Thor is in Chicago where the five members of the Menagerie
of Rimthursar have been freed and the Thunder God suspects Loki is behind it
all. While Thor is puzzling out what to do next, the animal people are spotted by
the citizenry and a minor riot breaks out and when the police arrive, Thor
turns the fountain into a waterspout and he carries off the Menagerie under its
cover. Thor then takes them to Asgard but Heimdall stops them as the Menagerie is
part human and therefore not allowed to enter the Golden Realm. So Thor leaves
them with Heimdall and goes in search of Odin. He discovers the All-Father is
away so he goes off and confronts Loki. The God of Mischief denies any involvement
and his wife Sigyn, to whom he is shackled, testifies that he has not left home
for a month. Insulted, Loki suggests Thor consult the Dwarves of the Mound for
answers….
[Odin, meanwhile, has arrived at the battlefield where he
must intervene when one faction is led by his former lover, Queen Jolena. Just
so we don’t forget by next issue.]
Thor arrives at the Land of the Dwarves to find the Mound is
gone, stolen by the sinister Rimthursar who tricked the waterfall maiden Freya
into crying golden tears which he used along with a dead bull and a swarm of
serpents to make off with the Mound. The bad guy then used the mound as a means
of recovering the silver chalice with the Menagerie inside. Thor is told that Rimthursar
now goes by the name Farbauti which is Norse for Cruel Striker….
Now, Farbauti magically appears on Bifrost and carries his
Menagerie back to the museum where he controls their minds and forces them to
recover the chalice. Thor gets a message from the baddie saying he has gone to
recover the chalice and returns to Bifrost where Heimdall sends him back to the
museum. The now-evil animal people attack Thor and Rimthursar/Farbauti/Cruel
Striker makes off with his prize. A chase leads to the waterfront where Thor
brings down lightning, destroying the chalice but also (apparently) killing the
Menagerie. Thor loses his temper and beats R/F/CS to a pulp and then discovers
that the animal people are alive and no longer under the villain’s spell. Thor
tells them that with the chalice destroyed there is no way to return them to
normal. They think this is great and rejoice, while Thor considers confronting
Odin….