The Flame and the Hammer!

Both Thor and Firelord have been hypnotized by the woman known as Gypsy and forced to assist El Lobo’s rebel army over throw the democratic government of Costa Verde. Even though the government has a full scale military, their tanks and bombs are no match for the thunder god or the former herald of Galactus. Watching from the sidelines, Jane Foster is a prisoner of El Lobo but intends to do whatever it takes to free Thor from their control.

Meanwhile, in Asgard, Balder has been called before Lord Odin on accusations that he plots treason against the kingdom.[1] Balder admits that he is concerned that Odin has not been acting like himself and accuses Igron of manipulating him. At Igron’s suggestion, Balder is ordered to be locked in the dungeon. Seeing that Odin is too far gone, Balder fights of the guards and makes his escape from the palace. Once he gets away from the guards, Balder realizes that he needs to recruit the aid of Thor.

While back in New York City, the Warriors Three pass the time by exploring the city. Volstagg gets distracted by the televisions in a shop window. However, as Fandral and Hogun pull their friend away they miss a news report on the situation in Costa Verde.

That evening, El Lobo and Gypsy plan the next phase of their attack on the government. While in a nearby tent, Jane Foster manages to trick her guard into coming inside and knocks him out. She them gets the jump on El Lobo and Gypsy and threatens to shoot them with the machine gun she took off the man guarding her. Jane orders them to let Thor free from their control, challenging Gypsy to a duel. In order to not lose face Gypsy accepts the challenge. The two agree to a no-holds-barred knife fight. Ultimately, Jane Foster wins the battle by pinning Gypsy to the ground and putting a knife to her throat.[2] However, the other soldiers try to renege on the deal by shooting Jane while her back is turned.

Seeing Jane in danger causes Thor to shake off the effects of Gypsy’s hypnosis and begins attacking the soldiers. Gypsy struggles to try and get Thor to look at her. This causes Jane to realize that the gem on Gypsy’s headband has hypnotic properties and tosses it into a nearby fire. Horrified that her family heirloom might be destroyed, she orders Firelord to recover the gem for her. He complies but only so he can crush the gem in front of her as the former herald of Galactus has also shaken off the effects of her hypnotic powers. Thor and Firelord then make short work of El Lobo’s army and turned them over to the government. With the stryfe in Costa Verde now over, Firelord thanks Thor for freeing him. After the former herald departs, Thor assures Jane that they are bound to meet Firelord again in the future, particularly after the alien discovers whatever he is searching for on Earth.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Igron, Firelord, Jane Foster, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, “Odin”, Gypsy, EL Lobo,

Continuity Notes

1. This is not really Odin, but Mangog in disguise as we’ll learn in Thor #250. He took Odin’s place following Thor #242. The real Odin will remain MIA until issue #262.

2. It’s mentioned here that Jane Foster had merged with Sif. That happened in Thor #236 and will remain the status quo until issue #334-335.

Topical References

• Gypsy’s name is unfortunate because it is now considered a pejorative term to describe members of the Romany. I have opted to continue referring to her as Gypsy here as it is the character’s name and not being used as a descriptor for the Romany.

• The television in the shop window that are watched by the Warriors Three are depicted as CRT televisions. This should be considered topical as these types of televisions are now obsolete.