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Thor #128

May 1966
Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

Thor #128 cover

Story Name:

The Power of Pluto!

Synopsis

Thor #128 synopsis by Arcturus Jackson
Rating: 5 stars
Image from Thor #128

Thor is recovering from his grueling battle with Seidring the Merciless last issue. Assured that his son will recover, Odin proceeds to the Judgment Seat and has the traitor Seidring brought before him; as punishment for attempting to usurp the throne of Asgard, Seidring is given a kingdom to rule—that of the bestial Rock Trolls.

Hercules arrives in Hollywood and is whisked to a movie set where he thrills to the sight of a lavish recreation of Olympus and is introduced to his sexy co-star who will be playing the Amazon Queen. Suddenly he is clobbered by a giant monster but halted before he can retaliate; the film producer Pluto steps forward to greet his new star, explaining the giant was a mechanical prop for an impromptu screen test. Pluto then escorts Herc to a banquet in his honor….

In Asgard, a recovering Thor is gliding in an ice-skimmer across the frozen Sea of Marmora. He and his companion Balder are hunting armored beast-fish with reel-rifles. The Thunder God fires and misses because of his lingering weakness; the enraged beast-fish attack and Balder must fight them off. Thor realizes his need to fully recover his strength if he would challenge Hercules once again….

At the banquet, Hercules enjoys himself with food, drink, and attention of his lovely co-star. In the midst of the festivities, Pluto presents Herc with a contract to sign, a mere formality. Herc balks at the stipulation that he must rule the Netherworld but Pluto quickly explains that it refers only to the plot of the film. Hercules signs—and Pluto has his victory. He reveals himself as the actual Greek Ruler of the Netherworld and the actress as the genuine Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, bitter of Hercules’ rejection of her advances centuries ago. Hercules has just agreed to replace Pluto in his realm for eternity, and the floor open to reveal a spiral staircase heading down to the pits. Herc refuses to go and the villain sets a pair of Titan warriors on him. The Prince of Power starts fighting for his freedom….

In Asgard, Thor has finally recovered his full strength and asks a boon of his father: the opportunity to return to Earth to redeem himself in battle against Hercules. Odin grants permission with a blessing. Thor heads directly to Hollywood where he finds Hercules in the midst of battle with demons of the Netherworld. Enraged at the sight of such an unequal fight, Thor joins in on Herc’s side and together they vanquish their foes. Pluto, watching from the sidelines, departs for Olympus to ask Zeus to enforce the contract. As the two heroes survey the aftermath of the battle, Thor learns that Herc has foolishly signed an Olympian Contract and decides to postpone their own duel as Herc has a more terrible fate awaiting him….


Story #2

Aftermath! (Tales of Asgard series)

Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta

Synopsis

By Arcturus Jackson
Rating: 5 stars
Volla the Prophetess continues to describe her vision to the assembled warriors of Asgard: the coming Ragnarok will end is a massive battle of good against evil, the Midgard Serpent shall rise and Asgard itself will be torn asunder. From the nameless depths shall arise Surtur the Fire Demon who, dying, burns everything to a small smoking mass in his final fury. As the centuries pass, the world will be reformed life will again appear and a new civilization grow. The warriors stand silent before this grim and alarming prospect until Loki steps forward to express his skepticism of the old woman’s prophecy. But Odin silences him, as the All-Father reminds him that the prophetess cannot lie—and what she has seen is that Loki will be the cause of Ragnarok….

 

Review / Commentaries

Thor #128 Review by (June 4, 2013)
Review: Stan’s plot can be summarized as “Hercules sells his soul to the (Greek) devil” and it’s a lot of fun, especially when a titan jumps out and punches him in the head and Pluto calls out “No tagbacks!” Watch as Hippolyta impersonates an actress playing her! And Jack adds a lot of nice touches with the angular spiral stairway to hell, an Olympus movie set that impresses even Herc, and surely no one but Kirby could have devised the sport of hunting armored beast-fish with a reel-rifle. Once again, the Golden Age of Thor was the Silver Age!

Comments: Odd that Thor, who knew nothing about the existence of the Greek Gods when he first met Hercules in JIM ANNUAL #1, now understands the significance of an Olympian Contract with Pluto. Thor recovers from his life-threatening injuries in less time than it takes a train to go from New York to Los Angeles; that’s why he’s the hero. Ragnarok finally arrives in THOR (1998) #80-85 but the aftermath quite different from what takes place in THOR (2007) #1-6.


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Jack Kirby
Vince Colletta
Unknown
Jack Kirby (Cover Penciler)
Vince Colletta (Cover Inker)
Stan Goldberg (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Art Simek.

Characters

Listed in alphabetical order. All stories.

Balder
Balder
(Balder the Brave)
Heimdall
Heimdall
Hercules
Hercules
(Heracles)
Loki
Loki
(Loki Laufeyson)
Odin
Odin
Thor
Thor
(Odinson)
Warriors Three
Warriors Three
(Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg)
Zeus
Zeus
Pluto
Pluto
(Hades)
Plus: Hippolyta, Seidring.

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