Thor Questions AKA "I Was Wondering" #2

[Philip Portelli]

Thinking about the latest twists in the Thor saga, I thought about the Silver Age Thor so I was wondering--

• when Odin deposited the newly created Don Blake in front of that medical college, did he think up a complete backstory for the guy, with paperwork and creditials? I know it was the 60s but you still had to have a college diploma to be a doctor!
• Was it ever confirmed exactly what kind of doctor Blake was? He appeared to be a general practioner (gp) until he had to do complicated surgery.
• Did Odin ever worry about Don Blake getting, well, killed somehow?
• How long did it take for Thor's persona/memories to come back? In his first appearance, it was Blake transformed into Thor but soon, Thor's personality took over. It really was very similar to Bruce Banner and the Hulk.
• Mjolnir was charmed that none but Thor could hold it but it wasn't super-heavy or else Thor would be crashing through the floor, among other things. But if he placed it inside a car, say, could you drive away with it, theoritically?
• Did Thor truly love Jane Foster or was it Don Blake's emotions?
• Did Thor have access to Don Blake's knowledge because sometimes the Thunder God seemed confused by technology/modern times?
• And was Odin Thor's greatest foe or was there meaning to the All-Father's seeming madness?

 

 

[James Grant Goldin]

Wow...When I replied yesterday I didn't (for some reason) see the 50 previous posts!  Thanks, guys, for all the links that will keep me away from regularly-scheduled activities for eons....:)

Regarding the Elizabethan English question...I don't know if this has been answered....but HERCULES, when first introduced, spoke with thees and thous, and Thor didn't.  The other Olympians also spoke Shakespearean.  BUT at the end f the continued story, Thor and the other Asgardians also spoke in Elizabethanisms.

Frigga was never mentioned anywhere until 1978, when Roy Thomas had the goddesses of Asgard ride in from some mission during the "fake Ragnarok/Returns of Harris Hobbs" storyline.  The question as to whether or not she was Thor's mother was left up in the air.  She referred to Thor (as this is delving into ancient memory circuits) as "this special one," and I think Thor called her "madam."  In the 1983 Annual (I think) you finally got the conception and birth of Thor, with his mom being the embodiment of Earth.  You have to assume that Thor knew; as for Loki, he did make a reference in I believe 1966 in a main story to being the son of a king whom Odin killed -- this was after his TOA origin story.  As to when he found out -- when he was 8 or 18 or 20 or 1000 -- has never, I think, been made clear.  In the movie, of course, he's ignorant until halfway through the film.

[James Grant Goldin]

Bu the way...One of the questions I would love to have answered is what Kirby (and Lee) used as their source for Norse myths.  Kirby was familiar with Thor from at least 1942, but the red-bearded swaggerer was pretty well known among science fiction fans and such; once you start getting into "Tales of Asgard" in late 1963 you're dealing with some obscure material, including names like the king of the trolls (Geirrodur).  What was the source book?

[Kirk G]

I'm not sure there's ever been any more of an answer to where Kirby got his Norse mythology from... other than a few quotes from him saying "oh, I've just always been a big mythology buff"...and "I already knew the norse legends."... but I would think that this would be a good question to pose to Mark Evanier.

(I would guess that he might have access to the Kirby family and they might be able to say, "Oh, Dad's book on Norse mythology is right here on my bookshelf...let's see now, 'Norse Mythology' by Erik Selvig-Von Donican!)

[Figserello]

I thought someone here mentioned the very book that Kirby got his Tales of Asgard stories from.  It was either earlier in this thread or on one of our Stan Lee – Asshat/Jack Kirby – Pathetic Buffoon discussions.

[Hoy Murphy]

Figs:  As far as I can tell, no one on the Ask Mr. Silver Age forum considers Jack Kirby a pathetic buffoon and only one thinks Stan is an asshat (whatever that is), and we tend to ignore him. You must be thinking of one of the multitudes of Kirby-centric Internet lists.

Hoy

[Figserello]

A little hyperbolic licence there.

[Kirk G]

I just realized that i had never read the first 17 or so Journey into Mystery Thor stories..except for those who had been reprinted in the few early Marvel Tales that I had.  I had only read one or two of the Loki appearances, and the first Zarko, Tomorrow Man adventure.

So, I looked on my shelf and found the first Thor Masterworks volume...WITH THE SEALED SHRINK WRAP STILL ON!

So, I broke it out and flipped through it in the 85+degree heat this Saturday.  Although I snoozed off into a nap, I did find several of the things that you had mentioned...the pigeons for the Peanuts.... the Chromo-something gland (Crap!) and  the smack on the head personality change.

I recall seeing some of the panels reprinted in black and white either on the inside front cover of the early Marvel Tales or MCIC... and a few other places.

But I absolutely agree that they are inconsistent, and "these guys are making it up as they go along".

[Luke Blanchard]

If anyone doesn't know, the look of Marvel's Hercules was clearly influenced by the look used in the Italian Hercules films of the 50s and 60s, beginning with Hercules (1958) starring Steve Reeves.

 

John Buscema drew Dell's 1959 adaptation of the movie.

[Kirk G]

I think that's pretty clear now....JIM #125, JIM Annual #1 and Thor #126 as well as Avengers #38.

[James Grant Goldin]

All right, dagnabbit, SOMEONE'S got to come to the defense of "If there's one thing pigeons like, it's peanuts!"  I mean, look: Loki, god of mischief, is HIDING IN CENTRAL PARK DISGUISED AS A PIGEON!  Now, how is Thor, armed only with an invincible hammer and some vague medical knowledge, going to find WHICH pigeon hides the true form of his most wicked half-brother?  I mean, really?  What's he going to do, smash every pigeon?  I think not.  Thor doesn't do that.  And what kind of super-power would you have to have to see through a pigeon disguise, anyway?  So he thinks fast, tosses some peanuts at the birds, and all the REAL pigeons start pecking...but not Loki.  After all, peanuts are essentially a tropical or near-tropical plant, and so Norse gods would logically have had no taste for them.  When one pigeon flies away rather than eat the peanuts, Thor knows it must be Loki.  I doubt Batman could have done a better job.  I should mention that when my daughter was 4, she thought it was quite clever.

[Kirk G]

Chill, JGG...

I thought the photocopy of the panel was simply making fun of the fact that it looks like he's throwing peanuts INSTEAD of his hammer. 

It was a joke.

[James Grant Goldin]

So was mine.  :)