Journey into Mystery #117
Into the Blaze of Battle!
The Trial of the Gods is over and Loki is the winner. However, he cheated by using the Norn Stones to help him through obstacles in the land of Skornheim. Thor intends to expose this cheating but Loki runs away as they both arrive in Asgard. Quickly, Loki teleports the stone away just as Thor catches him. Thor is able to learn that the stones have been sent to Earth just as a group of Asgardian warriors comes to bring them to Odin’s court.
There, Thor tries to convince Odin that Loki had cheated. Although Loki denies any wrongdoing, Odin knows better than to take him at his word. He gives Thor 24 hours to return to Earth and find proof that what he says is true.
Thor arrives in New York City where Balder is still battling the Executioner and Enchantress, who had been dispatched to Earth to kidnap Jane Foster on behalf of Loki. With the arrival of Loki the two renegade Asgardians flee the scene. With the danger passed, Balder casts a spell of forgetfulness so Jane doesn’t recall this traumatic experience and takes her home while Thor begins his search for the Norn Stones.
Using Mjolnir as a homing device, Thor is drawn to the nation of Vietnam where he is attacked by enemy forces who fire at him with their mortar cannons.[1] Thor is knocked to the ground but gets up and prepares to counter-attack when one of the shells makes a direct hit, knocking the thunder god out.
When Thor wakes up he finds himself in the hut of some Vietnamese villagers. He learns that the invaders left Thor for dead and Cho and his family brought him back to their home and nursed him back to health. They have come to believe that Buddha has sent him to protect them from the invading armies that terrorize their lives. Although the ravages of war are ever-present in this region and enemy helicopters continue to patrol that area, Thor puts these concerns aside so he can continue is search for the Norn Stones. However, traveling through the thick jungle regions proves too cumbersome for Thor as he gets his helmet and cape caught in the foliage. In order to travel more easily, Thor reverts back into his mortal form of Donald Blake.
Watching the scene from Asgard is Loki and his ally, Karnialla, Queen of the Norns. Loki muses over his eventual conquest of Asgard, scoffing at Karnilla’s suggestion that he still might be caught. Karnialla finds Loki’s brand of evil so distasteful she decides to leave by teleporting away. Although Loki is confident that he’ll win, but Karnilla has already planted the seeds of doubt. Since Thor has returned to his mortal form, Loki begins plotting to put an end to his life.
At that moment, back on Earth, Donald Blake is ambushed by enemy soldiers who recognize him as an American. He is quickly overpowered and his walking stick is used to help restrain his arms. Blake is then taken to the enemy camp. There he is questioned by the leader of the enemy army, a named Hu Sak. Hu wants to know what Blake knows about the appearance of Thor in the region. Playing dumb, Don tries to convince Hu Sak that he doesn’t know anything, saying that he is in the country providing medical aid. Not believing the American, Hu Sak orders his men to bring in some villagers and threatens to execute them if Blake doesn’t start talking. Not only are these the villagers who helped Thor earlier in the day, it turns out that Cho and Hu Sak are actually brothers. However, Sak Hu has long since disassociated himself his family to fully devote himself to the communist cause.
While Hu Sak is arguing with his former family, Don takes this as an opportunity to make a run for it. Before he can be recaptured, Blake tips over sideways to tap his cane on the ground, transforming him into Thor once again. Meanwhile, Hu Sak’s argument comes to a fatal conclusion when he guns down his mother and brother in cold blood. As his sister, Kim, runs for her life, Hu Sak realizes what a horrible mistake he has made. By this time, Thor has found the enemy’s ammunition stores where, incidentally enough, the sack of Norn Stones had been stashed. He hears Kim’s screams and fights through an entire army to get to her.
He finds the frightened girl with Hu Sak not far behind her. She tells Thor what he brother has done. Thor then vows to return to punish Hu Sak once he has brought Kim to safety. However, Hu Sak has realized the errors of his fanaticism and takes his own life in order to destroy the communists’ weapon depot. As Thor flies away with Kim, he tells her that — as he expected — Hu Sak chose to die like a man.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Loki, Odin, Jane Foster, Balder, Karnilla, Enchantress, Executioner
Continuity Note
When this story was originally written these soldiers were identified as the Viet Cong army as this story was published during the Vietnam War. This should be ignored per History of the Marvel Universe #1, which states that all Modern Age references to the Vietnam War in the present tense were actually an in-universe battle called the Sin-Cong Conflict. Sin-Cong is a fictional nation that exists in the Marvel Universe that borders on northern Vietnam. It first appeared in Avengers #18. For more information on Sin-Cong see Marvel Atlas #1.
Topical References
While in Vietnam, the military force that Thor fights are identified as the Viet Cong. Given the date that this story was published, this was supposed to be during the Vietnam War. This obviously should be considered a topical reference. As stated above, this issue was resolved in History of the Marvel Universe #2. Sin-Cong is a communist nation so all of the references to communism in this story would be correct insofar as they don’t refer to the Viet Cong or other Cold War issues, in which case they should be generalized.
The Sword in the Scabbard!
Asgard has been at peace for a very long time and its warriors have grown restless. In order to alleviate the boredom, they begin fighting against themselves. Soon a massive brawl breaks out that is broken up by none other than Odin himself.
In one of the castle chambers, he also catches Thor and Loki fighting among themselves as well and orders them to stop. He decrees that no Asgardian shall be allowed to fight among themselves and that those who disobey him will be put to death. He then tells his two children to follow him. He takes them into the armory where the massive Odinsword is sheathed in its scabbard. He reminds them that should this weapon ever be removed from the scabbard will bring the end of all life as they know it.
He then pulls the sword partially out and shows that some unknown force is causing it to crack. Odin then charges Thor and Loki to go on a voyage to find out the cause and to put a stop to it before the universe can perish.
Recurring Characters
Odin, Thor, Loki
