Issue(s): Thor #307
Cover Date: May 81
Title: "Wings in the night! / The chains that bind!"
Credits:
Mark Gruenwald & Ralph Macchio - Writer
Alan Kupperberg / Keith Pollard - Layouts
Chic Stone - Finishes
Bob Budiansky - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
Kupperberg is credited with layouts for the main story. Pollard draws the Tales of Asgard back-up.

The good news: this is a story featuring nightmares coming to life that doesn't feature Nightmare. The bad news: this is a story featuring nightmares coming to life.

That said, it's a decent one-shot story for Thor in his current status quo. The medical clinic where Donald Blake is working starts receiving a large influx of catatonic patients. Thor investigates and traces things to a medical research lab where they've built a machine that prevents nightmares, to be used for emotionally disturbed patients. But it turns out that when the patients are sleeping, their nightmares are instead forced out of their heads and form a "Dream Demon" which Thor is unable to fight physically.

Thor convinces the doctor to shut down his device...

...essentially saying that the patients are just going to have to deal with their problems.

A specialist, Milton Meilicki, is brought in to look at the catatonic patients. He's not that important to the story, but his accent and features are so specific that i have to assume he's meant to be someone.

In the Tales of Asgard back-up, Loki convinces Odin to modify his punishment. Instead of being handcuffed to his wife Sigyn, he's banished to the outskirts of Asgard. This wasn't a proud period for Loki, and he really handles his being bound to his wife poorly, making him look less the powerful arch-villain or even a God of Mischief and more the jackass.

You also get the impression that Odin agrees to this because he's got a drinking buddy (the never before or again seen Aegir the sea god) over and doesn't want his kids in his hair.

He does show some regret after the fact, though. Typical father.

The main story here is not all that exciting, but i still think this is an interesting period for Thor. I'm actually surprised that there's nothing in a series like Eye of the Camera or Code of Honor referencing it; i could imagine headlines like "The God of the West Side" or something. This idea that Thor is hanging out around a medical clinic for low-income people and dealing with their problems, from stopping muggers to solving a mysterious case of mass catatonia, is unusual and cool. And i still think he's doing it to bolster the people of Midgard's faith in him because gods need followers.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Loki was bound to Sigyn as punishment for his actions in Thor #275.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A