Thor #501

Aug 1996

William Messner-Loebs, Mike Deodato Jr.

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Story Name:

Out of the Blue

Synopsis

Thor #501 synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Rating:

Thor searches Manhattan for the lost gods of Asgard but he has no idea how to find them and the World Ash is dying. He visits the police station where he meets with Officer Kim Gaunt, who has done a search for the names Thor has given her but only one came up: Red Norvell, who is seeing the wife of a noted mobster. Then a gangster calling himself the Count of Monte Cristo demands the heads of those who betrayed him then whips out a rifle and starts shooting. Thor hurls a lightning bolt, knocking him out then goes off the find Norvell who lives in a trailer park in New Jersey. Thor is shocked to find the center of Red’s trailer blown out. Then he is interrupted….

So here we get the flashback to what has happened to Red Norvell before this. Yesterday, Red was being beaten up by the thugs of a loan shark he owed money too. As they walk away, Red, knowing he used to be a god, attacks them and is beaten again. His girlfriend Sabrina arrives and ministers to his wounds, fearing that the thugs were sent by her husband. Red is shocked to discover she’s married, moreso when her hubby, gangster “Johnny the Gent” Nash arrives with his thugs. They start shooting at Red and Sabrina but when a helicopter descends, Nash and his goons hop on their motorcycles and depart. The man in the helicopter is from the Studio, come to seize the camera equipment Red had never returned now that it has been used to film pornography and upload it to the internet. Sabrina comforts Red, breaking up with him. And at this moment, in a world far away, Thor pulls the sword Raven’s Eye from its place and everyone’s power is restored, including Red Norvell’s! So Sabrina sees he’s not so bad anymore and his hammer, lost in the ocean, returns to him, slamming into his midsection and knocking him through the trailer….

And it’s Thor Red who has interrupted Thor Odinson. Thor tells Red about the destruction of Asgard and scattering of the gods. Red asks about Odin who miraculously appears at the mention of his name but in his persona of the derelict Wad, having escaped from Dr. Strange’s custody. Thor invites a puzzled Red along to search for the lost gods….

In Asgard, a pair of hapless frost giants are searching for weapons in the ruins of the city when they come upon the unconscious form of Amora the Enchantress….

Review / Commentaries

Thor #501 Review by Peter Silvestro (August 6, 2024)

Review: Nice showcase for the down-and-out Red Norvell who gets his Thor powers back and is ready to help Thor find the lost gods whether he wants to or not. I’ve never had a particularly strong opinion about Red Norvell, especially since this last time he was revived. But seeing him as such a loser endeared him to me in a surprising way. Maybe I was just having a generous moment the day I wrote this issue up but I enjoyed this a bit more than the 90s junk it came with.

Comments: Red Norvell was introduced as a TV cameraman in THOR #273 and was made the new Thor by Odin in #276. Final appearance of Officer Kim Gaunt, first seen in issue #497.

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