When the Grey Gargoyle Strikes!

Donald Blake is lamenting over his troubled romance life. As Thor, he is forbidden from marrying Jane Foster.[1] However, his recent actions during his battle against Cobra and Mister Hyde has made Jane believe that Don betrayed his alter-ego.[2] Since this is too big a problem for Don Blake to solve, he changes into Thor to resolve it instead. Confronting Jane Foster, Thor pretends to be furious over Don Blake’s betrayal and demands the nurse tell him where the doctor can be found. Jane Foster is deeply upset by this and pleads with Thor to spear Blake’s life, telling him that she still loves him. Thor maintains a straight face and assures her that he will not harm Don Blake and takes off. He then flies across the city joyously celebrating the news. As he loops around a commercial airliner, he is unaware that a man onboard has come to America for the sole purpose of defeating Thor.

This man is named Paul Duval, and when he is the only passenger to emerge from the aircraft one of the airport staff members goes into the plane to see what’s going on. He is shocked to discover that all of the other passengers have been turned into stone. As Paul takes a taxi, he muses how the others will remain like that for at least an hour. He then thinks about the events that led to him to this moment.

A resident of Paris, Paul spent his days toiling as just another unknown chemist. While working on a formula he was distracted when his boss came to badger him about producing results. This caused Duval to accidentally spill the chemicals he was working with on his hand. This caused his right hand to stone. He was then horrified to discover that whatever he touched with his right hand would turn into stone as well. Crying into his hands, Paul then transformed himself entirely, but still maintained his mobility. Testing this new power he discovered that he could return to human form and that his touch could turn anything else into stone. Duval then began committing robberies and amassed a great deal of wealth. However, he soon grew bored as it stopped being a challenge. He then read about Thor’s exploits in America and convinced himself that Thor’s hammer held the secret of immortality. He then decided he would travel to the United States and steal Thor’s hammer. He finishes his recollection once the cab driver reaches their destination. Instead of paying him, Duval turns him into stone.

Thor is still flying about the city when he catches a radio report about the mystery stone people. He races to the scene where police are extracting the taxi driver from his cab. The thunder god uses his authority as an Avenger to take the taxi driver back to Donald Blake’s office for an examination. There, Donald Blake examines the body and determines that the man is still alive. That’s when Jane Foster comes in and informs him that the passengers on the airplane suddenly returned to normal. Unfortunately, Don Blake can’t determine who or what turned these people temporarily into stone.

Meanwhile, Paul Duval has checked into a hotel. Alone in his room, he puts on a costume and transforms his body into stone. Now calling himself the Grey Gargoyle, Duval goes out into the city in search of Thor. Having heard that one of his victims was taken to Doctor Blake’s office, the Grey Gargoyle goes there to wait for Thor to return. He finds Donald Blake and threatens the doctor by turning a paper airplane into stone and throwing at the wall next to Blake. Don makes a run for it and manages to escape into the building’s elevator before the Gargoyle can catch him. Taking the elevator to the roof, Blake changes into Thor and tries to ambush the Grey Gargoyle as he climbs up the side of the building. It is during their battle that Thor learns that the Gray Gargoyle is seeking to steal Mjolnir.

Their battle takes them out front of a gas station. There, the Gray Gargoyle operates the gas pump and causes a spark by rubbing his stone hands together. This ignites the gasoline, causing an explosion that separates Thor from his hammer. However, when the Grey Gargoyle tries to lift Mjolnir, he discovers that he can’t lift it. When Thor tries to recover his weapon, the Gray Gargoyle turns him into stone. That’s when the police arrive on the scene with a flame thrower and forcing the Gargoyle to flee. Due to Thor’s position when he was turned into stone, he ends up falling over. When Mjolnir strikes the ground Thor is freed from his stony prison when he changes back into Don Blake. Unable to change back into Thor until an hour elapses, Blake returns to his office so he can think of a means of stopping this new foe.

He comes up with a plan and calls some connections at a local news station and Stark Industries. Using Stark technology he is able to rig up a camera that can also project a three-dimensional image of Thor. Mounting this on a motorcycle, Blake then drives around the city projecting an image of his alter ego in the hopes of drawing out the Grey Gargoyle.[3] Sure enough, the Gray Gargoyle sees the hologram and tries to attack it. He quickly deduces that he is fighting an illusion and spots Don Blake and his motorcycle mounted projector as the cause. Commandeering a van, the Gray Gargoyle chases after Blake, just as he planned. Don then races to the pier and speeds off the dock with the Gray Gargoyle tailing behind him.

They both land in the Hudson River and while Donald Blake manages to swim to the surface, the Grey Gargoyle’s stone form begins to sink. Trapped in this form for another half hour, the Gargoyle fears that when he does return to human form he will have sunk too deep to get back to the surface before drowning.[4] Becoming Thor again, our hero returns to Don Blake’s office to find that the taxi driver has returned to normal. More, Jane Foster shows him a newspaper headline that is calling Blake a hero for stopping the Gray Gargoyle. Satisfied with his work, Thor heads for home.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Grey Gargoyle, Jane Foster

Continuity Notes

1. Odin forbade Thor from marrying a mortal in Journey into Mystery #97.

2. See last issue.

3. Donald Blake refers to Tony Stark and Iron Man as two distinct individuals. At the time of this story the Avengers kept their identities secret from one another. Thor and Iron Man won’t learn each other’s secret identities until Avengers #113.

4. Although this story suggests that the Grey Gargoyle is going to drown, after briefly being pulled forward in time in Thor #440, he turns up alive again in Journey into Mystery #113 when his inert body is pulled out of the river.

Topical References

• Paul Duval is depicted exiting the airplane on stairs that are brought up to the exit door necessitating passengers to walk across the tarmac to the airport. This should be considered a topical reference since this is no longer the standard at major international airports, especially not JFK International in New York City.

• Don Blake’s friend is said to work for a newsreel company. This should be considered topical since newsreels haven’t been a thing since the late 60s.

Balder Must Die!

Watching Balder play music for the animals of the forest unaware that he is being observed by Loki. Loki has a deep hatred for Balder and is scheming to destroy the brave warrior. This is mostly because he despises how Balder fusses over the creatures of the forest and was recently gifted with immortality.[1]

Loki then visits Karnilla, the Norn Queen, in the hopes she can divine some way to harm Balder. At first, Karnilla is not happy to see Loki but resigns to doing as he says when he reminds her that he is much more powerful than she is. He asks her if she has learned of any weaknesses that Balder may have. She explains that while nearly all things in Asgard pledged to never harm Balder, she reveals that mistletoe was the only substance that did not make this pledge. Loki goes out and collects some mistletoe and then has a troll fashion a blowgun that will allow him to shoot the mistletoe like a dart.

Loki then watches as Balder engages in battle practice, waiting for the right moment to shoot. The moment comes when Balder stumbles in order to avoid stepping on a caterpillar. However, before the god of mischief can operate the blowgun it suddenly bursts into flames. The culprit was none other than the Norn Queen herself. Mystically contacting Loki from her abode, Karnilla tells him that she did so because she also made a pledge to protect Balder. Cutting off contact, Karnilla then has one of her witches prepare a special brew so she is ready when Loki next comes to her.

Unaware of how his brush with death, Balder proclaims that he does not fear any danger because he is protected by trust and faith that no harm shall ever come to him.

Recurring Characters

Balder, Karnilla, Loki, Haag

Continuity Notes

1. The story of how Balder gained invulnerability was told last issue.