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Thor (1998 series) #40

Oct 2001 on-sale: Aug 1, 2001

Dan Jurgens
writer
 |  Stuart Immonen
penciler

Thor (1998 series) #40 cover

Story Name:

By Fire Born


Synopsis

Thor (1998 series) #40 synopsis by reviewer Peter Silvestro
Rating: 3 stars

The forces of Asgard, joined by HerculesBeta Ray Bill, and Kurse (the last an odd choice), are in Oslo, Norway, engaged in battle with the flaming forces of Surtur the Fire Demon. But the odds are against the heroes without Thor by their side, so their morale is slowly ebbing as Kurse asks why Odin isn’t there with them….

In Asgard, Odin is concerned bout the troops but must stay beside his son Thor who is in the healing chamber….

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In New York, Jane Foster takes a shower, ready to spend the night with her husband Keith Kincaid, newly out of the hospital, and she is surprised not to see him there….

EMTs Jake Olson and Christine Collins are on the job; she embraces him but he tries to hold her off, not thinking of her in a romantic way. But she claims they must have been lovers in a previous life. Then a radio broadcast mentions the flaming giant in Norway and he dashes off, aware that he cannot transform into Thor yet compelled to help. So he heads to the Fairmont household where he interrupts Tarene as she is playing video games with Amanda, changes the TV to the news, and drags Tarene off, claiming they have family in Norway and they must telephone from Jake’s house to make sure they are all right. Outside, Tarene changes into Thor Girl and takes off for Asgard…

…where Thor is still in the healing chamber. Against the physicians’ warning, Thor Girl opens the chamber to summon Thor….

[In New York, Christine arrives home and steps through her magic mirror, resuming her true identity of Amora the Enchantress. But Keith Kincaid has followed her there and offers to step through the mirror himself. He does and stands revealed as…someone Amora believes to be dead….]

In Norway, the Asgardian forces are in a great deal of trouble when Odin arrives, in a chariot drawn by the goats Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder. And then it begins to rain, heralding the arrival of Thor as Tarene was able to overcome the negative effects of removing him from the chamber too early. Thor battles Surtur then Thor Girl arrives and they enact their plan which is Thor unlashing his power against the fiery villain with Tarene adding the infinite power of the Designate to magnify it. But Odin reckons it is not enough so, when Thor Girl is blasted out of the sky by Surtur, the All-Father charges at the enemy and there is a massive explosion. When the smoke clears, Surtur is gone…but so is Odin….

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Characters
Good (or All)
BALDER  
Balder
(The Brave)
BRBILL  
HERCULES  
Hercules
(Heracles)
HOGUN  
Hogun
(Hogun the Grim)
JAKEODUP  
Jake Olson
(Duplicate)
ODIN  
Odin
(All-Father)
THOR  
Thor
(Odinson)
THORGIRL  
Thor Girl
(Tarene)
Plus: Amanda Fairmont (Mandy Fairmount), Cyra, Hannah Fairmont.

Enemies
ENCHANTRESS  
SURTUR  
Surtur
(Surtur the Fire Demon)
Plus: Executioner (Demon from Hela).

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



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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Stuart Immonen
Scott Koblish
Dave Kemp
Tom Raney (Cover Penciler)
Tom Raney (Cover Inker)
Tom Raney (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Richard Starkings.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: Joe Quesada.



Review / Commentaries


reviewer
Thor (1998 series) #40 Review by (January 6, 2026)

Review: Not quite as dark (visually) as the previous issue, things are darker (thematically): Odin dies heroically fighting the archenemy Surtur. Yes, we’ve seen this before and will see it again, including Odin’s death. But this version still packs a punch with heroism and all that factoring in though not as intense as it could have been. The Thor/Thor Girl battle scene is a lot more impressive, largely because of the bright light of the art. The three guest stars (Herc, BRBill and a krabby Kurse) have little to do other than supply a bit of commentary though we do get a teaser about the mystery Kincaid, even if we’ve been given no reason to care yet about a very minor supporting character in the series. One outstanding detail: the colorist must have had a field day with so much red and yellow for the baddies and blue and white for the good guys.

Comments: Part two of two parts. Surtur dies but returns in issue #80. Odin dies but returns in spirit in issue #84 and in a limbo between life and death in THOR (2007) #7-8; he is fully restored to life in THOR (2009) #618-621. Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder first appeared in THOR ANNUAL #5. Letters by Richard Starkings and Wes Abbott.






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