Rigel Where Gods May Fear to Tread!

With the Earth trapped in a space lock, Thor is on ship to the planet Rigel to free his home world. As he approaches a satellite, his ship is contacted and ordered to identify itself. Thor doesn’t even try to sneak by, telling them that he has come to force them to remove the space lock on Earth or face his wrath. A boarding party soon arrives and they quickly surrender when they discover that Mjolnir is impervious to their weapons.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Tana Nile is walking to the United Nations to inform the world governments that she now controls the planet. Along the way she attract the attention of the police officer who thinks she is mentally ill when she asks him to take her to his leaders. He pretends to agree and drives Tana to the local police station in order to get her some help.

Back in space, the Colonizers of Rigel are still trying to stop Thor from arriving on their world. They send their most powerful robot, an entity they call Indestructible, to fight the thunder god. Although the robot can withstand blows from Thor’s hammer, it proves very vulnerable when Thor redirects its gamma ray into the robot’s face. He then orders the Rigellians to stay on course. They do so out of fear, an emotion they had previously reserved for an entity that lives in the nearby Black Galaxy. At that moment, a beam of energy from this forbidden part of the universe strikes another Rigellian ship. Reports of this attack and Thor’s approach are brought to the Grand Commissioner on Rigel. This isn’t what he expected when he signed up for this job but teleports himself to the power planetoid which powers the planet lock that holds Earth. He curses Tana Nile for bringing Thor down on them, but figures he can use the thunder god to deal with the danger posed by the Black Galaxy.

As Thor’s ship approaches Rigel, Thor decides to go the rest of the way under his own power and leaps from the ship. Landing on the planet surface, the thunder god begins laying waste to Regellian soldiers and weapons until the Grand Commissioner orders him to stop. He tells Thor how his people are threatened by a menace that exists in the Black Galaxy. Showing the thunder god the star charts he explains how none of his people have ventured into the Black Galaxy and lived to tell the tale. Convincing Thor that this menace could also be a threat to Earth, the Grand Commissioner promises to set the Earth free if Thor deals with the issue. His interest piqued, Thor agrees to venture into the Black Galaxy.

Back on Earth, Jane Foster is still following Tana Nile’s orders to venture as far away from New York as possible. She has taken an intercontinental flight to Europe. Her seat mate is interested in knowing why she looks so longingly out the window. When Jane says she that she must get away but does not know why. This is something the man can relate with her, and begins taking an even bigger interest in her.[1]

Meanwhile, Thor is aboard a ship heading into the Black Galaxy. The Rigellians has sent one of their robotic Recorders to accompany the thunder god on this journey to document the voyage.[2] They pass the pitch black barrier that separates the Black Galaxy from the rest of the universe. On the other side they are amazed to discover an organic Bio-Verse that exists within this domain. That’s when they come across a massive planetoid with a humanoid face. This entity introduces itself as Ego, the Living Planet, and that it has been waiting for them.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Tana Nile, Recorder, Grand Commissioner, Jane Foster, Sir Porga (unidentified), Ego the Living Planet

Continuity Notes

1. Unidentified here, he is identified as Sir Porga next issue.

2. The Rigellians utilize many Recorders, each with their own designation. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9 specifies that this Recorder is number 211.

Topical References

• Dated references: J. Edgar Hoover, Candid Camera

The Dark Horse of Death!

Thor and the Warriors Three have liberated Muspelheim, defeated the armies of Harokin, and recovered the powerful Warlock’s Eye. They are cheered by the people of Muspelheim that they liberated.

The four warriors then go down to the bathing chambers of the castle to freshen up. It’s there they hear the rhythmic beating of drums. While Thor, Fandral, and Volstagg don’t know what it means, Hogun informs them that the drums are summoning the Stallion of Doom, and its appearance only means that a mighty warrior is near death.

Soon, the Stallion of Doom appears outside the castle walls. While the ink black horse is allowed beyond the gates, everyone flee out of the stallion’s path for fear that they are the one the death-horse has come for. Thor decides to check on Harokin who is still having his wounds treated from the earlier battle. Hearing that the Stallion of Doom has arrived, Harokin knows that the harbinger of death has come for him. Harokin is at peace of this, knowing that this would always be the end result of a life devoted to warfare.

Hogun sees the look on Harokin’s healers and see that they agree with this grim reality as well. As if in response to everyone’s expectations, Thor sees the Stallion of Doom waiting outside of the chamber. Thor admits that while he and Harokin met as enemies, he thinks that losing such an honorable foe to death is such a great loss to them all.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Harokin, Stallion of Doom