The Power! The Passion! The Pride!

Jane Foster has gone missing and while Thor has been searching for her Loki used his magic to return the Absorbing Man to Earth. Now Thor finds himself in the middle of a battle with a powerful enemy seeking a rematch after their last encounter.[1]

Having absorbed the properties of a brick wall, The Absorbing Man manages to snare Mjolnir with is ball and chain. However, when he tries to yank the weapon away the enchantment that makes the hammer return to Thor causes Mjolnir to pull back. Deciding he doesn’t want the weapon after all, Crusher throws it at Thor but he is able to evade. As Thor leaps in to pummel the Abosrbing Man in hand-to-hand combat, he quickly realizes that he and his foe are evenly matched.[2]

Meanwhile, the battle is being observed by Loki in Asgard, who has taken over Ularic’s laborator. He hopes that the Absorbing Man destroys Thor so he can finally take the Asgardian throne. When Balder the Brave comes down to the lab, Loki acts quickly so Balder doesn’t suspect that he locked away Ularic. Balder has come down to check on Loki to make sure he isn’t scheming. Loki quickly convinces Balder that Ularic has gone off on some duty for Odin. This is enough for Balder, who wants to get as far away from Loki’s aura of evil as soon as possible. Hearing this insult, Loki vows that Balder’s tone will be different once Asgard is his.

Back on Earth, the Absorbing Man has just absorbed the properties of a tall building and it causes him to assume it’s size. This causes people to panic in the streets. Thor pushes through the fleeing mob and tries to leap up to attack his foe only to be knocked back down. Absorbing Man then crumples a bunch of steel girders into a ball and throws it at Thor. When Thor shatters it into pieces with his hammer, the debris ends up flying back at the Absorbing Man. Fearing that these shards could harm even him, the Creel reverts back to normal size. Thor quickly catches up with his foe and the pair continue to trade blows.

Not far away, Jane Foster watches from an apartment window as the police begin evacuating the the streets. Her captor, a man wearing a hooded mask, tells her to get away from the window before someone sees her. Jane demands to know why she is being held against her will. The masked man assures her that she will know when the time is right. He reminds her how well he has been treating her before leaving her locked in the room again with nothing but the television to keep her company.[3]

While in Asgard, Loki checks that none are aware of his current schemes. After confirming Ularic is still locked away in his time vault, he witnesses Balder leave for his regular patrols. Even Odin appears preoccupied with other concerns. With nobody paying attention to Loki, the trickster god believes time is ripe to push forward with his schemes.

Elsewhere on Earth, one of the Norn Stones remains where Thor accidentally dropped it. It waits for someone fated to find it and use its power.[4]

Back in New York, the battle between Thor and the Absorbing Man rages on. Although Thor tricks his enemy into touching glass, Creel manages to flee into a bank vault before he can get shattered. By the time Thor catches up with him, Crusher Creel has returned to human form. Thor begins to fear that no end will come to this battle any time soon and that someone else might get hurt. As if in response to this thought, a child in the crowd of bystanders tries to run out into the middle of the battle. Thor quickly snatches up the kid and hands the boy back to his mother. This allows the Absorbing Man to attack Thor from behind. He strikes Thor with a blower powerful enough to knock the thunder god unconscious.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Absorbing Man, Loki, Jane Foster, Balder, Odin, Ularic, Harris Hobbs

Continuity Notes

1. Thor previously battled the Absorbing Man in Journey into Mystery #114-115. That fight ended when Thor turned Crusher Creel into helium and he floated off into space. Loki returned Creel to Earth at the end of last issue.

2. Thor likens his fight with the Absorbing Man to his fight with Hercules. This story references Journey into Mystery Annual #1.

3. Jane Foster finds her captor’s voice familiar but she can’t place who he might be. We’ll find out next issue that he is Harris Hobbs a reporter that Jane met in Journey into Mystery #114.

4. Loki used the Norn Stones to cheat during the Trial of the Gods. Loki then hid them on Earth. Although Thor managed to find them and return the stones to Asgard, he was unaware that one was left behind. It will be found by a witchdoctor who will later call himself the Demon. See Journey into Mystery #116-119 and 123.

Topical References

• The television in the room where Jane Foster is being held prisoner is depicted as a black-and-white television. These sorts of television sets are long obsolete.

Maelstrom!

Thor and Loki have set sail on a voyage to try and stave off the coming of Ragnarok. Their voyage has soon brought them near the Pillars of Utgard. It is said that any ship that sails between the two large stone monoliths will find itself instantly destroyed. The crew is divided between those afraid of meeting their end at the Pillars of Utgard and those loyal to Thor. When some suggest they turn back, the thunder god insists that they will press forward. With a mutiny brewing, Loki continues to sow discord by suggesting they turn back as well.

So confident that they can sail past the Pillars of Utgard, Thor takes the ship’s tiller intend of sailing them through the maelstrom himself and orders his men back to the ships oars. As the ship pushes forward toward the swirling waters around the pillars, Balder the Brave climbs up onto the ship’s masthead. He is lugging a massive horn along with him. He just needs to get a little further before he can do what must be done.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Balder