Conflagration!

Loki and Karnilla have combined their power to create Durok the Demolisher, a seemingly unbeatable foe, and dispatched it to Earth. Now they watch in glee as Thor races to his adopted world to protect it from their creation as Sif, Balder, and the Warriors Three stand powerless to stop them. Still, the Warriors Three attempt to attack Loki, but with the power of the Odin-Ring at his command, he easily deflects their attacks. Before he can punish them, Sif pleads for mercy.

Meanwhile, Durok appears in the middle of a Mardis Gras parade in New Orleans and begins going on the rampage. When Thor arrives, he uses Mjolnir to teleport all the innocent parade goers to safety while he battles his foe. Durok proves to be even stronger than Thor himself. Although Durok is winning the battle, Loki grows bored and teleports the creature elsewhere before telling Thor that the monster has been sent elsewhere. Thor then returns the people he teleported away and follows after Durok.

He finds the monster in a South American country ruled by a dictator. The leader of this country hopes to subdue Durok and use it to crush the rebellion against his rule. This proves his undoing and when Durok starts bringing down his castle, the dictator quickly surrenders. As Thor battles the creature, Loki continues to observe from Asgard with glee. Meanwhile, Balder has convinced Karnilla to bring him to Earth, telling her that he will not raise his sword to help Thor due to his allegance to her. Intrigured, Karnilla agrees to let him go. In order to create a distraction, Fandral picks a fight with one of the Storm Giants guarding Loki allowing Karnilla and Balder to teleport away. Once on Earth, Balder begins firing magical bolts into the sky to summon someone to help Thor.

While in South America, the battle rages on until Loki summons a storm to temporarily blind Durok. Appearing in astral form with Sif, Loki teleports Durok away again and then tells Thor that he intends to force Sif to be his bride so that — no matter the outcome of the battle — Thor will still lose. By this time, Balder has taken Karnilla to the top of the Himalayan Mountains where he succeeds in summoning the Silver Surfer!

Recurring Characters

Thor, Sif, Balder, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Loki, Karnilla, Durok the Demolisher, Silver Surfer

Continuity Issues

• This story ends with Loki saying he teleported Durok to attack the United Nations Building in New York. However, next issue, he is in Washington, DC.