Who Lurks Beyond the Labyrinth!

Jane Foster is dying and Thor is powerless to stop it. Although his father has disappeared, Thor calls out to Odin for help but gets no response.[1] Lashing out in anger, Thor strikes the roof he is standing on, unintentionally sending concrete debris to fall down on the crow below. Realizing what he has done, the thunder god quickly tosses Mjolnir to shatter the falling stone before anyone gets hurt. Heading back to the hospital to check on Jane.

Thor is unaware that he is being observed by Crusher Creel, aka the Absorbing Man. Creel has returned after his last defeat, confident that this time he can beat Thor as long as he keeps his temper in check.[2] He almost blows his cover when a kid playing in the street runs into him and he threatens to harm the boy. He quickly composes himself and follows after Thor.

By this time, Thor has arrived in Jane Foster’s hospital room where Odin’s vizier stands vigil. The elder tells Thor that there is nothing they can do to save Jane’s life unless Sif and Hercules are successful in their mission to recover the Runestaff from Kamo Tharnn.

At that moment, on a distant world, Sif and Hercules make their way to Kamo Tharnn’s domain. Along the way they are ambushed by a group of primitive ape-men. After they fight them off, they are teleported into Tharnn’s palace, which is in ruins after centuries of abandonment. He wants to know why they have come for his Runestaff. Hercules tries rushing the blind Kamo Tharnn but is blasted by the Runestaff, making him deaf. Sif is horrified to see what happens and tries to appeal to Kamo Tharnn by explaining that she seeks out the Runestaff to save the life of Jane Foster. Tharnn thinks this is all a lie to steal his Runestaff and continues to attack the two gods.

Back on Earth, Crusher Creel has disguised himself as an orderly in order to get into Jane Foster’s hospital room undetected. While Thor is preoccupied, the villain quickly touches Mjolnir, absorbing its properties. He then ambushes Thor who is caught off guard by his foe’s sudden attack.[3] While on the alien world, Hercules shrugs off Kamo Tharnn’s attacks and manages to wrest the Runestaff from his grasp. Quickly, Sif teleports them back to Earth so they can save Jane Foster before Tharnn follows them. The appear in the hospital where they meet up with the vizier and witness Thor’s battle with the Absorbing Man, which has carried out onto the street below Jane’s hospital room. With time of the essence, Sif insists they must begin the spell of revival right away.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Absorbing Man, the Possessor, Sif, Jane Foster, Hercules

Continuity Notes

1. Lots of references being dropped here:

   • Thor recalls how he and Jane Foster were forcibly separated years ago. That was after she flubbed a test to see if she was worthy of being a goddess back in Thor #136.

   • More recently, Jane was manipulated into trying to commit suicide by the Dweller in Darkness in Thor #231. Although she survived on this attempt on her life, she is still living on borrowed time.

   • Odin has been missing since Thor #230. We learned last issue that he has gone to Earth in mortal guise to learn a lesson in humility.

2. Absorbing Man previously fought Thor in Thor #206-207. How he survived that encounter, in which he was defeated by turning into water, is explained next issue.

3. It’s mentioned here that Absorbing Man got his powers from Loki. This happened in Journey into Mystery #114.