Thor #173
Ulik Unleashed!
Doctor Donald Blake makes a house call to a local circus to examine their injured strong man. He is amused to see that this strong man masquerades as Thor while on stage. Don gives the strong man a clean bill of health as long as he takes it easy. This trip was intentional as he went to confirm if this circus troupe is actually the Ringmaster’s Circus of Crime. Sure enough, when the Ringmaster checks on how things are going he gets this confirmation.
As Blake leaves the circus, he recalls how he started his investigation after a government facility was recently robbed. Now that he has confirmed his suspicions, Blake finds a secluded place to change into Thor.[1]
Meanwhile, in Asgard, Loki has gathered an army in the hopes of overthrowing Odin and conquering the realm. Among those gathered is Ulik who insists on having another opportunity to defeat Thor. Loki decides to indulge the Rock Troll and teleports Ulik to the spot where Thor was last seen on Earth. Ulik appears in the middle of the circus where he goes on a rampage. The Rock Troll can easily fight off the circus troupe that try to attack him. Luckily for them, the Ringmaster is able to use the hypnotic device built into his hat to enthrall Ulik. With his strong man not in full form, the Ringmaster sees Ulik as a suitable replacement.
That’s when Thor arrives on the scene and is shocked to see that the Ringmaster has enslaved his old foe. He is spotted by Princess Python, who mistakes Thor for their regular strongman. Not knowing she is hitting on the real Thor, the Princess suggests they talk after the show. Soon the show begins, and Thor stands in for the strong man, using Mjolnir to put on even more spectacular feats than any normal strong man. Thinking that these are rigged tricks, Ringmaster warns the “strong man” not to steal the show.
He then announces Ulik and has the Rock Troll lift a massive stone barbell over to a nearby truck. Seeing the shape of the object, Thor realizes what is going on. He tosses his hammer against the barbell. The sound of the impact snaps Ulik out of the Ringmaster’s spell. Seeing his hated enemy, Ulik drops the barbell on the ground and lunges at his foe. After a brief battle, Thor uses Mjolnir to banish Ulik back to Asgard.
When the Ringmaster attempts to hypnotize Thor, the thunder god knocks off his hat. That’s when the police — tipped off by Thor — arrives on the scene and begin rounding up the circus members. When Princess Python tries to make a run for it, Thor uses her own pet snake to tie her up. With the Ringmaster’s crew arrested, Thor then shatters the barbell revealing the computer stolen from the government building. As they are being led away, Princess Python asks why Thor turned them in when they could have made a fortune selling the computer. Thor tells her that since she cannot see past monetary gain she will never understand. As he flies away, Thor hopes that one day humanity will be able to see the truth so they can become one with the gods.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Ulik, Circus of Crime (Ringmaster, Clown, Princess Python, the Great Gambonnos, Human Cannonball) Loki