Thor #321: Review

Jul 1982

Doug Moench, Alan Kupperberg

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Story Name:

Magick's Menace

Review & Comments

Rating:

Thor #321 Review by Peter Silvestro (May 5, 2020)

Review: Here we have a minor villain with three names which are tossed around interchangeably, making things confusing. In Norse myth he is Loki’s father, in the MU Stan Lee made him Loki’s mother. And Snood at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe points out that Rimthursar/Farbauti/Cruel Striker could have recovered the chalice without involving Thor at all but felt compelled to send him that message, thus setting a precedent for all villains who have to keep their foes informed about their plans. Plus, Snood asks why did R/F/CS wait so long to recover the chalice anyway? We’re talking centuries of ignoring the stupid thing. So the whole tale actually starts and ends in chaos, all for the readers’ amusement. Well, success! I was amused!

Comments: Part two of three parts. First appearance of Rimthursar/Farbauti/Cruel Striker (seen only in flashback last issue). Marie Severin, Brett Breeding, and Vince Colletta contributed to the inking.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #321 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Thor is in Chicago where the five members of the Menagerie of Rimthursar have been freed and the Thunder God suspects Loki is behind it all. While Thor is puzzling out what to do next, the animal people are spotted by the citizenry and a minor riot breaks out and when the police arrive, Thor turns the fountain into a waterspout and he carries off the Menagerie under its cover. Thor then takes them to Asgard but Heimdall stops them as the Menagerie is part human and therefore not allowed to enter the Golden Realm. So Thor leaves them with Heimdall and goes in search of Odin. He discovers the All-Father is away so he goes off and confronts Loki. The God of Mischief denies any involvement and his wife Sigyn, to whom he is shackled, testifies that he has not left home for a month. Insulted, Loki suggests Thor consult the Dwarves of the Mound for answers….

[Odin, meanwhile, has arrived at the battlefield where he must intervene when one faction is led by his former lover, Queen Jolena. Just so we don’t forget by next issue.]

Thor arrives at the Land of the Dwarves to find the Mound is gone, stolen by the sinister Rimthursar who tricked the waterfall maiden Freya into crying golden tears which he used along with a dead bull and a swarm of serpents to make off with the Mound. The bad guy then used the mound as a means of recovering the silver chalice with the Menagerie inside. Thor is told that Rimthursar now goes by the name Farbauti which is Norse for Cruel Striker….

Now, Farbauti magically appears on Bifrost and carries his Menagerie back to the museum where he controls their minds and forces them to recover the chalice. Thor gets a message from the baddie saying he has gone to recover the chalice and returns to Bifrost where Heimdall sends him back to the museum. The now-evil animal people attack Thor and Rimthursar/Farbauti/Cruel Striker makes off with his prize. A chase leads to the waterfront where Thor brings down lightning, destroying the chalice but also (apparently) killing the Menagerie. Thor loses his temper and beats R/F/CS to a pulp and then discovers that the animal people are alive and no longer under the villain’s spell. Thor tells them that with the chalice destroyed there is no way to return them to normal. They think this is great and rejoice, while Thor considers confronting Odin….

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