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Thor #455

Dec 1992
Tom DeFalco, M. C. Wyman

Story Name:

Odin Unleashed--!


Synopsis

Thor #455 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

Loki, disguised as Odin, realizes that Mephisto has betrayed him, revealing his true identity to his enemies. Now he joins with Karnilla the Norn Queen to prepare for the coming of the heroes, namely…

Thor (Eric Masterson), the Lady Sif, and Balder the Brave. Mephisto asks repayment for his aid; Sif proclaims that they are first going to restore Odin to his throne—which, enigmatically, is what Mephisto wants. Sif’s plan requires Thor to be the first one to return to Asgard. He does and Loki/Odin immediately confronts him and brutally beats him up. Sif and Balder return to the palace by means of the Norn Stones but are intercepted by Karnilla who raises living roots from the floor to entangle them. Enchantress arrives, with the Warriors Three and Arko, and she challenges the villainess while Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg try to cut Balder and Sif loose. Meanwhile, Loki/Odin has wrested Mjolnir away from Thor and beats him with it. After sixty seconds away from the hammer, Thor transforms back to Eric Masterson but then the Warriors Three come to his aid. Karnilla, locked in deadly battle with Amora, demands that her beloved Balder use the Norn Stones to help her; Balder instead uses them against her and the Norn Queen is defeated….

Odin uses Mjolnir to deliver a beating to Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg; Sif arrives and while Loki is distracted, Eric touches Mjolnir, transforms back into Thor, seizes his hammer, and clobbers the phony Odin. Sif opens the Soul Shroud, freeing Odin’s spirit and it reclaims his body, defeating Loki’s and sending the God of Evil into the Shroud. Mephisto then arrives and claims Loki, which was what he wanted all along. The weakened Odin allows the demon to take Loki but warns him that Odin expects his return when it suits him. Mephisto takes his leave. Sif begs Odin to bring back Thor but Odin says he is trapped in a prison they cannot reach. Only Eric Thor can rescue the Thunder God but it will be at the cost of his own life….

“Strange Encounter”
Writer: Tom DeFalco. Pencils: Geof Isherwood. Inks: Hector Collazo. Colors: Ariane Lenshoek. Letters: Rick Parker.
Synopsis: At his Sanctum, Doctor Strange detects an otherworldly power and sends his astral form to find it. The power comes from Bloodaxe who, curious about his mighty axe, decides that, since “he” [spoiler: it’s Jackie Lukus] found the axe in Susan Austin’s apartment (issue #449), maybe she knows something about it. On Susan’s rooftop, Bloodaxe spies Strange’s astral form, confusing the sorcerer as no one should be able to see him. The villain uses the axe to blast Strange out into space. Strange returns to Earth and there is a battle between the two mystical beings. Susan hears the commotion and comes up to investigate and is suddenly trapped between them…


 

Review / Commentaries


Thor #455 Review by (July 20, 2022)

Review: More exciting adventure and these last two issues were easier to write up without having to check back in with all the Earthy supporting characters. And this issue’s lead story ends on a very dramatic note. Highlight: when Thor clobbers Loki/Odin with Mjolnir, the villain nearly flies off the page. As for the second story…oops, spoke too soon! There we head back to the Earthbound cast and lay the groundwork for more stuff to come. 

Comments: Ron Frenz and Patrick Olliffe collaborated on the cover pencils  First story: Part five of five parts. Apparently, Loki can lift Mjolnir while in Odin’s body, presumably foiling the hammer’s ability to determine who is worthy. The letters page includes one by future Marvel colorist Chris Matthys and one by future graphic artist/historian Dan Woodward.



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Preview Pages




M. C. Wyman
Al Milgrom
Mike Rockwitz
Al Milgrom (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Rick Parker.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Balder
Balder

(Balder the Brave)
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange

(Stephen Strange)
Hogun
Hogun

(Hogun the Grim)
Karnilla
Karnilla

(Norn Queen)
Loki
Loki

(Loki Laufeyson)
Thor
Thor

(Eric Masterson)
Warriors Three
Warriors Three

(Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg)

Plus: Bloodaxe, Susan Austin.