Thor #273: Review

Jul 1978

Roy Thomas, John Buscema

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Story Name:

Somewhere -- Over the Rainbow Bridge!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Thor #273 Review by Peter Silvestro (March 11, 2015)

Comments: Part one of six parts. First inauspicious appearance of Roger “Red” Norvell, who will become a new Thor in #276. The story of Thor and the Midgard Serpent is an authentic bit of folklore. Sole appearance of Stark employee Wilson Travers; was this guy intended to appear in Iron Man’s comic but plans fell through? There are a number of contemporary references including First Lady Rosalyn Carter and the President’s brother Billy, TV network executive Fred Silverman, and Godzilla. Title is a play on “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Review: Ragnarok again? With a red-eyed Loki to boot! Or as Monty Python would say, “What an eccentric performance.” The story is pretty cool despite us having seen a few too many “Ends of All Things” over the years; I think this is the third of at least seven we’ve had to date—the last one being at the end of FEAR ITSELF a few years ago. That’s a bit too much for an event which can only occur once. I’ve noticed that Thor seems to be one of the most repetitive of major Marvel series—Loki, Absorbing Man, Enchantress, Destroyer, Ulik, Malekith, Mephisto, and Surtur take turns over the last several decades with only occasional interruptions by something new. This was okay, even wonderful, when comics came out once a month, then years separating appearances seemed like a long time. The benefit of the internet is that we can now read entire runs of a comic in a few days or weeks; the downside is that repetition becomes much clearer. End of cranky editorial; this is an entertaining issue. Really.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #273 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Thor is thunderstruck (pun intended) by the proposal of newsman Harris Hobbs to film a documentary about the Norse Gods in Asgard itself. As a curious crowd gathers to see the God of Thunder, Thor suddenly carries Hobbs off for a private confab. There Hobbs explains how the hidden memories of his previous visit to Asgard returned in his dreams and now his job at the network depends on completing this project. Thor can only offer to ask Odin about it next time he’s in Asgard, and flies off to another mission, leaving the disappointed reporter behind. Hobbs is then approached by a mysterious stranger who believes Hobbs’ story about visiting Asgard but asks if there is anything the reporter did not tell Thor. Hobbs describes a dream wherein Thor went out fishing with the giant Hymir and hooked the Midgard Serpent; the giant panicked and cut the line, sending Thor into a rage. After he finishes his story, the stranger reveals himself as Loki who offers to take Hobbs and his crew to Asgard….

Thor arrives at Stark Industries where he is met by staffer Wilson Travers who leads the God of Thunder to the dormant adamantium hardware of the villainous computer FAUST (from #270-271). Thor is to take the machine to Asgard for safekeeping as suggested by Tony Stark; as he hoists it up on one shoulder suddenly there appears the Midgard Serpent threatening the city. Thor puts down the device and hurls himself at his foe but the Serpent turns out to be an illusion. Continuing his mission, he soon crosses the Rainbow Bridge into Asgard. While he is greeting his friends, a panel in FAUST opens to reveal Harris Hobbs and his crew, Red and Joey. Loki appears and explains how he conjured up the illusion of the Midgard Serpent to distract Thor while he secreted the three humans inside. But how did Loki regain his powers after being exiled to Earth in #167? It was via the prophecies of Volla the seer who foretold the coming of Ragnarok when the gods would die. Loki claims that Hobbs dream of Thor fighting the Midgard Serpent is a sign that Ragnarok is almost here—and he wants the news crew to film the end of the universe….