Story #2The Golden Apples!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
As the goddess
Iduna travels to
Asgard to give the
Golden Apples of Immortality to
Odin, she must pass through a dark enchanted forest. She is met by the
evil Wolf God Fenris, who has disguised himself in human form. Fenris offers the beautiful Iduna his protection on the journey but she is wary of his animal-like appearance and sinister manner. Fenris reveals himself in his true form but
Haakun the Hunter arrives to rescue Iduna. He hurls his battle-axe at the villain, who dodges but the enchanted axe follows him until it finds its target, sending Fenris to
Varinheim, the shadowy land of the lost. Iduna safely completes her journey to Asgard.
Story #3A Viper in Our Midst!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Thor leads a task force to battle
Ghan, the most deadly of the
Storm Giants, before the monster can proceed with his plan to attack
Asgard. When they encounter their quarry, the warriors fight, while
Loki, jealous of Thor’s prominence, stays far away from the fray. Loki casts a spell to give Ghan the victory to embarrass Thor but the giant is driven away by arrow fire before it can be completed. The
Asgardeans fire a missile of sleep fumes at the fleeing giant but when they search he is nowhere to be found. Delighting in Thor’s failure, Loki remains behind ostensibly to search for the missing giant but really to further a wicked scheme of his own. He had magically transformed Ghan into an eagle, and in gratitude, Ghan promises to aid Loki when he calls. Thus Loki makes his first alliance with the forces of evil, someday to conquer Asgard!
Story #4The Challenge!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Thor and
Loki are sent on a diplomatic mission to the court of
King Hymir to seek an alliance for
Asgard. Loki, however, wants to enlist the evil King as his own ally against Asgard and offers to make Thor Hymir’s slave in exchange for an alliance. Loki suggests that Hymir challenge Thor to a task which he cannot accomplish, with servitude as the penalty for failure. The challenge is issued and Thor is honor-bound to accept. The first challenge is to bring back a fish from the
Sea of Eternal Darkness. Thor takes a longboat onto the sea and discovers the trap: the fish in question are enormous monsters. Thor’s hammer proves mightier and catching a fish is no trouble for the
God of Thunder. Returning to court, Thor hears Hymir’s main challenge: to break the King’s drinking goblet within two minutes. Thor suspects a trick but tries—and discovers that the drinking cup is unbreakable, even for a god. The King’s kindly sister,
Princess Rinda, secretly reveals to Thor that the cup is enchanted and advises him to go through with his plan to kill the King. Thor hurls the cup at the King’s head and it shatters on Hymir’s crown which is the source of his magic powers. Hymir concludes that Loki has betrayed him and orders the
God of Mischief out of his court. Loki continues to search for a plan to defeat his hated brother.
Story #5The Sword in the Scabbard!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
It is a typical day in
Asgard, as the bored warriors engage in some violent brawling to pass the time. Suddenly
Odin enters and commands them to cease fighting, asking for
Thor and
Loki. When he finds them engaged in a private duel in a barren chamber he orders them to stop and to follow him, refusing to listen to any explanations or excuses. He shows his sons the grave problem facing Asgard: the awesome
Oversword, which, drawn from its sheath, will signal the end of the world, now has a crack in the blade. The larger the crack grows the closer the universe will come to annihilation, so the
All-Father orders his sons on an expedition to discover and stop the hidden foe responsible for the outrage….
Story #6The Crimson Hand!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Thor consults with
Morduk the Wise, asking the sage for a map that will guide him and his heroes on their quest to learn who cracked the great
Oversword of Asgard (last issue). Morduk also gives him the
Crimson Hand, a gauntlet that, when worn, will force the wearer and anyone he clasps hands with to tell nothing but the truth. At this point,
Loki enters with a warrior he introduces as
Braggi, the new overseer of the ship’s crew. Thor shakes the man’s hand while wearing the Crimson Hand and Braggi is compelled to reveal that he is an assassin, hired to murder Thor on the voyage. Panicked, the villain draws his sword but Thor easily overcomes him and drives him from the camp. Thor suggests clasping hands with Loki to begin the quest, but the
God of Evil, recognizing the Crimson Hand, makes excuses and departs. As Thor resolves himself for the rigors of the quest, a great horn summons to warriors of Asgard to Odin’s ship….
Story #7Gather, Warriors!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
About to depart on their quest to learn who cracked the great
Oversword of Asgard,
Thor awaits only the arrival of all of his mighty warriors. As he watches, Balder enrolls the names of great heroes:
Hogun the Grim,
Fandral the Dashing,
Kroda the Duellist,
Magrat the Schemer and more. Suddenly a commotion attracts the
Thunder God’s attention: a brawl has broken out on the docks as the enormous blustering
Volstagg mixes it up with a trio of mocking fighters. Thor halts the altercation with a hammer blow to the ground and hustles the big and boastful warrior onto the ship. Meanwhile back at the palace,
Odin reveals to his advisers what he has discovered: behind a curtain, etched into a wall, the words, "
Ragnarok is coming," the day the world will perish….
Story #8Set Sail!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: Matt Milla.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The mighty
Odin gives the order for the ship of heroes to set sail on the quest to learn who cracked the great
Oversword of Asgard. The magical craft sails though the skies as the women of Asgard line the walls to see their men off. The randy
Volstagg stands tall, flirting with each of them over the distance until a sight causes him to cower out of sight: the disapproving glare of his own wife.
Loki gives the buffoonish Volstagg a kick in the rear ordering him to work but
Thor rebukes him for treating a fellow warrior as a serf. Loki is offended that Thor would side with Volstagg against a Prince of Asgard, and while the two bicker,
Magrat the Schemer persuades
Kroda the Duelist to assassinate Thor. A thrown knife stays his treacherous hand though, as
Hogun the Grim coldly warns against any such action. Kroda silently vows revenge against the dark-visaged warrior, as the ship sails off into the unknown. Back in Asgard, Odin ponders the wisdom of his recent (secret) decision….