The bad news: These are some bad issues. A priest is mystically transformed (by a bunch of Christian heads) into a powered being called Crusader after he accuses some Thor worshippers of blasphemy.
He fights Thor, wins because Thor loses faith in himself, then Thor goes back to Asgard with Sif and returns as the egomaniac we know and love and curbstomps Crusader.
Also, the mayor of Chicago makes an appearance.
At first I thought “Mayor Byrne” was a tribute to John Byrne.
But she’s real.
The good news: None really.
I certainly would not rate these comics as an “F”. At the very least, they are drawn well by Bob Hall. At the very most, these issues tackle head-on the issue which all ‘Thor’ fans of a certain level of intelligence eventually arrive at- namely, how does Marvel’s pagan-god superheroes, ( Thor, Hercules, etc. ) fit in with the Christian-Judeo ethic upon which our nation was founded, and still remains as the status quo? The answer is: Marvel Comics’s interpretation of religion is fluid enough to encompass everyone’s beliefs. Earth-616 is a world where the belief in God, Christ, Judaism, Buddhism, and every other religion out there exist side-by-side with pagan faiths such as the Norse, Greek, Egyptian pantheons, etc., etc., etc.,. I understand there is a percentage of the readership who are not comfortable with pagan gods being objects of worship in Marvel and DC Comics, ( remember, over at DC, characters such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Captain Marvel are actually avatars of the Greek Gods ) but, being agnostic myself, it works for me. Remember also, the American Constitution guarantees every American citizen the right of Freedom of Religion. That basically means, as long as you work hard, pay your taxes, and stay out of trouble, the American populace can worship anything or anyone we damn well please!! Or not at all, if THAT is our inclination! So, inasmuch as these issues with Thor battling an avatar of the Christian faith deals with this matter head-on, I cannot assign them an “F”. As a matter of fact, I would go on to give these issues a full “B” for having the courage to tackle this matter in a direct and forthright manner. ‘Nuff Said!