Thor #179-181 (1970): Kirby’s last issue


In a bizarre face/off, Loki swaps bodies with Thor and promptly starts causing all kinds of problems.  I love this because it’s truly Loki acting like a God of Mischief, whereas most of the time he’s really an evil, world-conquering douche.



The other heroes of Asgard try to stop him, but in the end, the problem is solved thusly:

Interesting. It confirms that Thor is in fact a separate entity who exists outside of Don Blake–like when Rick Jones takes over the body of Mar-Vell. Not sure what happens to Don when Thor takes over, though.

I’m a big fan of Neal Adams (how can a comic fan not be), so it’s a treat to see him illustrate Thor…But the mood is definitely different. It all feels less regal and more superheroic.  And I had to share the above panel.  I mean, come on.  Implied penis anyone?

There’s also an extended Mephisto appearance, which is the first time the character appeared outside of the Silver Surfer.

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1 thought on “Thor #179-181 (1970): Kirby’s last issue”

  1. “C+”-??? Come on, now!! These three “body-swap” issues of “The Mighty Thor”, issues 179-181, from 1970, comprises one of the most gripping and compelling storyarcs that Marvel has ever published! Seriously- Marvel just isn’t producing comics like this, anymore! ( mostly due to the current dearth of any real talent ) Stan Lee, the writer of this gripper, once stated in an interview that when it comes to writing comic-books, there are really only seven basic storylines, and the “body-switcheroo” angle is one of them. ( number four, I believe ) What really sets this trilogy off, of course, is the, again, gripping artwork of the incomparable Neal Adams. You talk about the right artist for the job! Of course, the late and legendary Nefarious Neal could, technically, draw any type of story and make it a great piece of art, but the sheer majesty and power of this story- Thor, Loki, Balder, Sif, Asgard, and, most especially, Mephisto, demands the cosmic, unparalleled talent of Neal Adams in order to do it true justice! I seriously cannot imagine anybody else drawing this besides Neal! The first chapter, issue#179, drawn by the capable-yet-vastly-inferior-to-Neal Adams Jack Kirby, serves to capably underscore the point! Apparently, the production of this three-parter coincided with Kirby’s infamous 1970 defection from Marvel, leaving the titanic Adams to finish the job. I don’t know why Stan didn’t just have Neal stay on with ‘Thor’ permanently following Kirby’s departure- possibly because of the previous year’s experience with Neal not being able to meet his deadlines on ‘X-Men’- but, in any case, after Kirby left Marvel to go to DC and do his stupid “Fourth World” drivel, the job of regular penciller of ‘Thor” went to the quite-capable Jumbo John Buscema- not quite as good, or as desirable, as Neal Adams- but very, very close. With the incomparable Neal having, by this point, developed a reputation for being unable to meet his deadlines, I don’t know how he survived in the industry. Might warrant a little research into the matter. His stint on ‘Green Lantern/Green Arrow’, which was his next assignment ( I believe ) didn’t last too long, either, but I am not certain how much that had to do with Neal’s inabilities, or if his and writer Denny O’Neil’s “relevance” direction on the series ( it WAS 1970, after all ) did not resonate with the readership. ( maybe both-?? ) But I disagree with Mr. Ekko’s above assertion that the McGuffin of having the body-switch be reversed by tricking Loki into changing back into Blake proves that Thor and Blake are actually two separate people, like Captain Mar-Vell and Rick Jones. In the origin story presented around a year earlier in issues#158 and 159, it is clearly, inarguably, and unmistakenly determined that Thor and Don Blake most definitely ARE the same person- his father Odin just decided that Thor needed a little humility, and so he dictated that his son would spend most of his time, for a time, as a crippled, ninety-eight pound doctor in order for him to learn a little badly-needed humility and compassion. And it worked! But the guy is one guy, not two fused into one, as in the case of the aforementioned Mar-Vell and his kid sidekick, Rick Jones. And anyway, what first-grader can’t take one glance at Don Blake and see that he is simply Thor sans roughly 500 pounds of bone and muscle, with a haircut??? Now, Eric Masterson and Jake Olsen were, indeed, two separate dudes from Thor, but Thor is Blake, and Blake is Thor! There is simply no question, or doubt! And, finally, in re the above remark about the hammer-embedded-into-the-cliff-changing-into-the-cane being a penile analogy- I gotta say- I have periodically reread this story for fifty-four years now, and, until I read this post- I never got it! I see it NOW, of course, now that it has been brought to my attention, but for anybody to glean that from what it was, suffers from some serious penile-obsession issues! I’m sorry, but that’s the truth! Forsooth! Hail Odin!!

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