Issue(s): Warlock Chronicles #7
Cover Date: Jan 94
Title: "Guile"
Credits:
Jim Starlin - Writer
Tom Raney - Penciler
Keith Williams & Al Milgrom - Inker
Craig Anderson - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue provides a little detour in the formula for this series, and therefore a little variety. The Infinity Watch plus Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange have come to Asgard looking for Thor. And Sif and Beta Ray Bill are also in the outskirts of Asgard. But Sif doesn't want Odin to find out that Thor has the Warrior's Madness. So her immediate priority is stopping the Watch (and company). So, while Bill delays the Watch...

...she goes to King Geirrodur of the trolls and gets his army in a fighting mood by cutting off Geirrodur's nose.

She leads the trolls to the Watch.

And they get overwhelmed by the horde.

Meanwhile, Odin does detect something amiss. Personally, i think it's the fact that Balder is making a bid to appear in a Rob Liefeld comic.

Look, Tom Raney's art is nice. I don't mind getting some fight scenes from him. But as with this entire crossover, everything is padded. We didn't need pages and pages of fighting trolls. I do like the use of Geirrodur. On the other hand, i think it's kind of weird that Sif and Bill aren't able to just reason with the Watch and company. Bill and the Surfer are friends, even.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part seven of Blood and Thunder. Part eight is in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #24.

References: N/A

Crossover: Blood and Thunder

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Sif risking the lives of Thor's friends to keep Odin from finding out does seem out of character. DeFalco has her cured of Mephisto's madness in a backup in Thunderstrike 17- it's possible that he intended her to still be under Mephisto's influence in this story. (Or not- when that backup takes place is a matter of debate.)

For some reason that panel of Bill punching Stephen sticks with me. It lampshades how vulnerable Doctor Strange really is, given the high stakes that he is often involved with.

Fnord, I had the same thought when I saw the panel with new action figure "Pouches Balder".
I' ve mixed feelings about this issue. The art is nice but the fight is too long and doesn't make sense. Bill just attacking his friends and none of them try to reason with him? The Watch plus Surfer and Strange being defeated by a bunch of trolls? Sif not being able to come up with another plan? All very implausible and unnecessary. But otherwise they couldn't have had 13 parts of that 5 sentence plot.
I liked how Sif handled the trolls though. ;))