A Balance is Struck!

Balder has been mortally wounded by an arrow made of mistletoe, his one weakness. Unable to prevent this injury, Thor pronounces Balder dead and that Ragnarok will soon begin. As Thor and the Warriors three mourn their fallen friend, Loki gloats that it will only be a matter of time when Hela and her legions storm Asgard, leading to the realm’s ultimate destruction.

When Odin learns of the situation, he decides that the only way to fend off the coming apocalypse would be to petition Hela to spare Balder’s life. To facilitate this, Odin sends the fleet-footed Hermod to venture forth and meet with the goddess of death. Harris Hobbs — a TV reporter who smuggled his way into Asgard — tells his colleagues — Red Norvell and Joey Burnett — that he doubts this will work. He cites Norse mythology which stated that Hela would only spare Balder’s life if the gods could convince the world to weep over Balder. This would fail thanks to a giant named Thokk who would refuse to weep. Trying not to think about the coming of Ragnarok — and if it will also bring the destruction to Earth — Harris and his crew decide to focus on filming events. They go into the room where Balder’s body is being kept to film some more footage. They are soon joined by Sif, and Red tries to make a pass at her which she annoyingly rejects. She points out to the mortal that she is in love with Thor and there is nothing he can do to change that reality. However, Loki overhears this and pulling Red aside, he offers the cameraman the opportunity to win over Sif.

Seeing Red being teleported away by Loki, Sif goes to warn Odin about what is going on. Although Odin regrets adopting Loki, there are other matters to attend to.[1] Odin then goes to address his people. There, Hoder pleads with Odin to slay him as it was his arrow that killed Balder. However, Odin knows that the blind man was manipulated by Loki and forgives him. When he asks for everyone’s loyalty, Harris Hobbs is surprised when Sigyn — Loki’s wife — sides with Odin. When Odin notices that Thor is absent from the group, Volstagg mentions how the thunder god took off after meeting with Mimir.[2]

Meanwhile, Loki has taken Red to help rouse an army of trolls to attack the kingdom of Asgard. There they are ambushed by Thor who seeks to stop his step-brother’s mad schemes. Thor then engages Loki in battle as Red films the confrontation. To try and slay his brother, Loki summons the ax that their father once used to slay Ymir, the Frost Giant.[3] This gives Loki a great advantage and Thor, weakened by Loki’s attacks, summons the belt of strength to boost his power.[4] With the power of the belt, Thor is able to defeat Loki and the army of trolls. He then drags both Loki and Red back to the kingdom. While he deals with the trickster god, Thor hands Red the Belt of Strength, ordering him to keep an eye on it until he asks for it back.

By this time, Hermod has returned from his petition in failure. As Odin briefs Thor on what has happened in his absence, the All-Father must resort to drastic measures. He quickly creates a Odinshield around Balder, keeping him in a state between life and death. This is a final ditch effort to stave off Ragnarok. However, the spell deeply weakens Odin, who warns those gathered that if the Odinshield should fail, Balder will die and Ragnarok will begin.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Odin, Hermod, Sif, Sigyn, Loki, Frigga, Tyr, Hodder, Harris Hobbs, Joey Burnett, Balder (corpse), Geri Freki, Sleipnir

Continuity Notes

1. Odin mentions how he adopted Loki. This was first depicted in the Tales of Asgard feature in Journey into Mystery #112.

2. For more on what Thor learned from Mimir see Thor Annual #7.

3. Versions of Odin’s slaying of Ymir were told in Journey into Mystery #97 and Thor Annual #6.

4. A footnote here reminds readers that Thor last used the Belt of Strength in Journey into Mystery #91, during his battle with Sandu the Mystic.

Topical References

• When commenting on Thor’s looks, Red compares him to Arnold Schwarzenegger which would have been a fair assessment at the time when this story was published. At the time, Arnold was better known as a weight lifter and had won the title of Mister Olympia from 1970 to 1975. This should be considered a topical reference considering that now (as I write this) Arny is 71 years old. While still in great shape, I don’t think anyone would be using him for comparison in this way.

• Red compares the sight of an army of trolls as being on par with the special effects seen in films by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Both directors were quite popular at the time this comic was published Lucas for Star Wars (obviously) and Spielberg for films like Jaws and ET. This is topical since both men are nearing the end of their careers. As I write this George Lucas is 77 and semi-retired from filmmaking after selling the Star Wars franchise to Disney. Spielberg is still somewhat active even at age 74, but he probably won’t be working for much longer.