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(The Black Galaxy Saga Part 2) #421 - ... And If Gods Are Men... [The Black Galaxy Saga] #422 - …Then What Are Gods? [The Black Galaxy Saga Part 4] #423 - The Day of Their Return [The Black Galaxy Saga] #424 - Let There Be Life [The Black Galaxy Saga] #425 - The Flame, The Frost and the Fury! #426 - Aftermath #427 - The Homecoming! or How Do You Spend the Night After You've Saved the Universe? #428 - If This Be Juggernaut! #429 - This World Is Mine! #430 - The God, the Ghost, and the Guilty! #431 - Requiem for the Wrecker! #432 - At Death Do We Part #433 - Whosoever Holds This Hammer #434 - ...If He Be Worthy! #435 - The Power of Thor #436 - Savage Reunion #437 - Clash With Quasar #438 - Yesterday Must Die! [The Thor War, Part 1 of 4] #439 - When Hammers Clash [The Thor War, Part 2 of 4] #440 - All The Rivers Run! [The Thor War, Part 3 of 4] #441 - My Brother's Burden [The Thor War, Part 4 of 4] #442 - The Day of His Return! #443 - The Mephisto Waltz #444 - How the Groonk Stole Christmas! #445 - The War and the Warrior #446 - Now Strikes the Starforce #447 - Strange Alliances #448 - Secret Agendas!! #449 - Riot On Riker's Island! #450 - When Gods Make War #451 - Beware the Bloodaxe #452 - With This Axe, I Thee Kill! #453 - When Mephisto Commands...! #454 - The Warriors Three Die At Dawn #455 - Odin Unleashed--! #456 - The Choice and the Challenge! #457 - Final Gauntlet! #458 - To The Victor...! #459 - What Price Victory? #460 - Fragments #461 - Friends and Lovers #462 - Payments #463 - Devotions #464 - Blessed Obedience #465 - Holy Sacrifice #466 - Odin's Tale #467 - Descent #468 - Distant Thunder [Blood and Thunder Part One] #469 - Absolute Power [Blood and Thunder Part Five] #470 - Ruins [Blood and Thunder Part Nine] #471 - Fathers and Sons [Blood and Thunder The End] #472 - If Twilight Falls #473 - New Gods For Old #474 - When Mountains Walked #475 - Survival of the Fiercest #476 - Whom The Destroyer Would Destroy... #477 - Three Who Ride The Thunder #478 - Come The Lightning! #479 - This Mortal Coil #480 - Blitzkrieg In the Balkans #481 - The Living Stone, I Presume? #482 - Long Day's Journey Into Mystery Chapter One #483 - Armor and the Man-God I Sing... #484 - The God In The War Machine #485 - Things Ain't What They Used To Be #486 - The Coming of Kurse! #487 - Hel On Earth #488 - To Hela and Back #489 - Hel and High Water #490 - Against the Dying of the Light! #491 - Worldengine Part One of Four: Nailed Up #492 - Worldengine Part Two of Four: Run Through #493 - Worldengine Part Three of Four: Run Down #494 - Worldengine Part Four: Finished Off #495 - In Mortal Guise #496 - Doin' the Zodiac Rag #497 - Thor Must Die #498 - Life Preservation #499 - Ludwig's Children #500 - Sunlight and Shadows #501 - Out of the Blue #502 - Putting on the Bear Shirt
Thor returns to Avengers Mansion to discover Balder in the grip of madness, unable to say what became of Sif or Karnilla, able only to utter the word, “Asgard.” Thor suspects Odin who had exiled them to Midgard as having a hand in it. He tells Hildegarde to stay with Balder—but she refuses, wanting to join the action. Volstagg volunteers to sit with their comrade while Thor gathers Hogun, Fandral, Hildegarde, Silas Grant, and Tana Nile and transports them all to the Rainbow Bridge. But the Bridge is deserted, the portals of the city open. They enter cautiously; a lizard man leaps onto Hildegarde so she grabs it by the neck and slams it into a wall where it dissolves into ash. Then a huge lizard man with several back-up lizards introduces himself as Sssthgar and demands restitution for the death of one of his legion. Thor and his group sit down to a meal with Sssthgar and his legion while the latter tells his tale. The lizard leader explains that he comes from an advanced race of reptile people that was recently invaded by the insectoid Vrellnexians who defeated them in battle and took them as slaves. The Vrellnexians moved from world to world until they reached Asgard; there was a battle, the Vrellnexians won and carried off the Asgardians, including Odin, but Sssthgar and his legion escaped….
Thor’s party and Sssthgar’s legion set sail through space aboard Thor’s sky ship until they reach the land of the Golden Star. They sail into a port and enter the city where they find a slave auction in progress. Thor’s group attacks the Vrellnexians; Thor reaches Odin who seems to have lost his spirit and is upset at what they have done. Thor and his group are victorious—and then Sssthgar and his legion surround and capture them, the Asgardians having been duped into defeating their former partners who had stranded them in Asgard….
Review: Another trip to the stars for the Norse gods? This series likes to shake things up by going from ancient myth to futuristic science fiction. And here we have Thor chasing after insectoid slavers while being duped by lizard guys whose betrayal was easy to see coming since it was spoiled by the cover showing Ssssssthgar as the baddie. Remember, a scary dude who is really a good guy would have to wait a few years for Beta Ray Bill to come along. So, another cool 1970s issue that is pure entertainment! Especially for Hildegarde who refuses to do the traditional women’s role of nursing the sick guy while the men go adventuring. The feminist spirit of the era seems to have penetrated the Marvel Bullpen.
Comments: Part one of two parts. This issue and the next mark the only appearances of Sssthgar and his legion. First appearance of the Vrellnexians who also appear in the MCU, AGENTS OF SHIELD Season 5, episode 1. The letters column includes one by future comics creator J.M. DeMatteis.
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