Thor #379: Review

May 1987

Walt Simonson, Sal Buscema

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Story Name:

There Were Giants In Those Days (Or, A Discourse Between Heroes and Villains)

Review & Comments

Rating:

Thor #379 Review by Peter Silvestro (June 4, 2014)

Review: After a few merely good issues, Walt Simonson returns to form with another classic issue! The banter between Thor and Fin Fang Foom is full of witty dialogue rarely encountered in giant monster fights, made all the more precious by Sal Buscema’s artwork which makes the most of the facial expressions on the massive dragon. It’s so good that we’ll overlook the fact that the Midgard Serpent disguising himself as Fin Fang Foom makes no sense!

Comments: Sif, Fandral, Enchantress, Heimdall, and Ularic appear but only lying unconscious; Volstagg and Hogun should be there too but are not seen. Fin Fang Foom uses the phrase “far from the madding crowd” indicating he has read either Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” or Thomas Hardy’s novel of that title.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #379 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Loki awakens amid the destruction of his laboratory and enchants the wall to see what happened while he was unconscious. There he sees that the hated Thor saved his life, defeated the Frost Giants, and rescued Iceman. Angered, he looks in on the Frost Giants and leans of their scheme to sic the Midgard Serpent on Thor. Mollified, Loki sends his spirit form to the Andes Mountains in search of the Celestials….

In Asgard, the comatose Kurse hears the crying of Mick and Kevin, the only inhabitants of the realm left untouched by the strange malady that has befallen in recent issues. Their sorrow awakens his pity and he carries them off in search of help. In Balder’s throne room they find everyone there under the same spell. With the last of his strength, Balder tells a raven to extract a small vial from his belt and give it to the boys. But now what…?

In New York, Thor returns Iceman to his waiting friend Beast and returns to the apartment of his alter-ego Sigurd Jarlson….

The Giants sail for the Lofoten Islands where they cast a mighty hook and line into the waters and retrieve—Fin Fang Foom! They explain to the dragon that they were in search of the Midgard Serpent to tell him he has an opportunity to slay his enemy Thor. FFF is intrigued and heads to New York to see this mighty warrior for himself. The monster then arrives in Central Park where Thor is sitting on a bench and attacks because of the red cape—but the rest of the hero’s outfit is too different so Fin Fang Foom assumes he’s mistaken this person for Thor. Thor politely offers to help him search for his real quarry and suggests the dragon is not powerful enough to defeat Thor. FFF challenges the doubter to lift FFF’s foot from the ground; if he succeeds, they will battle elsewhere and if he fails the monster will kill him and thousands of others in the city. The weakened Thor manages to hoist the beast’s foot so they repair to a remote area to battle. There Fin Fang Foom reveals himself as the Midgard Serpent in disguise, ready to slay his opponent. Time stands still (which the Frost Giants discover and hurry to the battle scene) and Thor reveals his identity as the two are fated to slay one another at the end of time….