The Power of the Thunder God!

Jane Foster has been injured in an explosion and her vital signs are fading fast. In order to prolong her life until he can find cure for her, Thor has erected a time vortex around the mansion hideout of Mister Hyde and the Cobra. Unfortunately, before he can even start looking for help he is ambushed by his enemies. The pair boldly attack Thor as their powers have been doubled by Loki’s magic. Although Thor fights back, he quickly realizes that he is no match for both foes at the same time. Thor fights off his foes by creating a vortex to blow them out of the room.

He tries carrying Jane away to safety but the mansion is still loaded with various traps that slow his progress. Thor begins to worry about his next move as he cannot keep the time vortex going forever. The vortex itself has attracted the attention of the locals as well as Odin, who is watching from Asgard. Despite this strange turn of events, the All-Father decides to wait before getting involved. Odin is still upset with Thor for his continued love of Jane Foster.[1] As he complains about this situation to Balder the Brave, who feels sympathy for Jane Foster’s plight. In order to move Odin into doing something to save her, Balder begins singing a love ballad about a warrior being denied his true love. This causes Odin to think about a moment from his past where he was in a similar situation as Thor finds himself now. Although this begins moving Odin’s heart, Loki interrupts the song and accuses Balder of trying to manipulate their ruler.

Back on Earth, Thor has left Jane to confront Mister Hyde and the Cobra. Although the two villains are confident that they are strong enough to defeat Thor, the pair starts arguing with each other over who gets to destroy the thunder god. Thor takes advantage of this squabble to attack. The Cobra fires gas pellets and flees into the ventilation system, leaving Mister Hyde to face Thor alone. However, the gas starts affecting him prompting Hyde to flee by knocking a hole in a nearby all.

Meanwhile, Odin has decided that while he will not allow Thor to marry Jane Foster, he will not allow her to die. He then prepares a letter for Loki to deliver Hardol the Healer who can devise a cure for the mortal. Although Loki agrees to take the letter, he has no intention of delivering it. However, before Loki can destroy it he is surrounded by Balder and others who relieve him of the letter so Balder can deliver it instead. As Balder rides through the treacherous terrain between Asgard and Hardol’s domain, Loki still has another trick up his sleeve to impede these efforts.

While on Earth, the tide of battle is turning in Thor’s favor when Mister Hyde walks in the path of one of his own traps and is knocked out by an energy beam. Ripping up the wall, Thor uses the knowledge he gleaned from Iron Man to rewire the weapon so it can channel energy into the ventilation system to force the Cobra out of hiding. Thor quickly overpowers his foe and ties him up. With his enemies defeated, Thor returns to Jane but he still doesn’t know what to do and will have to take down the time vortex before it causes damage to the universe.

At that same moment, Balder’s path is barred by a wind creature known as only as the Phantom Whose Touch Means Death. However, by throwing his sword into the creature’s mass he destroys the monster. He soldiers on through a valley of gas belching nightmare plants and crosses the spike-covered Valley of the Swords using his ingenuity and unrelenting courage. His last challenge is the deadly Valley of Avalanches which brings him to the remote home of Hardol the Healer who welcomes him with open arms.

On Earth, Thor cannot keep the time vortex going any further and takes it down, leaving Jane Foster’s survival to fate. No sooner is the vortex gone does Balder’s sword fall from the sky and land in front of Thor. He sees a vial with a note attached to it that tells him that this is a cure for Jane’s condition. As Thor rushes to give the cure to Jane, Balder’s sword is pulled back to Asgard and reunited with its owner. Moments after Thor gives Jane the serum she awakens. Thor tells Jane to rest and then thanks Odin for helping save the life of his love.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Mister Hyde, Cobra, Jane Foster, Odin, Balder

Continuity Notes

1. Odin has forbidden Thor from marrying Jane Foster in Journey into Mystery #97 and had been trying to force Thor to give her up ever since.

The Secret of Sigurd!

Thor, Loki, and Blader are returning home from a mission when their path is blocked by a man named Sigurd who bars their path. Claiming this forest as his own, Sigurd refuses to let anyone pass unless and vows to defeat them all. The three Asgardians confer on what to do next. Balder warns his allies that Sigurd has nearly limitless strength but recalls that their foe has a weakness, but can’t remember what it is.

Despite this, Thor challenges Sigurd to battle. In his opening salvo, Thor shatters Sigurd’s club with a single blow from Mjolnir. Unwilling to use a weapon against an unarmed foe, Thor then battles Sigurd in hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately for the thunder god, Sigurd has immense strength. No matter how hard Thor strikes his enemy, Sigurd gets back up stronger than ever before.

As Thor begins to tire from the ongoing battle, Balder finally remembers what Sigurd’s weakness is. He tells Thor that Sigurd has unlimited strength so long as his feet are touching the ground. Hearing this, Thor snags Sigurd’s belt in Mjolnir and then launches him into the sky. With their opponent removed from their path, Thor and his allies can continue their journey home. Along the way, Balder worries about the day when Loki will finally turn against his half-brother.[1]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Balder, Loki

Continuity Notes

1. It’s interesting to note that Thor fought a Storm Giant that has the same weakness in Thor #252-253. According to the Marvel Chronology Project, that battle occurred chronologically earlier to his battle with Sigurd.