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Thor (1998 series) #1

Dan Jurgens | John Romita Jr.

Thor (1998 series) #1 cover

Story Name:

In Search of the Gods


Synopsis

Thor (1998 series) #1 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4.5 stars

At a New York City daycare, a gunman is demanding an audience with Thor or he will start killing the children. The police have the place surrounded and a crowd has formed. Then Thor arrives and things go quiet. He is apprised of the situation by Detective Brady O’Neill and then Thor hurls Mjolnir up into the air and it comes down through the roof of the daycare, creating a barrier between the gunman and the children. Thor seizes the man who claims to be Heimdall under an enchantment by Loki, demanding to be taken to Asgard so he can prove his claim. Thor walks him out but instead of handing him over to the police, Thor flies off to Asgard….

At a military base, soldiers in hazmat gear are moving the huge box containing the Destroyer armor. The cowardly and insecure Colonel Preston Case, against all warnings, touches the box and it explodes….

Back at the daycare, EMT Jake Olson is looking forward to dinner with his fiancée when a call comes in about a disruption at the docks and he dreads informing Hannah….

In Hel, Volla the Prophetess informs Hela, Goddess of Death, that Thor will soon be in her realm, fulfilling one of her greatest desires….

Thor arrives in the ruins of Asgard where the gunman breaks down in awe, confessing he is not Heimdall but a mortal man, and he apologizes. Thor erupts in anger, hurling Mjolnir through the wreckage of the Golden Realm, confessing that it was only his sense of loss that prompted him to believe the man. He discovers one of Loki’s arrows, recalling an incident from his childhood and mourning the loss of the gods. Thor returns the man to Earth while, behind him, something has been freed by his thrown hammer….

Jake Olson and his partner Demitrius Collins are racing to the emergency on the docks when he calls his fiancée Hannah Fairmont to tell her he will miss dinner; Hannah takes it philosophically but her daughter Amanda is annoyed….

Thor delivers the gunman to the hospital where he meets Jane Foster, discovering she is now a doctor. She tells him of the Avengers in battle at the docks and he immediately flies there. The Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye) are helping evacuate the disaster area when the Destroyer steps out of the fires. The heroes attack. Meanwhile, Jake Olson is able to revive a patient after Demitrius has told him to give up. Cap directs Thor and Iron Man to hit the Destroyer hard simultaneously. They do but they are repelled by the monster, animated by Colonel Case, exulting in his newfound power.  Hawkeye protects Wanda from a blast then Cap uses his shield to cover them. Then Thor jumps in and starts hammering the Destroyer with everything he’s got. Jake finds a woman trapped under the wreckage of a car and tries pulling her out and hurrying her to safety. Thor calls down a massive storm on the Destroyer; Scarlet Witch casts a spell of protection over the Avengers; Thor orders the Destroyer to fall—but he doesn’t. The monster armor, inhabited by a gloating Case, beats Thor brutally then opens his visor and unleashes the heat blast. The Avengers rush over to find Thor burned and seemingly dead….

Characters: Thor, Jake Olson, Demitrius Collins,  Amanda Fairmont, Hela, Volla, Jane Foster, Avengers, Cap, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Destroyer,


Characters
Good (or All)
AVENGERS
CAP
HAWKEYE
IRONMAN
JANEFOSTER
SCARLETWITCH
THOR
Plus: Amanda Fairmont (Mandy Fairmount), Demitrius Collins, Hannah Fairmont, Jake Olson, Volla the Prophetess (Volla).

Enemies
DESTR
HELA
Plus: Perrikus.

> Thor (1998 series) comic book info and issue index


Thor (1998 series) #1 cover

Excelsioring your collection:
statue
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

John Romita Jr.
Klaus Janson
Gregory Wright
John Romita Jr. (Cover Penciler)
Klaus Janson (Cover Inker)
Liquid! (Cover Colorist)




Review / Commentaries


Thor (1998 series) #1 Review by (February 18, 2025)

Review: An impressive launch of a new volume of Thor adventures. It neatly brings Thor onto the scene as a strong imposing figure, a Norse god though some would dispute it. He deals with a madman compassionately, but only after his hostages are no longer in danger. He also overrules the police department’s wishes, choosing to check out the man’s claims to godhood independently. He is still torn by the loss of his home and his family. Thor also hurries into the action when called on without question. He also takes on an enemy he knows is unbeatable. The other Avengers are shown as heroes but it isn’t their book. Hela pops in for a page to let us know something dire is in the works. We also meet Jake Olson, Hannah Fairmount, and Demitrius Collins whose plight will occupy the next several issues. And then there’s the matter of Thor gaining another secret identity; this might give one pause, remembering how eventually the Don Blake persona became an annoyance, especially after being retconned multiple times. Dan Jurgens can be trusted to give us the maximum of adventure so we’ll stick with it. John Romita Jr. is an acquired taste but his excesses are still a few years in the future so again, we’ll stick with it. And this is just issue #1.

Comments: Extra-large first issue. The Lost Gods vanished toward the end of Thor’s first series; the search for them continued in the retitled JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1996) #503-513. First appearance of Demitrius Collins and Jake Olsen. First appearance of Hannah Fairmont and her daughter Amanda. First appearance of Detective Brady O’Neill who will appear intermittently through issue #20. Volla the Prophetess was first seen in THOR #127, speaking of Ragnarök; she has returned occasionally over the decades to reiterate the warnings. Destroyer was last active in INCREDIBLE HULK #461. And the mystery figure freed in Asgard will be revealed to be the Dark God Perrikus in issue #4. Richard Starkings and Dave Lanphear are credited with the lettering.






Thor

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