Thor (vol. 2) #28
Wrecking Havoc
Thor is taking his friends, the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg) on a tour of Manhattan. They stop at a old timey soda shop that Thor once visited many years earlier.[1] After paying their bill, Thor takes his friends to Times Square. Little do they know that they have been spotted by the Wrecker (Dirk Garthwaite) who just happens to be passing by. He is relieved that Thor and his buddies don’t recognize him out of costume, and he heads to where the rest of the Wrecking Crew are hiding out.
Thor and his pals, meanwhile, are preoccupied with the fact that Volstagg has decided to consume the entire stock of a hot dog vendor. As Hogun pays for this, Thor addresses a young man who questions the thunderer’s godhood based on his religious beliefs. Thor tells the boy that he is part of a race of gods that exist in Asgard, not Heaven of Catholic belief. Thor also assures the boy that there is indeed a higher power that watches over them all. Fandral can’t understand why the mortals have such a hard time believing that Thor is the god of thunder. Thor explains it doesn’t bother him, all he asks is that people will have faith that he will help protect them from danger.
Meanwhile, the Wrecker has returned to the apartment that he and the rest of the Wrecking Crew are hiding out in. He tells them about how he saw Thor and the Warriors Three in Times Square. Thunderball, Piledriver, and Bulldozer don’t see what the big deal is. The Wrecker reminds them all how they all lost the Asgardian magic that give them their powers, forcing them to recharge their abilities from other sources.[2] He figures that they can get their full powers back if they drain the magic from Thor and his buddies.
In Svartalfheim, the troll known as Jagrafelm gloats over tricking Odin into empowering an artifact that can bring down Asgard: The Cask of Ancient Winters![3]
While in the kingdom of Asgard, Sif has been put in charge since Odin has entered the Odinsleep.[4] Balder has come to her requesting that she have an audience with an elder warrior named Giraboor. Blinded during the Blood Tide Wars, Giraboor has relied on his other senses and developed the ability to forsee the future. He warns Sif that he has seen a vision of the future that will threaten not only Asgard, but all of the Nine Worlds. Sif decides to take this warning seriously and orders the people of Asgard to gear up and prepared for war.
Back on Earth, Thor and the Warriors Three have left Times Square and entered Central Park. There they are ambushed by the Wrecking Crew. The villains work to split up Thor and the Warriors Three. As the Wrecker and his crew begin overpowering their opponents, they are able to absorb the Asgardian magics.[5] Refusing to allow his powers to be drained, Thor manages to fight off the Wrecker, then uses Mjolnir to knock the other members of the Wrecking Crew away from the Warriors Three. Having regained their powers, the Crew make their escape. As Thor and his allies recover from this attack, Thor discovers that Hogun is in a coma. With his friend’s vitals starting to fade, Thor wonders if Hogun might die.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Wrecking Crew (Wrecker, Thunderball, Piledriver, Bulldozer), Balder, Sif, Jargrflem
Continuity Notes
Thor first visited this soda shop back in Thor #143. Per the Sliding Timescale, Thor first visited this shop roughly 9 years prior to this main story.
The Wrecking Crew were stripped of their Asgardian magic in Journey into Mystery #505.
Thor empowered the Cask of Ancient Winters in Thor (vol. 2) #24. What’s not explained his how Jargfelm got ahold of the Cask since it was last seen being stored at Avenger Mansion in Avengers (vol. 3) #5. I’d sarcastically say “magic elves” as an explanation, it would actually make sense as far as Asgard is concerned.
Odin entered the Odinsleep in Thor (vol. 2) #26. He’ll remain in this state in issue #35.
The Wrecker references how his powers originally came from Asgardian sources. He is referring to the events of Thor #148.
Topical References
The bill at the soda shop is for $727. Adjusting for inflation Thor and his pals would have eaten about $1280 worth of ice cream in 2023 money.
Time Square is depicted as having a number of seedy movie/adult movie theaters, which was still the case in the year 2000 when this comic was originally published. However, the area had been gentrified in the years since and its presentation here does not reflect the current reality. As such, its depiction here should be considered topical.
There is also a billboard advertising the sale of CDs, tapes, and DVDs. These were popular media formats at the time this comic was published. Since then, cassette tapes are more or less obsolete and CDs and DVDs are slowly falling out of favor for other formats. As such, this is another topical reference.
But you probably also noticed billboards that reference Thor alumni such as Jack Kirby, John Romita, Jr., and Walt Simonson. These references would not be considered topical as Marvel Comics creators exist in the Marvel Unvierse in the relative prime of their lives.
