Thor #356 — Nick Peron

Sep 27

Sep 27 Thor #356

The Power and the Pride

Hercules has requested that Jarvis, the Avengers butler, create a feast worthy of the gods. The Olympian then invites himself along to help get the needed ingredients, boasting the entire way. The pair pass through Central Park where they are briefly delayed when Hercules marvels over some women playing frisbee and brags about his part in the first Olympics.

Not far away, a boy named Matthew Lindon sketches a drawing of Thor, his favorite superhero. He is interrupted by some bullies from school. Tony, their leader, thinks Thor is lame compared to other heroes in the city and snatches Matt’s sketchbook away. He is about to rip it up when he spots Hercules and decides they should prove that Thor is a wimp by asking the Olympian who is stronger, telling Matt that if Hercules proves him right he will rip up the artwork.

When they approach Hercules and ask if he is stronger than Thor, Hercules begins to laugh. He then asks them if they heard the many legends about him such as when he fought the Hydra, battled the Bull of Crete, when he battled Cerberus in Hades itself, and the time he held the world on his shoulders for Atlas. These kids know none of these stories. When they tell him to get to the point, Hercules decides to tell them a story about how he beat Thor in battle.

Hercules then begins making up a story that presents Thor as a bumbling idiot who is much weaker than he is. Although Jarvis points out various inconsistencies in Hercules’ story, he continues telling it. As it progresses, it becomes more grandiose and ridiculous as it goes on.

As Hercules tells his tale, Jarvis notices Matthew becoming increasingly upset and that Tony is slowly crumpling a sketch book. When the frisbee players come crashing into them again, Tony drops the sketch book and Jarvis gets a better look at it and sees it is full of sketches of Thor. When Tony snaps the sketchbook back, Jarvis puts two-and-two together and interrupts Hercules’ story to tell him what’s really going on.

Not wishing to see Matthew’s artwork ruined, Hercules suddenly turns his story around and tells how Thor was only pretending to be humiliated by Hercules to lull him into a sense of false security and punched him clear to New Jersey with a single blow.

Matthew is overjoyed to hear that Thor won the battle and Tony grudgingly gives him back his sketchbook. Hercules then pulls the bullies aside and warns them to be nicer to Matthew or they will have him to contend with. The bullies rightfully take off in fear and Hercules invites Matthew to join them for dinner, promising to tell him more stories about the valiant Thor.