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Thor #430: Review

Mar 1991
Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz

Story Name:

The God, the Ghost, and the Guilty!

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Thor #430 Review by (December 7, 2021)

Review: Ah, remember the good old days B.H. (Before Hiddleston)? Loki wasn’t a charming anti-hero but an outright evil villain. Well, that's all on display here, meeting Mephisto (Marvel’s Devil) on equal terms and plotting revenge against the Wrecker while dreaming of Thor’s death. And also when a single comic had enough story to fill six modern issues? That’s here too with Eric’s personal troubles (which even he calls soap opera) vying for attention with Ghost Rider’s confusion, Mephisto’s scheming, Amora’s plotting, Loki’s trapping of the Wrecking Crew, and, oh yeah, the big battle at the heart of the comic. Satisfying little epic that only gets better as we go along.

Comments: Part four of six parts. Leena Moran was introduced in issue #422 but here her name is misspelled Leena Morgan; it’s back to Moran next issue. Ron Frenz and Tom DeFalco collaborated on the plot. Chris Eliopoulos and Michael Heisler shared lettering chores. The letters page includes one by future comics writer/martial artist Jan C. Childress and one by future comics artist Delmo Walters Jr.






 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Thor #430 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

The Wrecker strikes back at his buddies in the Wrecking Crew over the implication that cowardice made him teleport them all away from the appearance of Mephisto (last issue). He orders them to find Ghost Rider so he can destroy him….

Ghost Rider, meanwhile, wonders who that creature was that appeared at the cemetery—and if what he is feeling is fear….

Because of the involvement of Mephisto, Loki must go and work things out with the Lord of the Underworld. Mephisto gives Loki a tour of his kingdom, stopping at the loom that creates his Soul Shrouds, this one displaying the face of an immortal who is about to die and soon appear in Mephisto’s realm. [It’s Thor, of course], prompting Loki to make a deal with Mephisto….

Eric Masterson has been confronted by Jerry Sapristi and Susan Austin who believe they know Eric’s secret, the one causing his erratic behavior of late: alcoholism. Eric is stunned. Ex-wife Marcy Masterson arrives with their son Kevin who hugs his bewildered dad….

Loki returns from the Underworld to tell Ulik and the Enchantress that he has made a pact with Mephisto, one which each side intends to break. He changes the subject by concentrating on their efforts to capture the Wrecker….

Eric draws a picture of a bearded Thor for Kevin (anticipating issue #432) and Marcy takes Kevin home, assuring Eric she still cares about him. Susan is upset as it looks like she’s losing any chance she had with Eric….

Confused, Eric turns into Thor and goes out for a fly. Thunderball spots him and contacts Wrecker, who enlists the Wrecking Crew in an effort to beat up Thor. Loki detects this and dispatches Amora and Ulik to capture his quarry. Loki also locates Ghost Rider in his human form as Dan Ketch as part of the deal with Mephisto, creating an illusion of the Wrecker to lure GR to the proper location. The Wrecking Crew ambushes Thor and there is a scuffle, with Thor beating Bulldozer and Piledriver but it’s the Wrecker whose power is equal to Thor’s and things get difficult. Ghost Rider arrives….

Susan pours out her heart to her roommate Leena Morgan (Amora in disguise) who suggests some drastic action….

Piledriver and Bulldozer try to stop Ghost Rider from reaching Wrecker while he battles Thor. Thunderball, looking for a chance to betray Wrecker, is seized by Loki and his Asgardian power drained. Piledriver yanks on GR’s jacket and finds only skeleton underneath; he panics and runs right into Loki’s clutches. Wrecker tries to blast Thor but Loki diverts the power so that it opens a portal for demons to pour through and overwhelm Thor and Ghost Rider. Loki and Ulik take down Bulldozer and Wrecker and vanish with the latter prisoner. Thor sends back the demons, ties up three-quarters of the Wrecking Crew, and GR bids farewell with his usual ominous tones….

In the Underworld, Mephisto sees the Soul Shroud completed, with Thor’s face on it…. [Told ya.]  


Preview Pages
Click sample interior pages to enlarge them:




Ron Frenz
Al Milgrom
Mike Rockwitz
Ron Frenz (Cover Penciler)
Al Milgrom (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Loki
Loki

(Loki Laufeyson)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)

Plus: Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch), Kevin Masterson, Marcy Masterson, Susan Austin, Wrecking Crew.

> Thor: Book info and issue index

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