Issue(s): Thor #495
Cover Date: Feb 95
Title: "In mortal guise"
Credits:
William Messner-Loebs - Writer
Geof Isherwood - Penciler
Geof Isherwood - Inker
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
William Messner-Loebs takes over as the regular writer. Mike Deodato (and/or his "studio") will continue as the regular artist, but he is off for this issue, with Geof Isherwood filling in. Messner-Loebs has inherited Warren Ellis' powerless, shirtless Thor set-up, but the first thing he does is basically have Thor provide a critique of the previous story arc: Thor didn't even DO anything, and how did that guy get access to all the Norse stuff anyway? But Enchantress tells him (us) not to worry about it.

Thor's power was waning in the last arc, and by this issue both he's "fully" powerless, and the Enchantress has lost her magic as well. "Powerless" still seems to mean that they retain their Asgardian strength.

With her powers gone, the Enchantress' hold on her slaves is gone as well. The nice apartment that she and Thor were staying at is looted. Luckily, the building manager thinks that she is the Scarlet Witch (and that Thor must therefore be the Vision).

Also in this issue we're introduced to Victor Prazniki, a wealthy union boss who is getting threatening phone calls. He and his wife and daughter will be supporting characters for the rest of this run. In fact, here is his daughter Annie.

She will have gone through a significant, ah, maturation when we next see her.

She's attacked by some thugs, and Thor rescues her.

The Avengers - well, Black Widow and Giant-Man - arrive after the fact and decide that if this is how effective "powerless" Thor is, he's still welcome on the team.

Everything here is tolerable. I don't think much of the premise. And the unfortunate parallels fact that we now have both Shirtless Thor and Shirtless Hercules running around at this time seem to show Marvel rejecting fun high concept superheroing for some misguided idea of what people were looking for in the 90s. This run will actually get a little better, though. Deodato, for his faults, draws a more exciting comic than Geof Isherwood, whose art is downright ugly even though he's admittedly better at storytelling and doesn't feel the need to make every woman a supermodel. (Speaking of ugly art, this issue's cover by Tom Grindberg, mean to be a tribute to Journey Into Mystery #83, is an embarrassment).

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place after the Crossing, after Avengers #395. Thor will get his powers back so that he can fight the Hulk in Hulk #439-440. We'll see the result of that in Thor #497. So this and next issue take place before that Hulk run (and Avengers #397-399). Thor appears in the first part of the First Sign crossover in Captain America #449 before next issue. The Mad Thinker can be considered behind-the-scenes for this and the next few issues.

References:

• Thor calls Jarvis to tell the Avengers that he's still staying with the Enchantress and to inquire on "young Tony". A footnote points us to Avengers: Timeslide, a one-shot that was part 19 of The Crossing.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A