COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Thor 373 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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2719317005
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Owner:
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Thorseface
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Thor no. 373: "The Gift of Death"
Publication date: November 10, 1986
Signed by Sal Buscema on 10/25/21; by Walt Simonson on 7/9/22.
Census: As of 6/20/23, 76 copies in 9.8 (up by 2), of which 14 are signed (no change). There is a single 9.9. As of yet no Canadian versions listed.
Writer: Simonson
Pencils and inks: Buscema
Letterer: Workman
Color: Scheele
Favorite line and some thoughts:
"I've magicked women and set prince against prince! War is what I've caused, Thor. And what have you done?"
-Harbard (Odin)
The encounter between Thor and Harbard is a PG version of the poem Hárbarðsljóð, or "Harbard's Song," which is found in the Poetic Edda. There, Thor encounters Odin disguised as Harbard the ferryman. The poem belongs to a genre called a flyting, which term, drawn from Old English, is a verbal noun that means "to quarrel." Thus, the speakers in a flyting trade insults in rhyme, like a medieval rap battle. And boy are the insults sharp in Hárbarðsljóð. Walt cleverly transforms the poem into a memory Thor has of his vanished father; as Thor explains to Jerry's Kids, he later realized that Harbard's refusal to ferry him across the river was Odin's way of teaching his son a lesson about self reliance (I suppose one could also accuse Marvel's Thor of laziness here as he could have just tossed Mjolnir and flown across). This is yet another gratifying example where Walt employed the mythological material to serve the narrative / thematic requirements of his run: the whole issue is very much about Thor continuing to reckon with his grief in the aftermath of Odin's disappearance, and how all of us must ultimately take responsibility for our own lives. Even if that means helping out the odd frog or two along the way. One might even say that Thor is becoming rather like Odin here, insofar as he is imparting wisdom to the children in his "Sigurd" disguise. But the kids, unlike Thor in Hárbarðsljóð, have already figured out Thor's true identity.
Often the corollary of a loss of a parent is coming to terms with one's own mortality. Thor is getting "older" here, at least in terms of his bearded, outward appearance. The cover for this issue, a portrait bust powerfully modeled in light and shadow, positions Marvel's version of Thor closer to the deity of Norse mythology but also suggests that he is more mature and even wearier. And all of this squares with the loss of Odin and the suffering Hela has inflicted on Thor - the titular "Gift of Death." We even have Thor's own impending "demise" foreshadowed in Pietro's (Jerry's oldest son) question about the hero's legendary battle with the Midgard Serpent.
I've always hated the 25th anniversary fanfare frame. The cover art is much more effective without it. Walt has lent the original art to at least one exhibition (in New York, I think, in 2017 or 2018). There is another version of the cover that he prepared but which he found less successful. It is pictured in the Omnibus bonus materials.
Jerry Saprisiti is annoyed by the gentrification of Brooklyn. If only he could see Cobble Hill today. Hopefully for Ernesto and his siblings Jerry actually owned that apartment and was able to cash in. But then again, I think Jerry was related to Nick Fury, so he could probably call in a financial favor or two if need be. If I recall correctly the Sapristi family reappear in the DeFalco / Frenz run, still looking like extras from West Side Story. All of this, no doubt, reflects Walt's experience living and working in New York in the 70s and 80s.
Speaking of Italian Americans, this issue is one of Sal's best on the run and illustrates his versatility as an artist. The scenes of Thor at dinner with the Sapristri family and afterwards in the park are forthright and heartwarming. Great to see Puddlegulp and Bugeye again and to learn that Thor still speaks frog before venturing into the sewers. He makes his way there exactly as the Moorlock Piper did back in issue 365, a nice touch.
I splurged on this book. Sal is something like 86 now and it's not easy to find a book signed by both him and Walt in 9.8 condition. Given the famous cover and the fact that Sal did both pencils and inks in the interior, I had to nab this one. This book is representative of the talents of both of these greats.
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