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Journey Into Mystery #103: Review

Apr 1964
Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

Story Name:

The Enchantress and the Executioner!

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Journey Into Mystery #103 Review by (August 15, 2011)
Review: Yeehah! This is what we’ve been waiting for; Kirby and Lee in their early prime! An exciting tale that introduces two ever-popular baddies; yeah the Executioner is just another big violent guy with a weapon but he’s fun, and besides he’s almost always found hanging around with the Enchantress, one of Marvel’s numbah one hot babes (if in a very obvious way). The seductress and her bruiser are one of my favorite villain teams and they get off to a very good start.

Comments: 1. First appearance of the Enchantress and the first appearance of the Executioner. We learn Don Blake gets tired from Thor’s exertions, which should have killed him by now. 2. This episode retells the Norse myth of the creation of humanity. First appearance of the adult Thor in the subseries. First appearance of the dwarfs and King Sindri. First appearance/origin of Thor’s magic ship, Skipbladnir.




 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Journey Into Mystery #103 Synopsis by Arcturus Jackson

Thor returns to twentieth century New York after his excursion into the future (issues #101-102). Returning to his office as Don Blake he is exhausted after all his exertions and Jane Foster has him sleep on the couch while she sees he isn’t disturbed. In Asgard, Odin ponders how he can separate Thor from his love for Jane; Loki proposes sending the Enchantress to seduce the Thunder God from the pallid human girl. Odin agrees so Loki seeks out the Enchantress and explains the plan; Enchantress, who has always wanted to win Thor’s love, agrees. Shortly thereafter, a glamorous mystery woman appears in Manhattan and heads to the office of Dr. Donald Blake. She flirts with Don in his study and when Jane comes in enwraps the doctor in a passionate kiss. Jane rushes out and Don hurries after her, startling the Enchantress by becoming the first man to break from her embrace. Realizing that Don’s affection for Jane is a strong one, she returns to Asgard and recruits the murderous Executioner to remove her rival….

In New York, Don searches frantically for Jane; he decides he would have better luck as thor and changes into that form. The police inform him that a huge axe-wielding warrior is causing a panic downtown. Recognizing the Executioner by his description, Thor races downtown and arrives just as the killer has located Jane and whirls his axe, sending her to limbo. Thor arrives and battles his enemy, disarming him. The Executioner offers a trade: he will return Jane Foster in exchange for Thor’s hammer. Thor agrees and the villain brings back Jane—but the Uru hammer proves too heavy for the Executioner to lift since he is not worthy. Suddenly the Enchantress appears and casts a spell that slowly turns the Executioner into a tree, his punishment for betraying her. The villain releases Thor from their bargain and pleads with him for help. The Enchantress discovers that her attempt to turn the Uru hammer into a poisonous serpent has no effect, and Thor, fed up with these two, creates a whirlwind that blows both his foes back to Asgard. Don Blake catches up with Jane several blocks away and they have a lover’s spat. Odin, meanwhile, watches from Asgard and vows he will now take action….



Story #2

Thor’s Mission to Mirmir!

Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Chic Stone. Colorist: ?.

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor visits the land of the Dwarfs and asks to be taken to their king, Sindri. He requests that the monarch furnish him with a magic vessel, Skipbladnir, which can shrink to pocket size or grow to carry an army, and travel to any place in the universe. Thor commands the ship to grow and, boarding, commands it to take him to the land of Mirmir. Arriving at that distant land, Thor battles Skord, the flying dragon, and Gullin the Boar God to reach the palace of King Mirmir. There, he presents the king with a branch from Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life, and asks Mirmir to fulfill his pledge to Odin. Mirmir places the branch into the enchanted fountain, the water overflow and run down to Midgard where they form to figures Aske and Embla, the first humans. His mission accomplished, Thor returns home to Asgard.

Preview Pages
Click sample interior pages to enlarge them:




Jack Kirby
Chic Stone
?


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Executioner
Executioner

(Skurge)
Loki
Loki

(Loki Laufeyson)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)



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