Diner

Thor has returned from oblivion and has resumed his life as Donald Blake. [1]He has set up operations in the sleepy town of Broxton, Oklahoma. His first morning there, he goes into the local diner which is owned by the Cobb family. Working the place that day is Bill Cobb the 3rd, called Bill Junior to differentiate himself from his grandfather (Big Bill) and his father (Little Bill). He learns a little about the town and its no frills living.

Finishing his breakfast, Blake then rides a little out of town to a huge open stretch of desert. He then changes into Thor and summons a powerful storm to build up enough magic to recreate the city of Asgard on Earth. As he walks around its empty halls, he thinks about a moment he had with Sif, when he vowed that he would always look for her if they were ever split apart. His thoughts are interrupted by the local police who have been drawn to the area by the powerful storm and the sudden appearance of Asgard. One of the officers tells Thor that he can’t just put his castle in that spot because somebody owns the land. Thor agrees to move the city and uses his power to raise Asgard off the ground so it is now floating over the property in question. The two cops don’t know how to react to such a show of power and decide to leave things be for the time being and take off.

That evening, Thor sits upon the Asgardian throne but the silence of the empty city gets to him. He remembers what Don Blake said before they fought their way out of limbo, that the people of Asgard are living on Earth waiting to be reminded of who they are. Thor ponders this until the morning. His thoughts are soon interrupted by Sam Miller, the man who owns the property beneath Asgard. He wants to discuss the value of his land. Not wanting to deal with this issue, Thor invites Miller into Asgard and takes him to the royal treasury. The place is packed to the ceiling with gold, jewels, and other valuables. Thor tells Miller he can take as much as he thinks his land is worth. Completely blown away by the offer, Sam tells his friend Tom to back up his pick-up and they soon load it with as much gold as it can carry and drive back to town.

The sudden appearance of Thor and Asgard has everyone in Brixton talking. That’s when Beth Sooner suggests that they invite Thor into town and throw a welcoming party to make him feel like a part of their community.

At that same moment, Thor once again ponders Don Blake’s words. He decides that if his friends are out there someplace, it will be his duty to try and find them. Thor then takes off into the night sky to look for to begin his search.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Don Blake, Bill Cobb, Beth Sooner

Continuity Notes

1. Thor and the Asgardians all died in Ragnarok in Thor (vol. 2) #80-85. Thor was awoken last issue by his mortal half, Don Blake, and told that the Asgardians are alive on Earth.

Topical References

• Bill Junior states that if Don wants an XBox he’ll have to go up to Oklahoma City. This was a popular gaming console at the time this series was published. Its reference here should be considered topical as it is a real world piece of technology.