Journey Into Mystery #110: Review

Nov 1964

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

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Story Name:

Every Hand Against Him!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Journey Into Mystery #110 Review by Arcturus (October 1, 2011)

Review: Part one of a cool epic as Loki ramps up the strength of the goofy bad guy team of the Cobra and Mister Hyde. Part one has as its highlight a battle between Thor and the villains in a tricked-up house (wonder when they had time to build it—or are such things available for rental?) but the fireworks show up in part two.

Comments: Loki specifically said to be Thor’s half-brother for the first time. Loki is also barred from giving away Thor’s secret identity. Story continues in next issue.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Journey Into Mystery #110 Synopsis by Arcturus Jackson

The mighty Thor senses an aura of evil over the city but can only wait until the menace manifests itself. He returns to his office as Dr. Don Blake but can’t put his concerns out of his mind. The evil turns out to be Loki who adopts the guise of an ordinary mortal. The Mischief Maker heads to the police station where he bails out the Cobra and Mister Hyde (paying half a million dollars in cash!). At a hotel room, Loki reveals his identity to the two Earth criminals and magically doubles their power so they can defeat Thor. He then dispatches his new minions with a plan…. Soon Cobra snatches Jane Foster from Don’s office. Don follows as Thor and finds his nurse a hostage of his two foes. Hyde orders Thor to meet them on that corner in 24 hours to surrender his Uru hammer before they take their leave. Thor is puzzled as to how they knew Jane meant anything to him (I dunno, maybe they were paying attention in issue #105 when a connection between Thor and Don Blake was established?). Meanwhile in Asgard, Loki goads Odin to anger that Thor let the villains escape and the All-Father appears to his son to tell him he is banished from Asgard. Suddenly Thor realizes Loki must be the brains behind Cobra and Hyde, and heads to Asgard to have it out with the mischief maker. The Thunder God encounters Heimdall who denies him entrance with fiery bolts; Thor absorbs the energy into his hammer and blasts it back in the guardian’s face and finally summons the Winds of a Thousand Worlds to blow his opponent away. He fights his way through the rest of the Aesir to confront Loki calmly strolling through his garden. Although Loki admits nothing, he shows Thor a vision of the remote estate where Jane is being held. Odin then finds Thor there in defiance of his wishes, and returns him to Earth—not far from the house he seeks. Entering the building, he is met first by walls closing on him which he easily smashes, then the Cobra dropping a tear gas bomb on him. A gas-masked Hyde leaps on Thor and the Thunder God ignites the gas causing an explosion that buries Thor. While Hyde is off boasting of his "victory," Thor discovers Jane in the debris gravely wounded. Learning that she is dying, he calls on Odin to save her but the All-Father remains silent. Thor uses his hammer to stop time briefly around the house, thus prolonging her life, then he turns to face his enemies….

Story #2

The Defeat of Odin!

Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Vince Colletta. Colorist: ?.

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

By Arcturus Jackson

Rampok, the rebel against Asgard, is dead; his youthful son Rivvak takes up the reins of battle. As the warriors of Odin and Rivvak face each other across the boiling plain, Odin orders a frontal attack, despite Thor’s advice against it. Rivvak, frightened at his first battle, is losing the confidence of his legions. As the Asgardeans charge across the plain, Rivvak orders his army to meet them but boiling geysers erupt, driving Odin and his warriors back. For the first time in history, Odin orders a retreat. And the newly confident Rivvak is acclaimed a hero by his men. On the way back to Asgard, Odin explains to Thor that he lost the battle on purpose, to keep the human race strong with hope that no enemy is unconquerable.

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