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Thor #371: Review

Sep 1986
Walt Simonson, Sal Buscema

Story Name:

Peace On Earth

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Thor #371 Review by (April 1, 2014)
Review: Thor versus Justice Peace, a Judge Dredd parody, is the flashy part but it’s the other half of the story that sets the hair on the back of the neck to rise. Zaniac, the immortal parasite which turns its hosts into serial killers of women, is one creepy dude and the brutish Thug Thatcher seems the perfect host. Too bad Ruby had to die to demonstrate the Zaniac powers to the readers; she was kinda nice. The tale is quite chilling while the Thor part just seems a bit goofy—you know, the whole two heroes fight on their first meeting gig. Oh well, there’s more to come….

Comments: Part one of two parts. First appearance of Justice Peace, inspired by Judge Dredd. Zaniac first appeared in THOR #319. Inker Albret Blevinson is a pen name for Bret Blevins.




 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #371 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Balder the Brave is crowned the new king of Asgard to the acclaim of all the land. His first acts are to decline to sit on Odin’s throne, preferring a smaller one, and to dispense with "My Lord" and other honoraria. Thor bids farewell to his friends, and has a private talk with Sif, as he returns to Midgard….

Meanwhile, ex-con Thug Thatcher has moved into the home of his former moll Ruby and threatens her kids if she doesn’t carry out his orders….

In downtown New York, the sky is suddenly cracked open by the arrival of the time-travelling Justice Peace from the future aboard his jet-powered Hopsikle. Spying citizens jaywalking, the lawman shoots them with DNA implants to prevent them from ever desiring to jaywalk again. Learning the date is May 1, 1986, he knows he must hurry if he is to achieve his mission. Thor arrives to stop the overzealous visitor and the battle is on. Realizing he is facing a superpowered vigilante, Peace fires a density plasma shell which hardens into a heavy metal restraint around Thor’s arms. The Thunder God simply moves through a space warp to knock it off and pursues his quarry. Meanwhile, Hela Goddess of Death is watching and plotting her revenge….

Ruby travels to a prison near Chicago and passes a tiny package to an inmate during visiting hours; the parcel then moves from hand to hand until it reaches its intended recipient, Brad "Zaniac" Wolfe. Inside is a miniature nose clip; later in the yard, Wolfe attaches it so that when Thatcher’s accomplice drops gas from a helicopter, Wolfe is unaffected as he escapes in the copter. Wolfe is delivered to Ruby’s house to meet Thug Thatcher who wants him to murder Jane Foster, who is special to Thor. The gangster’s sidekick Kellen unlocks the electronic shackles on Wolfe’s wrists and he now has use of his thought-generated knives. The maniac quickly kills Ruby and Kellen instinctively shoots Wolfe down. The madman’s corpse breaks apart, releasing a horde of the ghastly parasites which create the Zaniac. Thatcher and Kellen flee the house but one of the vermin catches up to Thatcher and infects him, transforming him into a new Zaniac, one who still desires the death of Jane Foster….


Preview Pages
Click sample interior pages to enlarge them:




Sal Buscema
Bret Blevins
Christie Scheele
Walt Simonson (Cover Penciler)
Walt Simonson (Cover Inker)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Balder
Balder

(Balder the Brave)
Freyja
Freyja

(Frigga)
Hela
Hela

(Goddess of Death)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Warriors Three
Warriors Three

(Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg)

Plus: Justice Peace, Thug Thatcher, Zaniac.

> Thor: Book info and issue index

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