Thor #393
The Blaze of Battle!
When a nuclear power plant is attacked by Quicksand, Thor is present to try and stop her. Separated from Mjolnir in battle, the thunder good soon finds himself being suffocated in sand. With moments to spare, Thor hammers the ground with his own fists causing Quicksand to lose her balance and Thor to get back on his feet. Recovering Mjolnir, Thor warns Quicksand to surrender and summons the power of the storms. Needing to change tactics, Quicksand then retreats by turning into sand and leaping into the ventilation system.
Meanwhile, in Asgard, the kingdom is under siege once again by the legions of Seth, the Egyptian god of death. They have been launching a series of blitz attacks thanks to dimensional gates that have opened all over Asgard since it has become unmoored from its cosmic axis.[1] Although the Warriors Three and the armies of Asgard are able to repel the invaders this time, the constant attacks are wearing them thin.
While at the palace, Balder has the Enchantress use her magical powers to enhance Heimdall’s abilities to see and hear anything in the hopes that he can pinpoint where their attackers are coming from. Unfortunately, Heimdall can’t learn their location because some force is blocking his ability to see. Balder is then called to see the Grand Vizier who has been observing the flame that is connected to Hogun’s life force. They had sent Hogun to Earth to try and find Thor and as the flame begins to flicker the Grand Vizier fears that he may be close to death.
On Earth, Hogun has been on the rampage after suffering a blow to the head that causes him to see mortals as monsters. This has led to a battle against Daredevil, who has been trying to stop the rogue Asgardian since he came tearing through Hell’s Kitchen. Although the Man Without Fear is way out of his league, Daredevil continues to fight Hogun.
While back at the nuclear plant, Thor orders everyone to search the facility to find out where Quicksand has fled. It’s then that Eric Masterson and Jackie jLukus notice that Sigurd Jarlson has gone missing. Their friend Jerry Sepristi — who knows that Jarlson is actually Thor’s mortal disguise — assures them that Sigurd can look after himself.[2] As he goes off to search for himself, he is pulled aside by Adam Peters, the plant’s director of operations who asks Thor to make sure this incident is on the down low because it could affect the bottom line of the nuclear facility. That Peters is focused on monetary concerns rather than safety disgusts the thunder god. Elsewhere the in facility, Quicksand gets access to the reactor core and intentionally triggers a meltdown.
Back in Manhattan, Hogun gives Daredevil a good chase and his rampage prompts the police to call in a SWAT team to deal with him. This does little to slow Hogun down, who makes a quick escape by jumping onto the roof of a city bus. As Daredevil continues to pursue Hogun, Thor finds Quicksand and resumes their battle. While Thor is occupied, Adam Peters discovers that the villain has intentionally triggered a meltdown and orders the building evacuated. Learning of the situation from Quicksand herself, Thor is forced to let her get away so he can deal with the crisis at hand. With no time to shut the reactor down properly, Thor uses Mjolnir to magically teleport the nuclear plant to a desolate alien world where it harmlessly explodes.
While everyone is distracted, Thor slips away and changes back to Sigurd Jarlson and rejoins the others. Eric notices that Sigurd conveniently disappeared when Thor arrived and begins to wonder if there is a connection between him and Thor.
Back in the city, Hogun rips an electrical pole out of the grown and throws it wildly, forcing Daredevil to save a woman from the oncoming projectile. This injures the hero and allows Hogun to make an escape on the Roosevelt Island tram-way. However, he’s not getting away from long when a SWAT team arrives and begins opening fire on the rogue Asgardian. Showered with bullets, Hogun then falls into the East River.
In Asgard, the flame tied to Hogun’s life-force suddenly snuffs out, prompting the Grand Vizier to declare that Hogun is dead.[3]
Recurring Characters
Thor, Daredevil, Quicksand, Warriors Three (Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg), Eric Masterson, Jackie Lukus, Jerry Sepristi, Grand Vizier, Enchantress, Heimdall, Balder, Valdor
Continuity Notes
This was caused by the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge in Thor #351. It will eventually be repaired in issue #426.
Jerry has always suspected that Sigurd Jarlson was secretly a superhero since they first met back in Thor #341. His children discovered he was really Thor after snooping in his bag and finding Mjolnir in Thor #373. Obviously they told their father the truth.
He’s not. Daredevil revives him with CPR next issue.
