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Thor #313

Nov 1981
Doug Moench, Gene Day

Thor #313 cover

Story Name:

Serpent From the Heavens


Synopsis

Thor #313 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 3 stars

Thor returns to Asgard with the captive Tyr in tow, demanding to know what is going on. The two argue about who was at fault so Odin settles the matter by calling a convocation of the gods to decide whether Thor may reside in Midgard….

Sigyn brings news of the convocation to Loki and he plots a way to have Thor sent back to Midgard. Loki goes to a hidden cavern where the troll Maurglon is imprisoned and offers to send him to Midgard where the monster can lure Thor to him and gain revenge for Thor’s defeating him in battle many years ago (followed by Loki’s imprisoning him in the cavern for just such an occasion). The troll agrees so Loki transports him to New York City where he quickly begins wreaking havoc….

The gods assemble for Thor’s tribunal and one by one they vote as to whether Thor should be permitted to reside in Midgard. The votes result in a tie—and then a servant comes bearing news of a troll causing trouble on Midgard. Sif puts in a late appearance and casts the deciding vote to allow Thor to return to Earth out of her love for him. Thor is set free and advises Odin not to banish Tyr for his presumption. His friends see him out to the Rainbow Bridge and Thor says farewell to Heimdall and Loki is miffed that he wasted a troll when the vote achieved his goal….

Thor returns to New York where he can’t locate his quarry (who has fallen into the subway to terrorize the populace). A young couple Lisa and Johnny are nearby, debating whether he should take a job in Boston or stay with his love in New York, when Maurglon burst up from beneath to give Thor battle. As the two tussle, the fire escape the two lovers are on collapses; Lisa manages to hold on to Johnny until the monster is defeated (punched into a dumpster!) and then Thor can lend a helping hand, telling the two to follow their hearts….

Epilogue: Dr Donald Blake gets a phone call from Dr Jeffries at the clinic: because of budget cuts, Don is being let go. A despondent Don wonders what to do next….  

“Last Flight of the Valkyries!”

Writer: Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio. Pencils: Keith Pollard (breakdowns), Gene Day. Inks: Gene Day. Colors: George Roussos.

Synopsis: The Valkyries continue their mission to recover Valhalla from Hela; they are confronted by an army of the noble dead, led by Harokin the Brave. Soon, oly four Valkyries are still alive when Harokin raises the spirits of the slain Valkyries and sets them against their sisters. Odin arrives shortly thereafter to find them all dead; he mourns them and vows revenge against Hela….


 

Review / Commentaries


Thor #313 Review by (February 25, 2020)

Review: Justice, jealousy, lust, monsters, parliamentary procedure, love, subway trains, havoc, sacrifice, shoddy fire escapes, unemployment, moping…this comic has it all! Oh yeah, and punching, lots of punching! Exciting tale covers a wide range of plots, including the judgment as to whether Thor can stay on Earth and be an Avenging hero but it’s Sif sacrificing her own happiness for Thor’s interests that gains the attention. And briefly we see how much Loki disdains his wife Sigyn’s love for him and his compulsion to lie and say he loves her too. Some martial problems on the horizon here. Then the mean old troll starts smashing things in New York and a thunderbolt from nowhere open up the street at the monster’s feet so that he falls into the subway (with one jaded rider annoyed that his (her?) train is going to be late). And then the main event comes and the battle royale frames the story of two lovers we’ve never seen before agonizing over their immediate future and the apparent significance of Lisa’s holding on to Johnny to keep him from falling. Recognized by Thor in his lame advice to follow their hearts. And then Don Blake loses his job so the review board’s decision is moot but it leads Don to mope for the next few issues. And oh yeah, there’s a second story in this issue but it doesn’t have everything, just a lot of war-type violence. All the Valkyries end up dead and Odin vows revenge. Hm, that escalated quickly. Okay issue comes off a bit goofier than it needed to be but sometimes that’s a plus.

Comments: First story: First and only appearance of Maurglon. Thor’s tribunal includes Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and Amora. Inking split between Gene Day, Chic Stone, Keith Pollard, Frank Giacoia, Dave Simons, and Al Milgrom, though only Day is credited. Second story by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio with a plot assist from Keith Pollard. Harokin the Brave was an enemy of Thor in “Tales of Asgard” from THOR #129-133 where he perished. The cover does a really good job of indicating that Thor’s cape is the star of the issue.



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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Gene Day
Gene Day
George Roussos
Keith Pollard (Cover Penciler)
Keith Pollard (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Layouts: Keith Pollard. Letterer: Joe Rosen.

Characters

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Hela
Hela

(Goddess of Death)
Loki
Loki

(Loki Laufeyson)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Plus: Harokin, Sigyn.

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