Where Mortals Fear to Tread!

The Absorbing Man has just defeated Thor in battle. As he gloats over his victory he is unaware that he only stunned the thunder god. Thor quickly recovers and the battle begins anew.

Watching from Asgard, Loki fears that his pawn might be defeated by Thor. With Odin and Thor’s allies out of Asgard, Loki decides that draw the Absorbing Man to Asgard. Using his “attractor-beam” Loki teleports the Absorbing Man away.

As Thor tries to figure out who might have taken his foe, his attention is turned away when there is an explosion in one of the apartments above him. This was caused by Jane Foster, who has been held captive for some time and caused the blast to get Thor’s attention. Thor races up to rescue his beloved, but by the time he gets into the apartment, Foster has already started to succumb to smoke inhalation. Realizing that Jane needs immediate medical attention, Thor changes back to his mortal guise of Doctor Donald Blake. As he does so, Jane’s mysterious captor is there to photograph this transformation. The masked man then takes off his hood and reveals that he is none other than Harris Hobbs, a reporter known to both Donald Blake and Thor.[1]

Meanwhile, the Absorbing Man appears in Asgard and is introduced to Loki, who calls himself Crusher Creel’s master. Creel doesn’t like being called a slave and tries to attack. However, Loki casts a spell that teleports the Absorbing Man to a frozen wasteland until the blizzard conditions make Creel surrender. When the Absorbing Man pledges loyalty to Loki, the pair emerge from Ularic’s laboratory to the palace of Asgard. There, a number of warriors confront Loki over bringing a human to their realm. In response, Loki has the Absorbing Man attack them. With his ability to absorb the properties of objects he touches, the Absorbing Man easily overpowers the Asgardian warriors.

Back on Earth, Jane Foster wakes up in a hospital bed with Don Blake looking over her. When she starts asking questions about her captor, Don tells her to rest. He is soon called away by a phone call. This is a call from Harris Hobbs who asks Blake to meet with him so they can discuss the photo he took of Thor’s transformation into his mortal identity. After changing into Thor, the thunder god meets with Hobbs and demands he hand over the photo he took. However, Hobbs was smart enough to stash it someplace safe and offers to destroy it only if Thor gives him a better scoop. This angers Thor so much that he decides to show Hobbs who he is dealing with. Grabbing Hobbs, Thor begins spinning so fast that he is able to breach the time barrier. He then takes Harris to the prehistoric past and then forward to the distant future, threatening to strand the reporter in one of these eras where he can do no harm to Thor’s secret identity.[2]

Hobbs surrenders and Thor returns them both to their own time. Thor admits that Hobbs is braver than moster. Harris then asks Thor for a request in return for destroying the photo: the chance to see Asgard for himself, even if his mind has to be wiped of the experience after the fact. He wants to go to the realm of the gods as it would allow him to do something no reporter has ever done before. Impressed by Harris’s bravery, Thor decides to grant the reporter his request.

Back on Asgard, Odin has returned to his kingdom as the Absorbing Man continues to fight his own warriors. Demanding an end to the violence at once, the All-Father then uses his sceptre to blast Creel with energy. However, Crusher Creel isn’t destroyed in the blast. Instead, he has absorbed the properties of the energy and redirects Odin’s power right back at him.

Recurring Characters

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

Continuity Notes

1. Thor encountered Harris Hobbs during his first battle with the Absorbing Man back in Journey into Mystery #114-115.

2. Thor takes Harris Hobbs 1 million years into the future. Typically, all futures are considered alternate realities because even the process of visiting the future could create a divergence from the Prime Marvel Universe. However, at the time of this writing (January 2021) this future has not been assigned a reality number.

Topical References

• Harris Hobbs is depicted as using a 60’s era camera that stores images on film and required a flash bulb to take pictures in low-light conditions. These types of cameras are particularly antiques and journalists have moved on to digital formats.

The Grim Specter of Mutiny!

On a voyage to prevent the coming of Ragnarok, a crew of loyal Asgardians have sailed toward the Pillars of Utgard, where deadly rapids threaten to destroy them. As Thor orders them to push on, Loki takes advantage of the growing concerns to stage a mutiny. Loki, assisted by Kroda and Magrat, attempt to seize control of the ship and turn it around. This leads to a clash between the mutineers and the members of the crew still loyal to Thor. Thor’s side of the conflict includes the Warriors Three — Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. Although Fandral and Hogun.

However, the battle is brought to an abrupt end when the waters begin getting rough as they come nearer to the Pillars of Utgar. That’s when they hear the blow of a horn. The trumpeter turns out to be Balder the Brave who has climbed atop the ship’s masthead. Thor orders Balder to get down before they enter into the maelstrom, but Balder continues to trumpet the horn as he believes it is their only hope of getting out of this alive.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Loki, Balder, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Kroda Magrat