COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Thor 379 Signature
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Grade:
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9.8
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Page Quality:
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WHITE
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Certification #:
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0183139009
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Owner:
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Thorseface
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Thor no. 379: “There Were Giants in Those Days (Or, A Discourse Between Heroes and Villains)”
Publication date: May 1, 1987
Signed by Sal Buscema on 2/6/12.
Census: As of 6/20/23, 15 copies in 9.8 (up by 1), 2 of which are signed (up by 1). There is no Canadian variant listed.
Writer: Simonson
Penciler, inker: Sal Buscema
Letterer: Workman
Colorist: Evelyn Stein
Favorite line and some thoughts:
"I myself am a so-called super hero. An extremely local version of a tactical nuclear weapon, if you will."
-Thor
You'll recall that Thor is not a mutantphobe. Walt puts a nice, fine point on that in this issue in Thor's departure from X-Factor HQ. I appreciate this.
But on to the main course: the first part of the title Walt gave this book is drawn from the Christian Old Testament, namely Genesis 6:4: "Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown." However you decide to interpret that passage--literally or figuratively--giants once more walked the [616] earth in May 1987, though they were not of the Judeo-Christian stripe. Grundroth and his fellow Jotuns are on a mission to find the Midgard Serpent, which task requires they go fishing, in keeping with Norse mythology. In the Prose Edda and several earlier sources, however, it is of course Thor himself who hooks the serpent on a fishing expedition with the unhappy giant Hymir. Indeed, Roy Thomas and John Buscema adapted that story back in Thor no. 273. There, in keeping with the mythology, Thor uses the head of an ox as bait. Here, Grundroth persuades the idiot "Snotri" (a nod to Snorri Sturlson, compiler of the Prose Edda) to jump into the sea with a hook fastened to a length of rope. And up from the depths rises...Fin Fang Foom.
It would be silly to note the last time Fin Fang Foom appeared in continuity prior to Thor no. 379 since this is, in fact, not actually him. If I had to bet, Walt would have preferred to have used Fafnir here, but since he had already done so much earlier in the run he had to find a substitute dragon. This he did in Fin Fang Foom whom, in keeping with the spirit of the past few issues, was an old Marvel villain. Why would he need Fafnir here? Well, when "Fin Fang Foom" finally locates our pensive armored hero in New York, he engages him in a philosophical conversation that is clearly indebted to the so-called Lay of Fafnir in the Poetic Edda. There, Sigurd surprises the dragon Fafnir and mortally wounds him. As Fafnir breathes out his last, he and Sigurd engage in a conversation that reads like a series of riddles. An important element of this is Sigurd's refusal to reveal his name to Fafnir, since to do so would enable Fafnir to curse the hero with greater efficacy (the curses of a dying man were considered particularly potent). Medieval literature is in fact filled with similar instances where protagonists or antagonists refuse to share their name. In a nutshell, to yield one's name is to concede power. It is exactly this ancient song and dance in which Thor and "Fin Fang Foom" are engaged at the end of this issue, though I'm fairly certain the dragon knows full well to whom he's speaking.
Just before Jormungand finally sheds his disguise he challenges Thor to lift his foot. This our hero does, prompting the world serpent to reveal himself at last. This vignette Walt also drew from Snorri, who tells the famous story of how Thor was once challenged to lift a giant cat. Having done so, and to the astonishment and fear of all, it is revealed to Thor that the cat was actually the world serpent, magically disguised. Roy Thomas and John Buscema had adopted the myth wholesale in Thor 272 in the lead up to their iteration of Ragnarok, so Walt took a different tack here.
Jormungand having revealed himself, Thor does the same. At some point I'll have to look up the sources for Thor's many kennings or figures of speech with which he proclaims his true identity. Suffice it to say, this is the end of the discourse of hero and villain (per the second part of the issue's title). Having sized one another up in this age old way, it is time at last for the dread reckoning that will be Mjolnir's song.
Walt's Jormungand is a redesign of the classic Kirby serpent that first appeared way back in Thor no. 127 (1966). Kirby's version was a giant robotic snake-insect thing. It appeared intermittently over the years, notably in Thor no. 200 and the aforementioned no. 273, by which time big John Buscema had simplified it into a big green serpent with red saucer eyes. It was creepy, I guess, even if it really just looked like a giant blind monster. Walt, as indicated in my commentary for Thor no. 359, redesigned Jormungand. The Midgard Serpent is now endlessly long, boasts rows and rows of giant teeth and, most important, has piercing, serpentine eyes. This was intentional: unlike his earlier iterations, Walt's Jormungand has an awful lot to say. The serpent's now far more complex visage conveys rage, pain, and even disdain. He is more than a monster; he's a fully formed villain.
This was Walt's redesign, but it was the stalwart Sal Buscema who gave us our first look at the revamped Midgard Serpent here at the very end of Thor no. 379. For that reason I am especially pleased to have that legend's signature on this book. I also own the other signed 9.8, a Newsstand with Walt's signature, because I am insane. For the record, serial no. 2727703003 signed by Walt on 6/26/22.
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