Story #2Balder the Brave!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The warrior
Balder is summoned to appear before
Odin, who questions the hero as to why he deserted the army when they pursued the
Storm Giants in battle. Balder confesses it was because he stopped to return a baby bird to its mother’s nest. Odin orders him to face the test of mortal death. Though many other warriors intercede for the beloved hero, Odin’s decision is final. Balder is brought to the area of execution and
Tyr the Master Archer is commanded to fire an arrow into the condemned man’s heart. He lets fly a shaft but a hawk swoops down and plucks the arrow from the air. Odin then commands
Honir to hurl a spear at Balder but again, he is rescued when a huge plant immediately grows up before him and traps the missile. Next, Odin order
Thor to dispatch Balder and the
Thunder God reluctantly raises his hammer—but Odin himself halts him. The
All-Father reveals that he is the one who summoned the hawk and the plant, and now endows Balder with the gift of invincibility, to demonstrate that the bravest are the gentlest.
Story #3Balder Must Die!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
As the newly invulnerable
Balder (so gifted by
Odin last issue) plays with his friends the forest animals,
Loki looks on with bitter jealousy. Determined to destroy Odin’s new second-favorite, he approaches the
Norn Queen and demands to know how Balder can be killed. He knows that every living thing has pledged to protect Balder but Odin must have forgotten something; he forces the Norn Queen to reveal what it is: the lowly mistletoe. Loki then seeks out a patch of mistletoe and has the trolls fashion for him a blowgun and a dart out of the plant. The next day, the
God of Mischief watches from hiding as Balder engages in combat practice. When the kindly Balder stumbles to avoid stepping on a caterpillar, Loki strikes—but the blowgun explodes into flames in his hands. The Norn Queen appears and points out the small detail Loki had overlooked: that the Norn Queen herself had also pledged to protect Balder. Loki vows revenge but she intends to be ready for him. Meanwhile, Balder senses that danger lurks nearby but he fears it not.
Story #4Trapped by the Trolls!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
A lone traveler appears at the court of
Sindri, king of the
Dwarfs, seeking shelter from the storm. Sindri, who owes the
Trolls a slave as the price of keeping them from invading his realm, drops the visitor through a trap door. He is seized by a waiting band of Trolls and carried through the underground labyrinth to their dungeon, where the captive is chained. The new prisoner reveals himself to be
Thor, defeats the trolls, and frees all their slaves, as he was ordered by
Odin. Thor then seals up the opening to the underworld.
Story #5Banished From Asgard!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
For fighting a duel without permission,
Odin banishes
Thor from
Asgard. The other
Aesir intercede for Thor in view of the war with the
Mountain Giants but the
All-Father is adamant. The traitor
Arkin the Weak seizes the opportunity to bring this news to
Knorda, normal-sized
Queen of the Giants, hoping to win her love. She leada a band of giant warriors to ambush Thor on the mountain trail and they drive him into a closed canyon and seal up the cave he rides into. However, Thor emerges from the other end of the tunnel where Odin and the Asgardeans are waiting and they have the giants trapped in the canyon. Odin’s ruse has flushed out the traitor in Asgard as well. Knorda surrenders to Odin and father and son ride home together.
Story #6The Defeat of Odin!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Rampok, the rebel against
Asgard, is dead; his youthful son
Rivvak takes up the reins of battle. As the warriors of
Odin and Rivvak face each other across the boiling plain, Odin orders a frontal attack, despite
Thor’s advice against it. Rivvak, frightened at his first battle, is losing the confidence of his legions. As the Asgardeans charge across the plain, Rivvak orders his army to meet them but boiling geysers erupt, driving Odin and his warriors back. For the first time in history, Odin orders a retreat. And the newly confident Rivvak is acclaimed a hero by his men. On the way back to Asgard, Odin explains to Thor that he lost the battle on purpose, to keep the human race strong with hope that no enemy is unconquerable.
Story #7The Secret of Sigurd!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Returning from a mission for
Odin,
Thor,
Loki, and
Balder are walking through a forest when they are surprised by a lone warrior. This warrior,
Sigurd, inhabits the forest and challenges the three from
Asgard to battle. While Loki goads Thor into fighting the foe, Balder recalls that Sigurd has some secret. Thor and Sigurd face each other and Thor shatters his enemy’s hammer with a blow from his own, throwing Sigurd to the ground. The warrior however rises stronger than before. This happens several more times, with Sigurd becoming stronger every time he is knocked down. At this, Balder recalls that Sigurd is the son of the
Earth Sprites who empower him every time he touches the earth. Thor then hooks his hammer to Sigurd’s belt and hurls him to an asteroid in space where he will never again be a menace. Loki, who led his companions on this path to see Thor defeated, leaves disappointed.
Story #8The Coming of Loki!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Odin leads the forces of Asgard into battle against the giants of Jotunheim in order to secure his right to reign. He faces the giant king Laufey on the field of combat. The two struggle but when Odin is nearly trapped by a geyser of flame, he hurls his magic hammer and shatters Laufey’s war club. Seeing their king discomfited, the giant forces pour onto the field to attack, so Odin calls the warriors of Asgard to his side and the battle is on. After much fighting Odin’s legions drive the giants into retreat with the Aesir in pursuit. Laufey dies under Odin’s hammer rather than surrender and the giants are vanquished. A bag is discovered to contain an infant—Loki, son of Laufey, shamed for his small stature. Though they sense evil in him, Odin vows to raise the child as his own, as befits a prince.