Journey into Mystery #92
The Day Loki Stole Thor’s Magic Hammer
In Asgard, Heimdall guards the Bifrost Bridge. When Fricka passes by he stops her to make sure she isn’t Loki in disguise, as the trickster managed to get past him previously by disguising himself as a snake.[1] She proves that she is not Loki by pointing out that the god of mischief is still chained to a boulder as per Odin’s edict. Satisfied, Heimdall allows Fricka to pass. Vowing to get free and get revenge against Thor, Loki struggles to get free. Unfortunately for him, the chains that bind him are made of Uru, a metal unique to Asgard.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Jane Fost is leaving for the day leaving her boss, Don Blake, working alone in his office. Outside, a gang of crooks has been waiting for Blake to be alone so they can go up and force him to perform surgery on one of them who was shot escaping the police. Don treats the gunshot wound because of his Hippocratic oath but warns them that Thor will catch them. When they scoff, Blake says that Thor is coming into the office behind them. When they turn to look, Blake stamps his walking stick on the ground, transforming into Thor. He then wraps the crooks up to the operating gurney. Going outside he uses Mjolnir to deliver the crooks to the authorities. With Jane returning to work, Thor changes back to Don Blake, leaving her none the wiser of what happened just moments ago.
A week later, Thor travels to Norway to assist BJ Kosmos film a Viking epic. The filmmaker is excited to capture Thor’s super-human feats as they will add an extra layer of authenticity to his film. Watching this from Asgard, Loki has deduced that Mjolnir can shatter the chains that keep him a prisoner and begins preparing a spell to draw the hammer to Asgard. The next time Thor tosses his hammer, Loki casts his spell drawing Mjolnir to Asgard. When the weapon strikes the chains, they shatter freeing Loki. Seeking to destroy Thor, Loki decides to draw him to Asgard since their past battles were always on Earth. He figures having the home advantage will be the key to victory. He then uses his magic to plant the idea of returning home into Thor’s head.
Already concerned that he will lose his power after being separated from Mjolnir for over a minute, Thor prays to Odin for help. Odin agrees to assist his favored son and transports Thor to Asgard. Odin stops all time so that the spell that Thor will not revert back to Don Blake until he locates Mjolnir. Once in Asgard, Odin suggests that Mjolnir might be in the realm and although he and the other gods are occupied with other tasks, gives Thor permission to conduct his own search. Wandering into Loki’s forest, Thor is attacked by trees that have been animated by his foe. Since he is without a weapon, Thor decides to fashion a new hammer by chopping down some trees and fashioning a new one. While he destroys the animated trees with this weapon, Loki uses his magic to set it on fire shortly after Thor’s victory.
Suspecting that Loki might be responsible for what’s going on, Thor continues his search. Loki then uses his power to change a cloud into a dragon. Coming upon a massive boulder, Thor quickly carves another make-shift hammer from the rock and uses it to slay the dragon. When this hammer is suddenly pulled away like Mjolnir, Thor follows it and is led to the pile of chains where his hammer still rests after it was used to free Loki. As Thor recovers his hammer, Odin and the other gods track down Loki and capture him. Odin promises Thor that he will try to keep Loki imprisoned for good this time.
Returning to Earth, Don Blake resumes work at his practice. While testing a patient’s reflexes, Don is told that he is hitting him too hard. Jane jokes that Doctor Blake is experienced using a mallet. Don muses to himself that Jane has no idea how true that statement is.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Loki, Jane Fost, Odin, Heimdall, Fricka, BJ Kosmo
Continuity Notes
Loki used this trick to get past Heimdall in Journey into Mystery #88. For a guy who claims to be able to see a dust mote across the galaxy, I guess Heimdall was having an off day.
