Thor #322: Review

Aug 1982

Doug Moench, Alan Kupperberg

::: click cover to ENLARGE it :::

Story Name:

The Wrath and the Power!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Thor #322 Review by Julio "Donald" (May 12, 2020)

Thor 's 20th Anniversary issue.

Added notes by Peter Silvestro:

Review: So, the Menagerie is pushed to the sidelines while Thor covers Odin’s butt by intervening and bringing a war to a close. And he also promises to hide Odin’s pathetic indiscretion, in a low moment for both gods. Okay story doesn’t measure up to the previous two parts of the arc. And the cover is deceptive, promising a battle between Thor and Heimdall; in the story it’s over in three panels because H can’t bring himself to hit Thor. Pity.

Comments: Part three of three parts. Al Milgrom, Frank Giacoia, Mike Esposito, Chic Stone, and Sal Trapani contributed to the inking. And despite what it says, the synopsis is also by Peter Silvestro.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #322 Synopsis by Marvel Comics

The Menagerie of Rimthursar are rejoicing that they may stay on Earth but Thor convinces them to free their mortal hosts and go back to their normal lives. The police arrive and, as usual, the Menagerie threatens to create chaos so Thor takes them all to Asgard….

Odin, meanwhile, has arrived at the battlefield where he must intervene when one faction is led by his former lover, Queen Jolena. His scout returns to inform him that the conflict has been triggered by a group of conspirators on either side, hoping to draw Odin and his army into the battle, thus discrediting him. Odin can’t see any way out of this….

Thor and the animal people arrive at Bifrost where Heimdall again denies the semi-mortal Menagerie entrance. There is a brief scuffle but Heimdall gives in, seeing no point in a conflict with the noble Thor. Thor turns the captive Farbauti over to the guardian to have put in prison. Thor finds Odin near the battlefield and raises the matter but Odin is enraged that Thor has brought mortals to Asgard but quickly calms down and explains the battle to Thor. A phony conflict has been stirred up by conspirators on both sides who can be identified by their wolf-skin dress. He also confesses to Thor his former love for Queen Jolena and should he intervene, it would be taken as unfaithfulness to his wife Frigga. Thor works out a plan: Kyrie and Fairgold team up to create the illusion that the river crossing the battlefield has turned to gold, creating a distraction for Thor and the Menagerie to cross to the forest. Then the two faction’s leaders Jolena and Uthar are brought together to see the chiefs of the conspirators meeting secretly to debate the illusion of a golden river. The Menagerie then beat up baddies and the two leaders expose the plot before the entire army and vow peace. Odin steps forward and explains that by embracing Jolena he is not being unfaithful to his wife, merely…fallible. At Thor’s request, the Menagerie are restored to their human forms including Dr. Shawna Lynde, their memories of all of this wiped and Thor, after promising to keep Odin’s romance a secret, returns them all to Chicago. There everything continues as though nothing has happened….