Thor (vol. 2) #23
Beyond Reason’s Edge
From deep space comes Firelord, a former Hearald of Galactus,[1] he arrives on an alien world to lend his assistance to Thor. The thunder god had just failed to stop Thanos from stealing the Illumination Stone, an artifact he needs to locate the Designate and gain the power over life and death.[2]
The thunder god has arrived on yet another world to speak with the Millennium Monarch who can provide some answers. The thunder god has to fight the planet’s defender, a creature made of stone, but he has no time for a senseless battle. He quickly dispatches the creature and meets with the Millennium Monarch. The thunderer asks to know who the Designate is and how they can give Thanos the power he seeks.
The Millennium Monarch explains that in the early days of the universe, when life was just beginning there was a sorcerer named X’Hoss. X’Hoss was able to foresee the future and learned of the Designate. She is a woman named Tarene who is destined to bring about the next evolution of all life in the universe. Knowing that her followers would one day need to find her, he created the artifacts that the Illumination Stone, the Map of All-Ending, and Chalice of Ruins. However, from the moment he created these artifacts, evil beings seeking to taint Tarene’s power for their own goals. Before he was murdered by such evil, X’Hoss managed to banish all three artifacts across all corners of the universe to keep the Designate’s location secret. This kept her safe for eons until recently, until Thanos.
While all seems lost, Thor refuses to give up, but he doesn’t have any idea where Thanos has gone. That’s when the Recorder speaks up and tells Thor that it was able to tag Mangog — Thanos’ ally — with a micortracker that will allow them to pinpoint their location. With no time left, Thor and his allies head back into space.
This is all being observed by Odin and the Orakle back in the troll caverns of Asgard. Because he was poisoned by Tarakis, another ally of Thanos, the All-Father is too weak to do anything about it. However, Odin has sent Balder on an important mission into Svartalfheim to obtain weapons that Thor can use against Thanos. Balder, has been captured by Jagrfelm, the Man Eater, a troll hideous troll that lives in the woods. She intends to chop off Balder’s head, but the brave one explains that he came seeking her out on a mission for Odin. Jagrfelm doesn’t see why she should spare his life or help Odin until Balder promises that the All-Father will grant her a boon. Looking at a sack on her table, Jagfelm decides to spear Balder and hear what he has come for.[3]
Across space exists an anonymous alien world. The people who lived there have done so in peace for centuries until today, the day that Thanos came looking for the Designate. Thanos and Mangog herd all the locals together until the Illumination Stone to pinpoint which one of the aliens is the Designate.
Meanwhile, Thor and his allies have arrived at the location of the Record’s tracking device and have found…. nothing? While Thor and the Recorder are confused, Firelord’s keen cosmically enhanced vision can see that there is something amiss about this part of space. Slamming his two staves together, Firelord shatters a cloak that hid the planet they are seeking. When they fly down to the surface, they can already see the wholesale destruction cause by Thanos and his cohorts. Unfortunately, they are nowhere to be seen. In the rubble, the Recorder discovers that his tracking device had been removed and discarded. Despite the fact they have no means of tracking Thanos, Thor refuses to give up.
Recurring Characters
Thor, “Thanos”, Mangog, Firelord, Recorder, Orikal, Odin, Balder, Jagrfelm, the Designate
Continuity Notes
For more on Firelord’s time as a herald of Galactus see Thor #225 and 306.
This is not the real Thanos, but one of his Thanosi, clones created to carry out his objectives. See Infinity Abyss #1-6.
The item on her table turns out to be the Cask of Ancient Winters, as we’ll learn in Thor (vol. 2) #28. It was last seen in Avengers (vol. 3) #5, when Thor brought it to Avengers Mansion for safe keeping. Howe Jargfelm ended up getting it is not explained. Magic, I guess?
Mangog won’t let anyone (including the reader) forget that he has the anger of “a billion, billion souls”. This is in reference to the fact that Mangog was the combination of an entire race of aliens who dared to war with Asgard, as explained in Thor #154-156. Later, it’s explained that the infraction may have been a minor insult and Odin overreacted, as detailed in Mighty Thor #701.
