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Selector

Thor #450

Aug 1992
Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz

Thor #450 cover

Story Name:

When Gods Make War


Synopsis

Thor #450 synopsis by Marvelite Indexer
Rating: 4.5 stars

Prologue: Having checked out what’s going on in Asgard, Mephisto stands before the Soul Shroud containing Thor Odinson and mocks the hero….

Late at night, Eric Masterson calls his ex-wife Marcy Masterson, now married to Bobby Steele, asking to speak to his son Kevin. Marcy tells him it is too late and the boy is in bed. Eric leaves a message for the boy that he loves him and hangs up. Eric changes into Thor for his mission to Asgard to deal with the traitor Heimdall….

Lt. Marcus Stone seeks to avenge the serious injury done to Code: Blue member Sam “Mother” Majowski by the troll Ulik. His superior, Captain Conklin tells him he is too personally involved. He gathers several members of the team, Rigger Ruiz, Fireworks Fielstein, Mad Dog Rassitano, and Jock Jackson, for the mission and then Thor arrives to take them to their destination….

On the Rainbow Bridge, Fandral is single-handedly fighting off the invading monsters, including the Rime Giants Glump and Kai-Ra. He is overcome by the enemy when to the rescue come Thor and Code: Blue. Defeating the bad guys, they force Kai-Ra to tell them where to find the captured Hogun and Volstagg. They are held by Ulik and Uroc at the Well of Eternal Tears. Fandral offers to guide them to the Well but Thor remains behind to confront Heimdall….

Amora the Enchantress arrives at the Northern Border of Asgard to drop off Skoll the Wolf God whom she has defeated in single combat (last issue) and to ask the wolves led by one Gregor to guard the border against any more invaders while she checks on Heimdall, her former lover….

Fandral and the cops arrive at the Well of Eternal Tears. Rigger volunteers to infiltrate the slaves as she, being a bodybuilder, most approximates an Asgardian in physique. Fandral is smitten….

Thor arrives at the palace; entering the throne room, he accuses Heimdall of treason in holding the awakened Odin captive and also accuses him of banishing the real Thor. They battle. Amora, just arrived, wants to step in to rescue Heimdall but she is attacked by Karnilla the Norn Queen, now revealed to be a villain. They take their magic duel to the Astral Void….

In a cavern at the Well, Ulik and Uroc are plotting to torture the captive Volstagg and Hogun; Rigger discovers them and radios to Stone for backup as she whips out a huge guns and starts shooting, telling the baddies they are under arrest….

In the palace, Heimdall uses the Odin Power to call down a stream of meteors to attack Thor, who only needs Mjolnir to smash them one by one. In the Void, Amora and Karnilla are locked in battle when the true mastermind behind the war reveals himself, startling Amora so that Karnilla can knock her out easily. They are transported back to the throne room. Heimdall, seeing the fallen Amora rushes to her side. Thor, knowing only that Amora is one of the bad guys, takes this as confirmation that Heimdall has turned evil….

The Code: Blue cops fight the bad guys; Fireworks hands a special weapon to sharpshooter Mad Dog: a liquid nitrogen missile that freezes Uroc’s hand when it hits, followed by a gunshot that shatters the limb. In a blind rage, Uroc causes the cavern to collapse on him. Meanwhile, Lt. Stone goes after Ulik….

Karnilla arrives in the chamber where Odin is asleep and blasts the Grand Vizier; Heimdall arrives and recognizes that she is the villain and blasts her. Thor arrives and misunderstands everything….

Stone is seized by Ulik and dangled over a high ledge. He tosses a grenade in Ulik’s mouth and the explosion hurls the troll off the ledge where he hangs on for his life. Stone places him under arrest but while he’s reading Ulik his rights, the troll, refusing to be imprisoned again, drops into the smoking pit….

Thor and Heimdall fight but Odin arrives, orders them to stop, banishes Heimdall to a nameless dimension, and proclaims to all Asgard that he is returned….

At a celebration afterwards, Rigger and Fandral are attracted to one another but Stone is upset that his suspect got away and Thor feels that something is wrong with the way it all turned out….

Later, Odin and Karnilla drink to having conquered the Golden Realm and no one will ever know. Meanwhile, Thor Odinson weeps in the Soul Shroud….  

“The End of Ego!”
Writer: Tom DeFalco. Art: Patrick Olliffe. Colors: Rob Tokar. Letters: Rick Parker.
Synopsis: Ego the Living Planet is being crushed by a massive cancer called the Super Ego. The Destiny Hunt in orbit is threatened, Count Tagar calling to Juvan and Zon to take precautions. On the planet, the High Evolutionary refuses the advice of Nobilus to head for safety, as Balder and Sif struggle against the planet’s eruptions. The High E is fascinated by these happenings and Sif devises a way to deal with him: she conks the High E on the head and Balder uses the Norn Stones to teleport everyone back to the ship. Just as they vanish Ego is crushed by its larger parent. Suddenly, an army of Celestials appears, attacking the Super Ego. High E is absorbed in the proceedings but Sif is fed up with this nonsense and she and Balder take off via the Norn Stones, Balder worrying about his companion’s growing obsession….

“And They Shall Call Thee…Bloodaxe”
Writer: Tom DeFalco. Pencils: Gary Hartle. Inks: Ray Kryssing. Colors: Sarra Mossoff. Letters: Dave Sharpe.
Synopsis: Picking up the magical axe in Leena Moran’s apartment has transformed the mystery visitor [Spoiler: it’s Jackie Lukus] into a massive musclebound executioner wearing Skurge’s armor. He exults in his newfound might and skill with the axe. Then he hears the sound of police chasing a carful of criminals. Leaping from the roof, he lands in the street and smashes the bad guys’ car apart with a swing of the axe, then uses it to freeze the crooks in place. Fleeing the police, he returns to the rooftop, dreaming of freedom from the restraints of modern society. He designs for himself a new contemporary costume: a red skull helmet and black leather outfit, and he dubs himself Bloodaxe, the Executioner!

“Trapped by Loki, God of Mischief!”
Reprinted from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #85.



 

Review / Commentaries


Thor #450 Review by (May 24, 2022)
Review (actually by Peter Silvestro): Sigh. This feels like the longest single issue write-up I have ever done, covering a surprising amount of ground yet still feeling like there is more to come. But the whole thing is quite epic, with the underground battle of the police against the monsters and a confused Thor and Heimdall fighting one another while the bad guys win secretly. And then Ego is destroyed followed by the advent of the scary looking, if a bit overdone, Bloodaxe. A monumental issue. 

Comments:Super-Sized 450th Issue!” First story: Part two of two parts. Ron Frenz and Tom DeFalco collaborated on the plot; colors by Mike Thomas and Rob Tokar. Second story: Part four of four parts. Third story: First appearance of Bloodaxe. The letters page includes one by future comics creator Rich Koslowski.



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Ron Frenz
Al Milgrom
?
Ron Frenz (Cover Penciler)
Al Milgrom (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Rick Parker.

Characters

Listed in alphabetical order. All stories.

Balder
Balder

(Balder the Brave)
Hogun
Hogun

(Hogun the Grim)
Karnilla
Karnilla

(Norn Queen)
Thor
Thor

(Eric Masterson)
Plus: Code: Blue (Code Blue), Juvan, Marcus Stone, Marcy Masterson, Nobilus, Tagar (Count Tagar), Uroc, Zon.

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