Hark, the Herald Angel Lives!

It a chilly December evening as Thor patrols the city. He spots a gang of young men terrorizing a man dressed as Santa Claus collecting donations for the poor. Thor chases them off and corners them in a nearby alley. However, he discovers that rather then muggers, these are local vigilantes and the “Santa” they were attacking has been selling drugs in the neighborhood, using the donations as a front. Thor tells them not to take the law into their own hands and crushes their knives in his bare hands. He promises them that if there is any justice to be had he will get it for them and suggest they focus on helping their family members get over their addictions. Unfortunately, when Thor goes looking for the drug pusher he is long gone. The thunder god decides to call it a night and returns to his apartment so his mortal form of Don Blake can get some sleep before work in the morning.

Meanwhile, below a barn in upstate New York, the Gabriel the Air-Walker wakes up in the remains of the Machinesmith’s lair.[1] He doesn’t know where he is and tries to remember what happened to him. Gabriel recalls that he was a herald of Galactus who came to Earth to help his master force the Silver Surfer back into the fold. This lead to a clash with both the Surfer and the Fantastic Four. Gabriel was destroyed in this encounter and this makes him remember that he is not flesh-and-blood but a robot.[2] Believing that the Silver Surfer turned him into a robot to defeat him, Gabriel reactivates his flaming cloak so he can begin his search for his enemy. The light from the Air-Walker’s cloak shines into the bedroom window of young Kevin Matheson who decides to get dressed and see what is causing it. Enamored by science fiction, Kevin concludes that Gabriel must be an alien from outer space and asks to join Air-Walker on his mission. The Air-Walker decides to take the boy with him as he would useful in navigating the world. As Air-Walker flies off with Kevin, the light from his flaming cloak also wakes up Kevin’s mother who is horrified to see her son leave with some flying stranger.

The following morning, Don Blake reports to his first day working at the West Side clinic. Lionel Jeffries introduces him to Ramon Hernandez and Dexter Quentin, two other doctors on the staff. Shown to his office, Don is introduced to his first patient who is only looking to get prescribed something to take the edge off his addictions. The bluntness of the request makes Don realize that working here is going to be very different than his old practice.

Meanwhile, Air-Walker and Kevin have arrived in New York City, and the former herald’s first task is to go to the Baxter Building and trap the Fantastic Four inside by using the pollution in the air to create an impenetrable dome around the building. He orders the Fantastic Four to summon the Silver Surfer so he can get his revenge, but Mister Fantastic admits that they haven’t seen the Surfer in some time. Angered by this, Gabriel begins using his powers to create a powerful wind storm in the city that forces everyone on the street to seek shelter. Gabriel revels in this until Kevin asks why he is so angry, telling the alien robot that he feels sorry for him.

By this time, Don Blake has finished for the day and heads outside. Experiencing the heavy winds he realizes that this is no natural occurrence and ducks into an alley to change into Thor. Leaping up onto a tall building he uses Mjolnir to dissipate the heavy winds. He quickly finds Air-Walker and thinking Kevin is in danger, the thunder god rushes Gabriel and nabs the boy. After getting Kevin back on solid ground, Thor flies back up to fight his foe. In the ensuing battle, Thor is surprised when Air-Walker is able to grab his enchanted hammer — unaware that he is a robot and not a living being. Thor is quickly pummeled and dumped onto the street with Mjolnir after Air-Walker dismisses him as a minor threat.

Gabriel then uses his power to pull Kevin back up into the air with him as Thor recovers. Deducing that he is fighting a machine in the shape of a man, Thor stops pulling his punches and tosses Mjolnir as hard as possible. The hammer then slams through Air-Walker’s torso, severely damaging his internal circuits and deactivating him. Thor then grabs Kevin as he falls to the ground and is shocked when the boy is upset with him for killing his friend. Thor feels ashamed and believes there is not much else he can do now, and perhaps he has done too much.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Air-Walker, Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, Thing), Ramon Hernandez, Dexter Quentin, Lionel Jeffires, Beverly Matheson, Kevin Matheson

Continuity Notes

1. The Machinesmith used this hideout to store a cache of robots of his own design or that came into his possession. See Captain America #249 for the full details.

2. The Air-Walker and Galactus came to Earth looking for the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four #120-121. At the time the Silver Surfer was exiled on Earth after betraying Galactus. See Fantastic Four #48-50.

Topical References

• The narration makes a number of pop-culture references when talking about his love of science fiction.

  • It states that he got his first taste of science fiction watching the Star Wars movies. This wouldn’t be considered topical since Disney now owns both Marvel and Star Wars. Also, the movies aren’t referred to in a way that would make the reference dated (ie: they aren’t called “new”)

  • It also says that he grew up watching Star Trek reruns. This wouldn’t be considered topical since they are referred to as reruns.

  • Lastly, it says that Kevin’s father died on the night Battlestar Galactica went off the air. This would be considered topical, as it is referring to when the original series was cancelled on April 27, 1979. This would be topical as it would age Kevin drastically as the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward.

• Don’s first patient is depicted lighting up a cigarette in the clinic. This should be considered topical since indoor smoking has been banned in New York state since 2003.

The Sorceress and the Sacrifice!

Rejected by Balder the Brave, Karnilla has returned to her kingdom and is now conspiring to win his love. Conspiring with Haag, the two observe as Balder attends a market in Asgard. They witness as he bumps into a woman named Nanna, causing her to spill her basket of fruit. As Blader helps her pick them up the pair are instantly smitten by one another. A romance between the two quickly blossoms, giving Karnilla an idea on how to force Balder into marrying her instead.

Using her magic, the Norn Queen teleports Balder and Nanna to her domain. Instantly realizing where they are, Balder tries to lead Nanna to safety. Unfortunately, the path only leads to Karnilla’s cavern home. Inside, they are surrounded by Karnilla’s loyal soldiers. Placing Nanna in shackles, Karnilla tells Balder that she will only allow Nanna to go free if he agrees to marry her instead. Balder agrees to do so but on one condition: No harm must come to Nanna by Karnilla’s hands. Karnilla agrees to this condition and gloats that she finally has Balder forever more.

Recurring Characters

Balder, Nanna, Karnilla