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Thor #478

Sep 1994
Roy Thomas, M. C. Wyman

Story Name:

Come The Lightning!


Synopsis

Thor #478 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

Standing atop a tall building, Thor calls lightning down on himself to fuse the two broken pieces of Mjolnir together, making the hammer good as new. To test it he calls down winds and rain and, satisfied, he takes off for Asgard, leaving a lot of wet and angry pedestrians griping. Thor hears them and notes that just moments earlier they were hailing him for defeating the Destroyer. Thor sails into Asgard over Heimdall’s head, telling him to listen for what comes next. The gathered heroes (Sif, Balder, Beta Ray Bill, Warriors Three, others) see Thor flying over and Sif runs to the Great Hall to meet him. She enters and finds Thor in conversation with Odin. She interrupts but both order her to be quiet, Odin because she has no business there and Thor because she declined to accompany him when he returned to Midgard. Thor demands the truth about Donald Blake; Odin bristles at the word “demand.” Thor was told that his Blake identity was a mortal shell created to teach Thor humility but he found a real Don Blake imprisoned in Wundagore. They argue back and forth until Thor threatens the All-Father who calls for Thor—and another Thor steps forward to challenge the Odinson: Red Norvell, speaking in a comical mix of mock nobility and crudity. Odin calls a halt to their verbal sparring and explains that years earlier during the previous Ragnarök, Red Norvell was given Thor’s Belt of Strength and Gloves of Power to become the new Thor—who died to fulfill the prophecy that Thor’s death would end Ragnarök. And now Odin needed another Thor so he went to Valhalla where he met the old villain Harokin who claimed that he could be all the Thor needed but Odin picked the guy with experience, the late Red Norvell who, once again donning the magic belt and gloves, was transformed once more into Thor. He was given a hammer of his own and returned to Asgard with the All-Father. Thor continues his demand of Odin while Red stands by to protect him. Thor assaults his foe who is up again quickly and the two Thors hurl their hammers at one another and they meet in midair and go careening together through the sky. The two go at it with their fists, shaking the entire realm and deafening Heimdall. They locate their hammers and keep hitting each other for a few more pages until Odin calls a halt and agrees to relate the true history of Dr. Donald Blake….



 

Review / Commentaries


Thor #478 Review by (December 27, 2023)

Review: Big bulky muscles bashing each other! Must be the 90s! Two Thors trade insults then blows and the effect is seismic. There’s a bit too much of both, leaving the reader to feel exhausted by the bickering before the bashing starts. And again, kudos to Roy Thomas for remembering a character who appeared briefly sixteen years earlier and giving him a logical comeback, Red Norvell!

Comments: Part one of two parts. Red Norvell was Thor in issues #276-278, dying in that last one; just before the present issue, Red Norvell appeared in Valhalla in INCREDIBLE HULK #421-423. Harokin was an enemy of Thor in issues #129-133




> Thor comic book info and issue index

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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Preview Pages




M. C. Wyman
Mike DeCarlo
Ovi Hondru
M. C. Wyman (Cover Penciler)
Mike DeCarlo (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Phil Felix.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Balder
Balder

(Balder the Brave)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)
Thor
Thor

(Red Norvell)
Warriors Three
Warriors Three

(Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg)

Plus: Harokin.