Our splash page shows an Asgardian ship approaching the docks in Brooklyn. It’s Heimdall, with his helper Kamoor, who, after realizing that they are a little out of place, whips up a little illusion. Our faithful Norns see this in their twilight well, and suprisingly don’t know what’s going on. They decide they better check back on Thor and worry about this other stuff later. Pluto, his axe destroyed by the Norns last issue, is getting ready to attack Thor. Thor reaches for his hammer and gets it just in time ( I thought Mjolnir always returned to Thor’s hand, but anyway….), and the battle is on.

Back to where Odin is lying, seemingly dead, Karnilla begs Vizier to keep Pluto from stealing Odin’s soul. Hela appears again, and decides that she’d rather have Odin alive than in Pluto’s hands, so she brings Odin back to life. Back to the battle, when all of a sudden , yep, you guessed it, Odin is back! He tells Pluto to get thee gone, and all is well in Asgard again. For now, anyway.

Thor begs to return to Earth to check things out, and Balder wants to go to, if only Karnilla will release him from his pledge. She gives up and says OK. Odin tells her that his plan on Earth proceeds, haughtily telling his Vizier that it’s a “plan of such scope thy mind could scarcely conceive of it’s limits.” Take that, Vizier!

On to Blackworld, where we haven’t been for awhile…Sif, Hildegarde and Tana Nile are running from Ego-Prime. Using a train as a distraction, Sif tells Tana Nile it’s time to explain. She recounts her previous mission to Earth, which was unsuccessful thanks to Thor, and her new mission to find some new planet to colonize. She was ordered to try again, and runs into the living planet, Ego. She grabs a piece of it, and speeds off to Blackworld. When she releases it, it becomes a big giant white shape, and causes the planet to evolve rather quickly.

Tana Nile at first is jubilant, thinking the Colonizers could do this on a bunch of planets, but she realized that this uncontrolled evolution was a bad thing, as they grab a newspaper that says nuclear war on Blackworld is imminent. At that moment, an “all-consuming nuclear explosion cuts off her words…” Back on Earth, Thor and Balder arrive, hooking up with the Warriors Three who had been sent there by Odin. After some banter, a big light appears, and Sif, Hildegard, Tana Nile, and the boat captain that they first met on Blackworld appear, followed by….Ego Prime!

So, the death of Odin is dealt with, and my nine-year old self really thought it was cool to see one of the Greek gods once again showing up. Gerry Conway, who took over a few issues ago, still seems to be finishing up one of Stan’s plots. A few puzzling things: still wondering why Mjolnir didn’t return to Thor’s hand, maybe because they were still “outside of time and space”. The Norns not knowing what Odin is up to was puzzling, too, as was Ego not minding Tana Nile grabbing a piece of him. Oh well, Classis John Buscema art as always. Faults and all, it’s still a lot of fun, 50+ yrs later.

As our much-anticipated 200th issue of Thor opens, the three Norns are observing Thor, who looks like he might be off to Valhalla courtesy of Pluto. The Norns don’t like this, as they are concerned that Thor has a bigger date with destiny down the road. They look into the twilight well, and off we go to the story of…Ragnarok! The twilight of the gods. Thor and the Warriors Three are summoned by Odin. Loki joins them, much to the chagrin of Thor. Odin says that his prophetess (?) Volla, is going to show them all what is in store. Kind of a story within-a-story here.

She shows them, first, the big winter, which I believe is called Fimbulwinter, or Fimbulvetr, then comes brother against brother, followed by people turning to Loki to save them. Loki leads his legions against Asgard, and Heimdall says “they shall not pass!” before we all heard it in the movies. Odin and the remaining loyal Asgardians join the battle. The Midgard Serpent appears, and Thor takes it on. After that, nothing remains but silence.

Surtur appears, and burns everything, save a “fiery, flaming ember in the fabric of eternity.” After a time, life begans anew, and “gods shall rise again.” Odin says they have much to think on after this prophecy. Loki says don’t look at me, this is just “hollow cackling.” But Odin says that this is what it is, a time will come when all shall fall, but only some will rise again. Only those deemed…worthy!

Back to real-time and the Norns, who decide that Thor can’t be killed by Pluto, since he has such an important part to play in Ragnarok. One of the sisters sends a “bolt of cosmic energy” through the well to smash Pluto’s ax and save Thor and return his destiny.

A fantastic issue, fitting for #200. Stan the man returned to script the Ragnarok sequence, with great art by Big John Buscema and it’s a pretty fun retelling of the Ragnarok story. Gerry Conway wrote the prologue and epilogue sequences of the Norns. I find it interesting how Stan pretty obviously inserted Christian ideas into Ragnarok, such as the idea of rebirth and “worthiness, or maybe it’s just that Christianity borrowed these ideas in the first place, huh? Also interesting is that Thor is never shown dead, as he dies in the Norse myths, killing the Midgard Serpent, but falling to its’ venom. Anyway, a great re-visit, as I remember this comic clearly from my nine year-old self.

Mangog is defeated. Asgard’s on it’s way back home. But Odin is dead. It’s time for our new friend, Kartag, to get back home. Not sure why, but he asks Thor for permission, which is granted. After that, Hela appears, ready to take Odin to Valhalla. But she is rebuffed by “some sort of cosmic barrier…” Thor has somehow placed this “cosmic barrier around Odin. Hela doth protest, and then she shows Thor what the alternative is….It’s Pluto! Lord of the Netherworld. As he approaches, we are told why going with Pluto is bad, as it is the very idea of Hell. Hela asks to take Thor again, or at least let her fight alongside! Thor says no to taking Odin, but “so be it!” to the second idea.

Over to “Blackworld,” where Sif an Hildegarde were whisked off to, Tana Nile explains that a portion of Ego, the living planet, called Ego-Prime, is causing the rapid evolution of Blackworld. Sif is worried about what happens to Earth when Blackworld reaches Earth’s current development, because, I guess, Earth is as near and dear to her as it is to Thor.

Back to Asgard, Hela and Pluto get into it, and Thor and his asgardian legions take on Pluto’s army. Balder gets injured, perhaps fatally, but Karnilla, of course, is spot on with a norn queen spell. Pluto defeats Hela with help from the “demon hounds of Hades,” then it’s time for Thor to face Pluto. After some battle, Pluto manages to knock Mjolnir out of Thor’s hands, and then they wrestle. Pluto drains Thor of his strength (?) and prepares to deliver the death blow….

Lots of fun in this issue, as Hela meeting Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld, is pretty neat. As usual, lots of questions that my 9 yr-old self probably didn’t concern himself with, like the “force barrier” that Thor used to keep Hela away from Odin. But beyond such trivialities, the refusal of Thor to accept Odin’s death and the still-lingering mystery of Blackworld and “Ego-Prime” make for a great read.

Odin lies, well, maybe not dead, but pretty unconscious in the grip of Mangog. Thor and the Warriors Three have at him, and manage to get Odin free. Thor sends Volstagg (fat one, he calls him. This is before fat-shaming became a thing), with the water that they returned with from the Well at the World’s End to the court Vizier, who evidently knows what to do with it. Thor returns to battle Mangog, while Odin recovers. His warriors tell him to rest, but he will have none of it. Back to battle.

Off to “Blackworld,” where Sif and Hildegarde have been roaming around. Last issue they were picked up by a guy on a modern boat, which was strange considering the place was all medieval. Strange indeed….as they approach what looks like a fairly modern city. The people there are all running for their lives, from “him.” Then they run into Tana Nile, an old Thor compatriot. She has them step into her “force bubble” for safety, but an ominous shadow comes over them, and Hildegarde forcefully emotes “By the stars! It can’t be! It can’t beeeeeee!”

Back to Asgard, as Vizier puts the water into the well, and Asgard starts returning back to it’s “home space.” Thor and Odin have some father-son time, and Odin takes a shower in the well’s mystic shower and vows that Mangog will be destroyed! Magog unsheaths the Odinsword, but since we are “outside of space and time,” it doesn’t mean the end of the world. Odin unloads on Mangog, cutting him from his master’s hate (not sure who that is), and then Thor takes over, battling Mangog as he slowly shrinks from a giant to nothingness.

Odin appears to be dead, so there is a funeral procession, but Thor refuses to believe it, and remembers, once again, that they are “outside of time and space.” Aha. Since Hela has not appeared to claim him, Thor uses Mjolnir to freeze time (?) around Odin, so that Hela won’t be able to claim him when they reach their own dimension.

So Mangog is taken care of, and Asgard is heading home. Thor has once again proven worthy, especially in the eyes of his father (again). Now it’s back to dealing with Hela (again) and finding out what is the big deal on Blackworld with Sif and Hildegarde. Still quite a bit of Stan wrapping up this storyline, Conway finding his way with always great art by Big John.

Thor and his Warriors Three have been taken to the Well at the World’s End for…something. Something that Odin has sent them for, while also sending Sif and her protector, Hildegarde, away. While finally getting to their destination, a craggy giant named Kartag is protecting the well, so it’s time for some battle! Thor and Kartag battle, while Satrina, the woman who led them to the well, imprisons the Warriors Three in stone hands. She’s a witch, after all. Kartag tackles Thor and they fall into the well, where Thor has visions of why Odin sent them away and what’s happening back in Asgard (not good….Mangog is laying waste).

Kartag appears from the well, carrying a limp Thor. Then, the three Norms appear, and tell us that Thor is not dead, and the fate of the universe rests with him. The Norms say that Odin sent them to gather water from the well, and they can have it. One of the Norns explains that this was all a test of worthiness (a Thor axiom), and they bring up some sheepskins to fill. Once filled, and after a little drama with Satrina and Kartag, Thor spins “mystic Mjolnir,” and takes them back to Asgard. Kartag decides to tag along, as well!

Elsewhere, Sif and Hildegard are relaxing in a river, when all of a sudden a monster appears, and battle ensues. Hildegarde reminds Sif that she has a sword that was given power by Odin, so she blasts the beast. As she is helping Hildy recover, a big ocean liner (?) comes sailing up yon river. A small boat detaches from the big one, and a sailor named Silas Grant says he’s got a story to tell concerning “him”.

Back in Asgard, our heroes find that the Rainbow bridge is gone, at least the part that goes into Asgard. After Thor emotes for a bit, Fandral mentions that maybe Asgard isn’t destroyed, just….moved. Thor pours some of the water from the well on his hammer, “baptized by those nightblack waters,” and off to follow the “ethereal path blessed Asgard took when Odin willed it gone from the normal enthropic universe”….whew! Now, the battle is joined against Mangog! Kartag takes a try, and after a valiant effort, is thrown aside. As Thor prepares to join the battle, Mangog pulls a defeated Odin out and prepares to deal the final blow…as Thor watches helplessly!

So, Odin sent Thor on a quest to get magic water so that he and his companions could find Asgard when he moved it outside of the known galaxy? Seems kind of redundant, but maybe the Norms magic water will have some more use later. The adventures of Sif and what looks like an ocean liner….on a river…is pretty weird, but again, we’ll have to wait until next issue to find out what’s up. I totally understand that during this time, comics were targeted directly at me, a 9-yr old, but even so, this issue kind of jumped the shark for me. I chalk it up to the hand-over of scripting chores from Stan to Gerry Conway. Still…it’s Thor!

Thor and his companions are seeking the Well at the World’s End (for some reason known only to his omnipotence, Odin). One of the local creatures is repaying Thor for saving him by leading them to their destination. Our splash page shows that they have encountered a woman. She introduces herself as Satrina and offers our adventurers some rest inside her cave, which is pretty well-adorned. In a flash, she sprays some “crimson mist” from a device and knocks them all out. When Thor comes to, he’s being , ahem, attended to by a beautiful woman that he was dreaming of. The Warriors Three are already awake, and they too are being attended to by a bunch of babes. Nobody seems to remember anything. Thor’s guide appears from behind some curtains and tells Thor that he’s under a spell. Satrina kills him before he can say more…

Evidently, this senseless murder clears Thor’s mind, and he sees that the beautiful babes are really….monsters! The Warriors Three think Thor is nuts, and battle ensues between them. Thor quickly invokes Mjolnir, and uses the old Stan byline “to save thee, must I kill thee?” Of course not, Mjolnir’s “bolts” just hold them helpless while Thor seeks answers from Satrina. She explains that she seeks the favor of Kartag, keeper of the Twilight Well. Then she disappears, presumably to Kartag.

But what of Asgard and the All-Father? As Odin is getting ready to send a lot of Asgardians to their death against Mangog, Hela, the goddess of Death appears. They have a nice little conversation, and then Odin gets mad and stomps away. The battle is joined, but Mangog is too strong, as “even the Thunder-Cannon cannot affect him!” Odin and his troops are repulsed, and his good friend Khan is dead.

Off to the planet Blackworld, where Odin sent Sif and Hildegarde, who are having trouble finding any friends in a village. As they get ready to just sleep in the hills, a bunch of warrior/knight-types come upon them, thinking them easy prey. One of them, who grabs Sif, says she is “fittin’ to be saved from His clutches.” Hmmm…..but Sif and her protector are no easy captives and they dispatch all of them and move on to find this creature that inspires such dread.

Back at the Well-World, Thor and his buddies are questing for the Well, and they run into a dragon called Redguard, and it appears that our adventurers are on the right track, since Redguard says he’s a slave to the keeper. They battle and Redguard pretty much whomps them, but they get to the top of the rock structure, and mighty Mjolnir carries them all away. Satrina appears again, and realizes that our heroes don’t have a clue about the well’s mystery, so she decides to lead them there. Seems like she would have just done that at first, but I digress…

Back in Asgard, Hela comes to claim Odin’s friend, Khan. Odin decides, now, that too many good men have died, so he emotes. He brings up the Odin-power, and magically transports Mangog away. Sif and Hildegarde see a bright shining star, which I purport to be Mangog getting spirited away, and then we are off once again to the Well-world. Thor finally meets Kartag, who looks like a big ol’ Storm Giant! Just what the doctor ordered! (well, no pun intended, because we haven’t heard from Dr. Don Blake in quite awhile).

This issue was interesting. From Thor fat-shaming Volstagg, and the village warriors doing the same thing to Hildegarde (even thought she certainly doesn’t appear “fat), to Mjolnir being able to fire “bolts” that hold the Warriors Three inert, to Odin getting a bunch of his warriors killed and then just spiriting Mangog away, it certainly was testing the suspension of disbelief, even for my 9-yr old self. As usual, Big John Buscema’s visualization of the strange worlds, and Satrina herself, is a great treat. I don’t particularly remember this issue like I do some of the others that I have reviewed here, and maybe that’s a good thing. Still, it’s Thor, so no complaints!

Thor and his buddies arrive at their spot, and Mjolnir magically points the way forward to “fight him who sleeps!” They run into a big bug and Thor dispatches it. Back in Asgard, some of the older warriors are rousing to defend Asgard, because Odin tells them that, in his haste to banish Loki, he sent him to “that blackest of worlds, where a dark spirit lies secretly entombed.” Loki decided to free….the ManGog! Loki tries for a team-up, but ManGog wants nothing to do with that, and freezes Loki in amber.

Thor and the Warriors Three come upon some dinosaur-looking creatures that they use as mounts, and just like that, they are attacked by hordes of small trolls. They make short work of them, but one of the trolls, who was drowning in quicksand, is saved by Thor, and pledges to serve him. The troll guides them ….

Over in Blackworld, Sif and Hildegarde run across a town. The townspeople aren’t welcoming, as they are all hiding and afraid of something. Back in Asgard, Odin is comtemplating how peaceful the calm before the storm is, just as one of his advisors tells him that “He is here!” Odin, in true optimistic fashion, says it’s time to fight, because “in this hour, Asgard falls!” ManGog is at the gates!

Thor #195 is a special issue, mainly because it’s Gerry Conway’s first real written issue. Yeah, last issue he was credited with co-writing with Stan, but this is his baby now. It’s pretty formulaic, and similar to a lot of Stan’s recent plots. Odin senses a threat, sends Thor out to deal with it, meanwhile Asgard is under threat. Still, not a bad start, and to my eight-year old eyes, would have been as smooth as ever. Big John’s artwork is stellar as ever and keeps Thor godly.

As we say goodbye to 1971 and Stan Lee as the writer of Thor, we welcome new writer Gerry Conway. Loki has the Odin-ring, which gives him the supreme power in Asgard. Last issue, he used said ring to knock Thor for a loop, and separating him from his hammer. As we all know, after 60 seconds he will turn back into a mere human…and that’s what happens! The shock of the transformation startles the Storm Giant that had ahold of Thor, and Doc Blake quickly leaps for Mjolnir, and bam, he’s Thor again, ready to pound on some Storm Giants!

After dispatching the giants, hordes of trolls and such attack Thor. While this goes on, Loki is musing that his strength seems to be weaker and his thoughts are confused. At that same moment, Sif enters with her entourage for the wedding of she and Loki. The Warriors Three can stomach no more, so they turn from the spectacle and smash some trolls to try to get to Odin. Thor, still battling, gets to the throne room and directly challenges Loki to some one-on-one. Loki says yes, I’ll do it! Balder watches helplessly, since he’s sworn to Karnilla.

The Warriors Three get to Odin, who is doing the Odinsleep (again). Hogun goes to wake him, gets blasted by some Odin-energy, but does succeed in waking him. Needless to say, he’s hopping mad that he’s been woken up. They plead with him to help, but his says no. Back in the throne room, Loki is ready to fight Thor, but the Odin-ring is not cooperating. No matter, says Loki, he’ll just use “the strength of a hundred gods” to kill Thor! He knocks a big statue onto Thor, and is ready to kill him with his big battle-axe, but Sif steps in and says to spare him. Sif’s shrill voice causes Loki to lose his concentration, and he starts to wither and die! He realizes it’s the Odin-ring, so he tosses it away. Odin saunters in, and says “that for which I have waited…hath come to pass!” Once more, the Odin-Ring is his! He banishes Loki (again), and sits back on the throne, as Thor and Sif profess their love for each other.

Odin explains that the Odin-ring “doth take power…not give.” So only Odin can wear it. After that explanation, Vizier, Odin’s trusty friend, comes storming into the throne room and takes Odin to the “cosmic well,” another of those things that lets Odin see all kinds of stuff going on. They see Loki laughing, having been sent to “a most feared world.” Odin realizes that he didn’t think this through, and it’s going to be trouble. There’s something buried on that world….

A fine wrap-up to another Loki attempt to rule Asgard. A little shorter than normal, so there’s a little tale from Stan and Jack’s Tales of Asgard, “The Golden Apples,” a re-tooling of Little Red Riding Hood, at the back of this book. Fun stuff. Hang in there with me as I continue Thor’s adventures through #220, which was about the time I got “too old” for comics.

This is it! Stan’s last issue as writer of the The Mighty Thor. I believe this is the last title that Stan gave up writing, turning it over to Gerry Conway, who is credited as scripter for this issue. For his last act, Stan is going out with one of his favs, the Silver Surfer answering the signal that Balder and Karnilla sent out. The Surfer, in his usual ways, is none too convinced to help out. Balder gets upset, and explains that he would give his life for Thor (something he’s already done a few issues back), and Karnilla gets jealous and buries Balder under some rocks. The Surfer admonishes her, and gets here to remove them. After reviving Balder, the Surfer is aptly moved by his dedication, and decides that he will help.

Thor, meanwhile is battling Durok the Demolisher. Their battle drops them down into the sewers, where Durok grabs some electrical cables and pretty much kills Thor. Cue the Surfer arriving, and using his surfboard to keep Durok at bay, he uses his power cosmic to revive Thor. Meanwhile, in Asgard, Loki is partying it up, and trying to convince Sif that being his wife won’t be all bad. Loki suddenly notices that Balder and Karnilla are gone. He transports them back to Asgard, and turns Balder into an ugly-looking creature. After he doesn’t get the response he wants from the two ladies, he shows mercy and turns Balder back into his good-looking self.

Back on Earth, Thor is Ok. The Surfer tells Thor that he can handle Durok, so get thee gone to Asgard. Thor says “yea..now I be truly freed.” He bolts (literally) for Asgard, meets Heimdall on the Rainbow bridge, who tells him that it’s his duty to prevent Thor from entering. They battle. Thor throws Heimdall off the bridge. Then he realizes that makes him just as bad as Loki, so he retrieves Heimdall and heads into Asgard. At the gates, he is faced with some huge Storm Giants, his eternal enemies.

Back on Earth again, the Surfer and Durok battle. Durok knocks the Surfer out, and breaks his trusty board into pieces! Durok wanders off to do some more demolishing, as Surfer wakes up and uses his power cosmic to put his board back together. Now the Surfer puts his plan into action…he gets Durok up on his board with him, and gets going faster and faster, and …”the very fabric of ether and space …is torn!” Eventually they appear far in the future. Durok is unconcious, and after some pontificating about what humans have wrought for themselves, the Surfer drops Durok off, where he fittingly “should remain with the products of destruction…forever!”

Back to Asgard again, and Thor has dispatched the Storm Giants after two pages of battle. He breaks in, and what does he see but a lovely full -page panel of Sif getting into her wedding gown. Sif tells him the scoop, and then Loki appears. Thor is ready to fight him, but Loki uses that good ol’ Odin-Ring to knock Thor out cold, without his hammer. Loki mention that in a minute, Thor will turn into a mortal…”and all of Asgard will be completely mine!” Whew!

Next: Thor #194 “A Cry of Thunder”

Like a lot of this Thor run (#166- 220), I remember this issue well. As an 8-yr old, I really didn’t think anything of Stan relinquishing the writing chores, I just thought it was cool that the Surfer was called upon to help out. Today, I think it’s pretty cool that the two characters that Stan really got to wax eloquently with were teamed up in his last bronze age mag. Also, it probably goes without mentioning, but this was the 25-cent issue experimentation issue (prices went down to 20 cents next issue). That gave Big John Buscema a bigger workload, and it seems like he dealt with this by including a bunch of full-page panels, which are awesome. All-in-all, a great, fun issue!

Loki, who has taken control of things with the Odin-Ring, has sent his all-powerful creation Durok to Earth to wreak havoc. Thor, as sworn protector of Midgard, has followed. Fandral and Hogun try to take Loki out, but to no avail. Loki is going to destroy them, but Sif intervenes and says you will have to kill all Asgardians. Loki says Ok, but I have plans for you, Sif.

Durok appears on earth at a Mardi Gras and immediately starts demolishing. Thor gets there, and battle ensues. After Thor realizes that this dude in gonna be difficult to subdue, he whips up a whirlwind storm and transports all innocents to the “limbo of space.” Loki is getting bored, so he transports Durok away, I guess so Thor will have to chase him around. Before he does, he brings back all the people “from whence they were..with memories erased!” A handy power, indeed! But all the people are crowding around, so Thor just pushes a building out of the way for some room to swing Mjolnir. and get gone!

Mjolnir’s magic leads him right to where Durok is, somewere in South-America, where the standard dictator is trying to get Durok under his control, so he could “rule forever!” Loki reclines to watch the battle again, and Balder tries to talk Karnilla into helping him reach Midgard. Karnilla reminds him of his pledge not to fight against Loki, but he says he will not raise his sword in battle. Loki sees something is going on, but Fandral decides that the time has come for action. He attacks a storm giant guarding, causing a distraction. It works, Loki likes to watch. Karnilla and Balder escape to Midgard.

Once there, Balder uses his sword “to send a signal…a signal far into the sky…” All this time, Thor is getting pounded by Durok. He creates a storm to blind him, but then he is spirited away again by Loki, who appears in “image” form with Sif. Loki tells Thor that he has spirited Durok away to the (gasp) United Nations, and while Thor is fighting Durok there, “the lady Sif shall be my queen!” Meanwhile, Balder and Karnilla have reached the peak of Mt. Everest (?), and Balder signals again, telling Karnilla the he seeks “the only one who hath the power to aid the mighty Thor!” And…the Silver Surfer appears!

How fitting that, in Stan’s last story arc, the Silver Surfer comes to try and save the day. Stan always had a special place in his heart for the Surfer, using him to wax eloquently about the nature of mankind. This is the last Thor issue scripted by Stan alone, as next issue he shares the credits with the guy taking over, Gerry Conway. A true moment of comics history, as Conway and a bunch of others take over our superheroes and create a whole bunch of other, offbeat ones. Also, hats off to Big John Buscema. Nobody did a better Loki than him.