Comic Browser:

Journey into Mystery #88

Jan 1963

Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby

Story Name:

The Vengeance of Loki!

Synopsis

Journey into Mystery #88 synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Rating:

At the end of issue #85, Loki, God of Mischief, was returned to Asgard by Thor. Odin sentences him to never again leave Asgard. The increasingly embittered Loki wanders the land until he decides to spy on Thor. Using a magic spell he looks in on the adventure of issue #87 and learns that Thor has another identity, that of an ordinary mortal, and that he remains Thor only so long as he holds the Uru hammer. This gives him the clue he needs for how to defeat his hated enemy. He transforms himself into a snake and slithers down the Rainbow Bridge past the guardian Heimdall to Earth. Disguised as an old man he heads for Dr. Don Blake’s office in New York and hypnotizes Jane Foster into letting him in to see the doctor. Finally confronting his foe, Loki unmasks, prompting Don to strike his cane and transform into Thor. The villain challenges him to battle in Central Park in one hour and takes his leave. At the appointed time, Thor arrives and hurls him hammer at Loki. Loki meanwhile has summoned the hypnotized Jane Foster to the scene and conjures up a tiger to threaten her. Thor is forced to choose between catching his hammer and rescuing the woman he loves and so he throws himself on the beast. Thor kills the tiger but, separated from his hammer for sixty seconds, he transforms back into Don Blake. Loki then generates a magical force field around the hammer so Don cannot touch it and return to his Thor form. With Thor defeated, Loki goes on a wild spree of mischief, turning propel into blank outlines and transforming part of the city into candy and ice cream. He renders a Soviet nuclear bomb powerless (which seems like a good thing) and when the army confronts him, their weapons grow wings and fly away. In the face of all this chaos, Don Blake conceives a plan to overcome Loki. Soon afterwards, the God of Mischief hears a news report that Thor has vowed to defeat Loki before the end of the week. Loki hurries to where the Uru hammer is trapped under the force field and comes face-to-face with Thor, holding his hammer. Confused, he removes the force field, allowing Don, who was hiding behind the Thor manikin, to leap out and touch the weapon, regaining the form of the Thunder God. Loki escapes by transforming himself into a pigeon and flying off with a flock of the birds. Thor tosses a bag of peanuts which attracts the pigeons—all except one. Our hero borrows a tennis net and snares his enemy and delivers him back to Asgard.

Characters:

Enemies

Review / Commentaries

Journey into Mystery #88 Review by Peter Silvestro (May 28, 2011)

Review: Nothing outstanding, just another enjoyable battle of wits between Thor and Loki, with a lot of goofy stuff going on.

Comments: Thor says “So be it!” for the first time. Thor visits Asgard for the first time in this series. Jane called “Jane Foster” for the first time. Great line: “Hey! Stop licking my bicycle! Shoo!”

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This comic is in the following collection:

Collecting JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83-120 and ANNUAL #1

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Larry Lieber

Jack Kirby

Dick Ayers

Unknown

Additional Credits

Plot: Stan Lee. Letterer: Art Simek.

Thor

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