. His first appearance showed he thought it was in the hammer, but it also should have demonstrated he could never wield it. One can't expect too much from such an early Silver Age script, but it is something a later writer might have developed. Posted by: Chris | September 10, 2017 10:21 PM Comments are now closed. |
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