| Hogun the Grim |  Let the Blackguards taste my mace!  |
| Voluminous Volstagg | As for Volstagg -- He will bravely guard the rear - Urrf! |
| Fandral the Fleet | Work well done, Fat One -- |
Appearing in "This Fatal Fury!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Mjolnir
- Ring Imperial
- Cosmic Well
Synopsis for "This Fatal Fury!"
Attempting to prevent the forced marriage between Loki and Sif, Thor is knocked away from his hammer, as the 60 second limit ticks down, Thor is at risk of changing back into Donald Blake. Three Storm Giants approach Thor for the kill, one of them grabs Thor, however he is forced to drop him when the transformation between Thor and Blake shocks the giants hand. This unexpected shock gives Donald Blake a moment to rush toward Thor's hammer and reclaim it, resuming into his Godly form.
Thor then makes short work of the Storm Giants, easily defeating them in combat and sending them away in a literal tornado of wind. As the wedding ceremony begins, Loki continues to keep Thor busy by sending a legion of Trolls to battle. However, as he awaits his future-brides arrival, Loki is suddenly struck with sudden pain and wonders what it's cause could be. Unable to stand by anymore, the Warriors Three decide that they should attempt to awaken Odin from his Odinsleep to stop Loki. Along the way they meet resistance from Loki's guards, while Thor smashes his way into the ceremony hall interrupting the wedding just as it is about to happen. Watching from above are Balder and Karnilla, Balder bound to his pledge of loyalty to Karnilla can only sit back and watch the fight, feeling that he is nothing more than a traitor.
While in the Odin's sleeping chambers, the Warriors Three awaken Odin from the Odinsleep. Furious at being awoken early, Odin strikes out at them and tells them that there is nothing he can do about the situation. While in the hall, Thor and Loki battle each other once more, however Loki's ring suddenly causes him pain once more and begins to rapidly age him. Not wanting to die, Loki casts off the ring, throwing it to the ground where it is recovered by Odin.
Odin explains that this was all predetermined as the ring could only be wielded by himself and that the fight was to teach his noble warriors another lesson in humility. With the lesson over, Odin then banishes Loki and his minions away. Odin then goes onto say that the ring in truth does not give power but takes it away and that the ring is but a tool and that glory must come from within.
Just when the Asgardians were to feast to victory the Grand Vizier appears in a panic and tells Odin to come see the Cosmic Well. Rushing to it's location, Odin sees where he had banished Loki, and is horrified because there could not be a worse place to banish the God of Tricks, and worst of all: Loki knows it too, and it could mean the destruction of the universe.
Appearing in "Tales of Asgard - The Golden Apples"
Journey Into Mystery #114
(originally printed as The Stronger I Am, the Sooner I Die!)
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Absorbing Man (First appearance as Absorbing Man)
- Loki
- Unnamed Enemy Agent
Other Characters:
- Harris Hobbs (First appearance)
- unnamed Asgardians
Locations:
- Asgard
- United States of America
- New York State
- New York City
- Black Mountain (First appearance) swamp area
- New York State
Items:
- Absorbing Man's Ball and Chain (First appearance)
- Mjolnir
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Tales of Asgard - The Golden Apples"
Journey Into Mystery #114
(originally printed as The Stronger I Am, the Sooner I Die!)
Thor battles a criminal who attempts to elude him inside of a modified bucket racer. Thor pulls him from the vehicle and throws him to the ground. Watching the melee from Asgard is Thor's evil half-brother, Loki. Loki decides to assist the criminal by teleporting a vial of poisonous vapors to the battlefield in the hopes of weakening Thor. The tactic fails however and Thor manages to capture the criminal.
Frustrated, Loki decides to strike at Thor in another way. He elects to empower an Earth mortal with the ability to defeat Thor. Loki creates a special serum and teleports it to Earth inside the water glass of a convict named "Crusher" Creel. Upon drinking the water, Creel feels himself rippling with power. He has the ability to absorb the properties of any physical material that he makes contact with. He begins causing a ruckus in the prison cafeteria, and the guards rush in and start shooting at him. Creel absorbs the impact of their bullets, and transforms into a man of solid lead. Using his weighted ball and chain, Creel smashes his way to freedom.
Back at his office, Donald Blake patches up an injured reporter named Harris Hobbs. Hobbs tells him that he is chasing a story involving a superhuman escaped prisoner. Blake grows curious and breaks off a dinner date with Jane Foster to investigate.
Blake changes into Thor and flies out towards the Black Mountain swamp area. There he finds Crusher Creel and the two pit themselves against one another. Thor's hammer strikes against Creel's iron ball, but to no avail. With each blow, Creel absorbs more and more of the Thunder God's strength. Thor creates a whirlwind hoping to blow Creel off his feet, but this too fails.
The reporter Hobbs reaches the scene and tries to help Thor by throwing sticks of dynamite at Crusher Creel. Creel mimics Thor's whirlwind and blows the dynamite back at him. Thor snatches Hobbs to safety before the sticks can explode.
Creel manages to escape and drives off in a stolen car. While gassing up the vehicle, he begins fantasizing about all of the things he can accomplish with his new powers. Creel destroys the gas station with his ball and chain, and then drives off towards a safe house.
Thor tracks him down and the two begin fighting once again. The fight continues for hours, with neither man showing any sign of slowing down. Suddenly, Thor's Asgardian ally Balder the Brave appears before him. He brings Thor to the Rainbow Bridge and tells him that Loki has gone after Jane Foster. Thor decides to abandon his fight with Creel, citing that Loki represents a more menacing threat. As the two Asgardians vanish, Creel, in his arrogance, believes that he has beaten Thor.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- This issue features a letters page, The Hammer Strikes. Letters are published from an unsigned writer, Bruce Shennum, and Dan Gheno. The Mighty Marvel Checklist is also published on the letters page.
- Tales of Asgard is published with a special note that they are interrupting their regular series to present this tale. This note is from the original printing of this story in Journey Into Mystery #114, and does not apply this time around.