Thor #238
Night of the Troll!
A group of Rock Trolls have captured Jane Foster, forcing Thor to surrender to Ulik and do his bidding. Ulik looks forward to ordering the thunder god around, particularly after his past defeats.[1] Thor is led down a tunnel that takes them deep below the surface of the Earth. Thor is surprised to find an underground river.[2] They soon board rafts to rid down this river. Along the way, Ulik eplains that he seeks to overthrow Geirrodur as ruler of the Rock Trolls but needs Thor’s assistance to defeat his new guardian, Zoltarr the so-called Troll Supreme.
Back on the surface, Detective Ralph Blumkenn arrives at the hole punched in the ground by the Rock Trolls and complains about the mess it’s causing to the city. That’s when Hercules and Odin’s vizier happen by and learn what happened. Hercules fears that Sif sacrificed her life to save Jane Foster’s life for nothing if she and Thor die at the hands of the Rock Trolls.[3]
While in San Geraldo, California, pickers for the local wineries are on strike. As this strike has carried on for six years. Winery owner Anthony Combach has grown tired of the strike, and hires some union busters to rough up the picketers and their leader Tomas Chamaro. That’s when Judy — a resident of a local commune — arrives with her amnesiac friend Orrin. What nobody knows — not even Orrin himself — is that he is actually Odin, who had come to Earth in a mortal guise to try and learn humility. When a fight breaks out, Orrin trounces the union busters and is about to flatten them when Judy convinces him to stop and leads him away. However, Combach’s men vow to get revenge.
Back below the Earth’s surface, the Rock Trolls continue to lead Thor deeper underground. Along the way, Ulik tells of how he was punished by Gerriodur following his last defeat. Sent to toil in the underground furnaces, Ulik managed to escape and found a long lost colony of Rock Trolls that became loyal to him. His story is interrupted when they are attacked by a sea serpent, which Thor quickly knocks out. Soon they come to shore where they find Girrodur waiting for them with an entry army which includes the massive Zoltarr. Thor is forced to join Ulik and his forces in battle against Geirrodur’s armies.
As the battle rages, Jane Foster uses the opportunity to act and manages to escape the lone Rock Troll guarding her. Meanwhile, Thor manages to overpower Zoltarr, striking the massive Troll with Mjolnir so hard that he shatters his helmet. In all this confusion, Jane manages to grab a spear and get the drop on Geirrodur. She then forces him to surrender to Ulik and his rebellion. In the aftermath of the battle, they discover that Zoltarr was actually a crude robot. With the battle over, Thor is impressed with how Jane bravely ended the violence, something that is so unlike her old self.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Ulik, Hercules, Jane Foster, Ulik, Geirrodur, Odin, Ralph Blumkenn
Continuity Notes
Ulik states here that he has fought Thor on three previous occasions. It’s actually four. See Thor #137-139, 151-154, 173, and 210-211.
This story suggests that the Rock Troll’s domain is located below the Earth’s surface. This contractions Thor #137 and other stories that confirm that this domain exists below Asgard. Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Thor suggests that the Rock Trolls could teleport their entire domain below the surface of the Earth. I, on the other hand, think it’s probably a little simpler than that: that there are portals that connect the Rock Troll’s domain in Asgard to corresponding locations under Earth’s surface.
Jane Foster was manipulated in attempting suicide by the Dweller in Darkness in Thor #231. Although she survived she was dying until Sif seemingly sacrificed herself to save Jane’s life with the Runestaff of Kamo Tharnn, in Thor #236. In reality, their bodies were merged. Sif will take the drivers seat again in Thor #244 and against from issue #249 onward until the pair are separated in Thor #334-335.
Topical References
This story is a commentary on the Delano grape strike which affected the California wine industry until 1978. Any suggestion that this story takes place during that strike should be considered topical.
