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Thor #224

Jun 1974
Gerry Conway, John Buscema

Thor #224 cover

Story Name:

No One Can Stop...The Destroyer!

Synopsis

Thor #224 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

Thor and Hercules rush the dying Krista to the hospital; privately Thor turns back into Dr. Don Blake, surprising the hospital staff with his sudden reappearance after a long absence. He also confuses Herc by describing himself as a friend of Thor but soon hints at his real identity, further confusing the Greek god. Don sends Herc out on the town while he tends to his patient….

Elsewhere in the city, Professor Clement Holmes is examining the Destroyer which he found on a trip to South America. He is trying to revive it but his assistant Otto wants nothing to do with it and leaves. The armor awakens and absorbs Holmes’ soul to fully activate it and it heads out, looking for its enemy, Thor….

After surgery, Don talks to an assisting surgeon, Dr. Lois Reddy, who asks him why he has been gone so long, neglecting his patients and his medical gifts. He doesn’t know what to say….

Hercules enters a swanky nightclub where he enjoys the liquor and the company of the ladies when the club begins to shake. Herc goes out to investigate and discovers the Destroyer tearing down the building, having detected someone like Thor inside. Herc fights it and it surprised to discover its strength (courtesy of Odin); they battle and Herc is thrown around and Destroyer prepares to use its visor blast. Don Blake is in Krista’s room at the hospital, pondering whether he does more good as Thor or as Dr. Blake. He looks out of the window and sees a glow in the distance which he recognizes as the Destroyer’s. He quickly changes into Thor and flies to the scene where he takes on the giant armor which is trying to blast the swiftly dodging Hercules. The Destroyer appears to be winning when Thor hurls Mjolnir which picks up Destroyer and carries it through the air and hurls it into the river, then returning to its master’s hand. Thor explains to Herc that the Destroyer is activated by a human soul and dispatches Herc to find that person while he heads to the waterfront to resume the battle with the enchanted armor. Thor and his foe fight on the docks until the Destroyer wrests Mjolnir from Thor’s hand and advances, while Thor worries about losing the hammer for sixty seconds which will turn him back into the vulnerable Don Blake….



 

Review / Commentaries

Thor #224 Review by (April 19, 2023)

Review: A pared down plot marks this issue as we don’t have to worry about Krista because Don Blake has everything in hand. (Note that none of the assisting personnel noticed anything unusual about the Asgardian patient, suggesting that an Asgardian’s internal organs are identical to mortals.) The bulk of the ish is devoted to a big fight scene with first Hercules then Thor against the Destroyer. Destroyer stories are usually cool but here, with its fourth appearance, it may be starting to become overused; by the 21st century it definitely would be. And for the character moments, Don wonders about his career choice, surgeon or superhero? Marvel characters are required to ponder their existence twice a year it seems and here is Don Blake’s turn. Somehow, I don’t think we’ll see a cover depicting Don walking away from Mjolnir in a trash can with the title “Thor No More!”

Comments: Part one of five parts. The last appearance of Don Blake in this comic was issue #209; in the meantime, he appeared in AVENGERS #113 and 121 and IRON MAN #67, the latter without Thor. This is the fourth appearance of the Destroyer which was last seen in THOR #150-152, ending with Odin taking the armor into his keeping; the next issue informs us that Odin hid the Destroyer in South America to await Ragnarök. Only appearance of Dr. Lois Reddy. The letters column includes one by future Marvel editor Ralph Macchio and one by future writer of NINJA HIGH SCHOOL Fred Lee Cain.



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John Buscema
Mike Esposito
George Roussos
John Romita (Cover Penciler)
John Romita (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: John Costanza.

Characters

Listed in alphabetical order. All stories.

Destroyer
Destroyer
Donald Blake
Donald Blake
Hercules
Hercules
(Heracles)
Thor
Thor
(Odinson)
Plus: Krista.

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