Comic Browser:

Thor #376

Feb 1987

Walt Simonson, Sal Buscema

Story Name:

Heroes Always Win--Don't They?

Synopsis

Thor #376 synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Rating:

On a New York street, Thor faces an angry Absorbing Man—whom he assumes is another illusion of Loki’s like the enemies he fought last issue. Titania appears alongside her lover and attacks Thor; the Thunder God slaps her away and accidentally kills her; Crusher Creel vows to kill him for it. Weakened by Hela’s spell, Thor flees from the scene, his flight marked by a sensationalistic news reporter…

…and by Loki who is showing the scene to the shrunken Frost Giants as proof of his vow to help them regain their sizes and to their former glory.

More subplots, all in one place: In Asgard, King Balder oversees the sheathing of Surtur’s mighty sword until the Twilight of the Gods. Loki repairs to his fortress to prepare a sinister potion as the next step in his scheme. The Enchantress mourns the death of Skurge the Executioner as an extension of her self-pity. Heimdall asks if she had ever told Skurge she loved him; she breaks down in tears. Hogun the Grim gives to the orphaned Kevin and Mick slices of the Golden Apples of Idunn which grant them divine life; he also offers to train them in combat, inviting the Lady Sif to join them.

Thor and his foe crash though the street and down into the subway. Creel touches the train and is transformed into steel. Retreating again to the surface, Thor calls up a storm but Creel absorbs that too—until he is hurled into contact with Thor’s hammer, whereupon the villain becomes a thing of Uru. Creel shatters Thor’s ribs with a blow and hurls him through buildings—but Thor cannot die because of Hela’s curse. Thor conjures up a vortex so he can escape to another dimension but Creel, it is just another storm, leaps into it and is transported to a desolate world from which he cannot escape. He vows vengeance. Back in New York, the fickle crowd offers the seriously injured Thor its support but he wanders off, his victory hollow, and under the harassment of an insensitive and nagging press, collapses from his wounds.

In a remote corner of Asgard, Loki breaks the vial he has prepared, releasing a plague of demons….

Review / Commentaries

Thor #376 Review by Peter Silvestro (May 7, 2014)

Review: Another one of those recurring battles royale that show up from time to time: on this occasion it’s the Absorbing Man, whose engagements with the God of Thunder are usually pretty interesting; this time around Thor is at a serious disadvantage, his bones weak but unable to die. The really unusual part of this is the sensationalistic news reporters, mocking Thor in sort of a Greek chorus, misunderstanding the situation and slandering the hero. The latter casts the comic in a more cynical light than we are used to and it has quite an impact. The Enchantress subplot has been drawn out too long; we don’t usually like her and Heimdall’s attempts to get her to see how badly she treated her villainous boyfriend aren’t going to endear her to us.

Comments: Fandral appears only in a crowd scene.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Walt Simonson

Sal Buscema

George Roussos

Walt Simonson (Cover Penciler)
Walt Simonson (Cover Inker)

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Balder
(Balder the Brave)

Heimdall

Hogun
(Hogun the Grim)

Sif

Surtur
(Surtur the Fire Demon)

Thor
(Odinson)

Absorbing Man
(Crusher Creel)

Enchantress
(Amora)

Loki
(Loki Laufeyson)

Plus: Frost Giants.

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Thor #376

Heroes Always Win--Don't They?

Synopsis

Review / Commentaries

Main/1st Story Full Credits