Thor #237: Review

Jul 1975

Gerry Conway, John Buscema

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Story Name:

Ulik Unchained

Review & Comments

Rating:

Thor #237 Review by Peter Silvestro (August 29, 2023)

Review: Pedestrian tale is hurt by too many appearances by Ulik and the trolls (dibs on the rock band name). Such stories are just a lot of violence which grows dull after a while. Meanwhile, we can wonder how Ulik was able to tunnel up into a park completely undetected just as Thor is standing fifty feet away. And then during a blackout, the trolls are able to take an elevator up to Jane’s apartment, having never seen an elevator or apartment building before. But then orcs have menus so who knows? Anyway, an unremarkable issue.

Comments: Part one of three parts. This marks Ulik’s fourth encounter with Thor, the previous one being in THOR #210-211. Jane makes a sly comparison of herself, Don Blake, and Thor to Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and Superman. She also mentions talk show host Johnny Carson and his penchant for frequent vacations. Police officers Abercrombie and Finch echo the names of classy clothing store Abercrombie and Fitch. According to GCD, the cover was revised by John Romita. The letters page contains only two letters, one by Dean Mullaney, future founder of Eclipse Enterprises and one by Peter Sanderson, future Marvel editor and contributor to the Official Handbooks.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #237 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Don Blake and Jane Foster have lunch at a fancy restaurant, with Jane so excited to be back with Don that she doesn’t stop talking. On the way back to the office, they encounter a gang of crooks in a high-speed chase with police. A stray bullet hits a woman near them, so while Jane attends to her, Don changes into Thor and pursues the crooks. He hurls Mjolnir which takes out the front axle, leading to a crash. Thor spins Mjolnir, deflecting the bad guys’ bullets, and throws one crook at the others, knocking them all out—in under sixty seconds. But nearby, Ulik is spying on him, and he and his troll companions head back below the surface, using the earth-drill to seal up the tunnel….

In southern California, Orrin, the amnesiac Odin, broods over his superhuman show of strength the previous day. Judith brings a friend, Mr. Heath, to convince Orrin to use his powers to help the migrant workers….

Hercules and the Grand Vizier are enjoying a carnival when an accident causes the Ferris wheel to come apart; Herc jumps in and holds the wheel in place. He is unhappy that the world is no longer an enjoyable place….

Thor joins Jane at her apartment and she asks if he would rather have Sif. He kisses her…then the lights go out. Thor looks out of the window and sees the city is in darkness. And then the trolls invade. While Thor and Ulik are battering each other, a band of trolls heads up to Jane’s apartment and seizes her. And Thor is forced to submit to the villains….

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