Somewhere — Over the Rainbow Bridge!

Thor has been approached by TV reporter Harris Hobbs with an outlandish request: He wishes to be brought to Asgard with a crew so that he might film a TV special about the land of the gods. Thor is surprised that Hobbs remembers his previous encounter with Asgard, but vows that the reporter won’t be able to blackmail him this time.[1][2]

When a crowd begins to gather, Thor takes Harris onto the nearby rooftops to talk some more. Hobbs explains that he has been having nightmares about Asgard recently. He was so disturbed by them he started seeing a psychologist. Undergoing hypnosis he was made to remember his previous time in Asgard. With his network trailing in the ratings, Harris put his own job on the line by promising his bosses that he could film an TV exclusive in Asgard. Finishing his story, Hobbs pleads with Thor to help him out. However, the thunder god is uninterested as Odin will most likely decline such a request.

After Thor leaves, Harris is approached by a man who offers to help him out. Unsure why he believes this stranger, Hobbs also relates another dream he had about Thor. In this dream, the thunder god had gone sailing with a giant named Hymir in an attempt to catch and slay the Midgard Serpent as the creature was destined to kill Thor during the final hours of Ragnarok. When Hymir discovered what Thor was after, he thought the thunder god mad and allowed the serpent to get away. The dream ended with Thor furiously attacking the giant before flying away. The stranger if very interested in this story and then reveals that he is none other than Loki and explains that he had been exiled on Earth by Odin.[3] Now that he remembers who he is, the trickster god then offers Harris Hobbs the opportunity to get to Asgard.

Meanwhile, Thor arrives at Stark Industries to collect the surviving CPU of FAUST.[4] As Tony Stark and Iron Man are away, Thor is brought to the computer by Wilson Tavers. Before the thunder god can depart, the Midgard Serpent suddenly appears outside of the Stark facility. When Thor tries to attack the creature, he discovers that it is nothing more than an illusion. Once the threat is over, Thor then transports the computer back to Asgard. When he arrives on the Bifrost Bridge he is welcome by Heimdall and later by the Warriors Three and Balder when he arrives at the palace.

It is here, that the Asgardians discover that Harris Hobbs and his film crew — cameraman Red Norvell, and Joey Brunnett, the sound guy — have stowed away inside FAUST’s computer core. Thor is furious at Harris for stowing away and demands to know who helped him hide inside the computer. That’s when Loki appears and reveals his involvement and that his memory and powers have been restored. Loki explains that he has come back to Asgard in order to kick off Ragnarok, an even that will see the death of Thor, the fall of the gods, and the destruction of the universe.[5]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Odin, Heimdall, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Harris Hobbs, Red Norvell, Joey Burnett, Loki, Absorbing Man, Jormungand,

Continuity Notes

1. Harris Hobbs previously interacted with Thor in Journey into Mystery #115-116, 120, and 122-123. He managed to photograph Thor’s mortal identity of Donald Blake and used that to blackmail the thunder god intro bringing him to Asgard. There he witnessed the Absorbing Man battle Odin and was later banished back to Earth with all memory of the encounter erased. At the time, Thor told Hobbs that he would sometimes dream about the experience, thus convincing him that it was all true.

2. What Harris doesn’t know is that his nightmares were the work of Hela and Loki as part of a grand scheme to bring about Ragnarok. These details were revealed in Thor #277.

3. Loki was banished to Earth after yet another failed coup of Asgard. See Thor #264-266.

4. Thor clashed with the artificial intelligence known as FAUST in Thor #269-271.

5. Loki mentions the prophecy of Ragnarok told to them by a prophet named Volla. This story cites Thor #200, which was a retelling of a story originally depicted in Thor #127.

Topical References

• Dated pop-culture references: Fred Silverman.

• Harris states that he last encountered Thor “years ago”. This should be considered a factual reference due to the fact that it is a vague measurement of time. Per the Sliding Timescale, Harris’ last appearance in Journey into Mystery #122 (published in 1965) takes place about 5 years prior to this story.

• Harris states here that he pays his psychologist $50 an hour. This should be considered topical because psychology is much more expensive. In fact, adjusting for inflation $50 in 1978 money is equivalent to $203 in 2021 money.