The Mighty Thor #354-357

The Mighty Thor #354-357

Originally released in 1985

Written by Walt Simonson, Bob Harras (#356)

Art by Walt Simonson (#354, 357), Sal Buscema (#355), Jackson Guice (#356)



In the aftermath of Surtur's attack on Asgard, Odin and Surtur fell into the depths of the hellish Muspelheim, where their fate can only be speculated.  While Loki believes that Odin is alive, battling Surtur to keep him in Muspelheim (as, if he died, the Odinforce would be dispersed to Odin's relatives), everyone believes that Odin is dead, or at least as good as dead.  While this news is kept from the Asgardians who are stranded on Earth to keep them from losing heart, most of the issue deals with the survivors of Surtur's attack mourning the loss of Odin.



Even Hela, the goddess of the dead, arrives to claim Odin's soul despite not knowing for sure if he's dead, though it's clear that Thor could match or even best her so she doesn't push her luck.  Despite appearing on the cover, Hela's role in all of this is minor, leaving as quickly as she came and killing Thor's steed out of spite while he's traveling across a mountain.



Thor travelled to this region because Frigga and the young children of Asgard had been sent there to keep them away from the fighting, though even far removed from events, Frigga can still sense Odin's disappearance. Caught in an avalanche, Thor is knocked unconscious and found by an elderly retired god who, despite his claims to the contrary, can lift Mjolnir with ease.



Naturally, given Odin's tendency to disguise himself, Thor assumes that this is Odin, but the god denies it and turns out to be honest about that. Even though he isn't Thor's father, he does help Thor to overcome the grief surrounding recent events.



On Earth, Sif, Beta Ray Bill, and the Warriors Three are seeing the sights that New York City has to offer.  Fandral gets a few pages that seem designed to wrap up any remaining ties that Thor has to the Donald Blake identity. (I'm not sure what happened to Jane Foster in the meantime; she's absent from this) Unlike Swamp Thing, where the shift was much more dramatic, it seems as though that side of Thor got less and less focus until it was phased out completely; with the higher focus on Norse mythology, and Thor seemingly no longer having a time limit after losing his grip on Mjolnir before he turns into a mortal man, I can see why it might be seen as unnecessary.



Loki and the Enchantress's sister Lorelei are scheming, naturally. Lorelei is madly in love with Thor and intends to brainwash him to make him feel the same way, but her methods are temporary. Loki offers to improve them as long as Lorelei makes Thor give up the throne of Asgard, leaving Loki as the next in line. Lorelei plans to use Thor's might to betray Loki, Loki inevitably plans to betray Lorelei, and the Enchantress is in the background, plotting to manipulate them both.



Issue 356 has Walt Simonson's taking a break from the series, resulting in a substitute writer and a substitute main character.  This issue focuses on Hercules as he regales a group of New Yorkers with a story about how he beat Thor - a story that is riddled with inaccuracies which portrays Hercules as comically invincible with wildly exaggerated feats of strength that couldn't have possibly happened given that everyone would have known about it if they did.



I really should read more stories involving Hercules; his boastfulness is great, though I'm guessing how silly he gets depends on the book and writer. (I'm guessing there are some stories where he gets extremely serious)



Throughout the Simonson issues, the glimpses that we get of Sif and Beta Ray Bill's budding relationship are touching. There's a bit of a love dodecahedron going on here - Bill and Sif love each other, but Sif has her duty to Asgard and Thor. Thor previously only had eyes for Jane Foster, but now he seems to somewhat regret losing his chance with Sif. Then there's Lorelei, whose crush on Thor (which comes across as a pale imitation of her sister's) will be forever unrequited. I like Bill and Sid's romance; it brings out a less serious side to both of them.



Simonson's run on Thor is great, though that's seemingly to be expected; I've heard nothing but good things about it.  These issues felt more transitional, like an epilogue of Surtur's invasion and tying up loose ends, but they were a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to continuing with this series and seeing what else Walt Simonson has wrote.

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