Thor: Written by Stan Lee – Art by Don Heck – Letters by Artie Simek

Tales of Asgard: Written by Stan Lee – Pencils by Jack Kirby – Inks by Don Heck – Letters by Artie Simek

Thor’s personal life is becoming a problem.

Don Blake is still frustrated that Odin refuses to let Thor marry Jane Foster, and the situation has reached the point where he decides to get away from it all. He travels to India, hoping to put some distance between himself and the whole mess.

Naturally, he finds trouble instead.

Blake discovers that one of his former teachers, Professor Shecktor, has been attacked by his own assistant, Klaus Voorhees. Voorhees was jealous of his employer and deliberately arranged for a cobra to bite them both, intending to use the professor’s death to cover his tracks. What he didn’t realize was that the snake had been exposed to radiation.

The combination of radioactive venom and an experimental antidote gives Voorhees unusual powers. He becomes the Cobra, a villain who combines snake-like agility and flexibility with a costume and an assortment of snake-themed weapons.

Apparently getting bitten by something radioactive in Marvel ia a good thing.

It’s a pretty classic early Marvel origin. The Cobra is another costumed villain for Thor, which is becoming increasingly important as Marvel builds out its superhero universe.

The Cobra travels to America, where Thor confronts him. Despite the obvious mismatch between a thunder god and a man with snake-like powers, the Cobra proves surprisingly capable.

The story also gives us an interesting glimpse of Marvel’s approach to setting. The action begins in Bombay, but the depiction of India feels rather generic, with the familiar visual shorthand of turbans and exoticized surroundings doing much of the work.

Professor Shecktor’s name and characterization don’t particularly establish a convincing sense of place, either. It’s a small detail, but it fits the way these early stories often use faraway locations as backdrops for their science-fiction adventures.

The Cobra breaks into the office of Dr. Andrews, where Jane is now working, and takes her hostage. Andrews immediately agrees to cooperate with the villain rather than risk his own life. Thor arrives and rescues Jane, leaving her thoroughly unimpressed with her new employer.

Jane decides she’d rather return to Blake.

It’s not exactly the most flattering romantic resolution. Jane has spent much of this storyline criticizing Blake for not being decisive enough, only to return to him after another man proves unwilling to stand up to danger. The whole subplot feels very much of its time, but it does keep the tension between Blake, Thor, Jane, and Odin moving forward.

The Cobra escapes, leaving Thor with another recurring enemy who can return for future adventures.

The Tales of Asgard backup, “Odin Battles Ymir, King of the Ice Giants,” is another highlight.

Kirby absolutely goes wild here. The Ice Giants look like enormous creatures made of jagged ice, and Odin gets to show off his power in spectacular fashion. He splits open the earth, hurls meteor bolts, and rides into battle in a chariot pulled by winged horses.

It looks fantastic.

In the traditional myth, Odin and his brothers kill Ymir and use his body to create the world. Here, Odin defeats him in battle and traps him inside a ring of fire.

But mythological accuracy isn’t really the point here. Lee and Kirby are building their own version of Asgard, one that gives them room for spectacular battles, larger-than-life characters, and an entire world of stories to explore.

Asgard is becoming part of Thor’s comic, rather than simply providing some background dressing. The main story gives Thor recurring costumed villains and earthly complications. Tales of Asgard gives him a history, a mythology, and a world that can keep expanding.

Both are helping make Journey into Mystery something distinctly its own.

Marvel in the 60s – Entry #95