I Say Thee Neigh
Thor 340
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COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Thor 340 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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4427503002
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Owner:
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Thorseface
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Thor no. 340: “Though Hel Should Bar the Way!”
Publication date: February 10, 1984
Census: As of 6/20/23 78 copies in 9.8 (up by 11) with 6 signed (up by 4). There are 3 Canadian 9.8s, none signed.
Writer, penciler: Simonson
Letterer: Workman
Colorist: George Roussos
Favorite line and some thoughts:
“Come Demons! Who will be the first to taste this sweet steel?”
-Sif, exhausted by battle but far from defeated, facing down a literal wave of demons. Skuttlebutt arrives just in the nick of the time and the duo manages to protect Bill’s fleet long enough for Thor and Bill to destroy the portal to that ominous place “beyond the fields we know.” One of Sif’s finest moments in Walt’s run.
Walt’s trademark writhing demon waves (or a version thereof) will show up again during his collaboration with Louise on the X-Factor issues of the "Inferno" crossover. Now that I think about it, X-Factor’s sentient celestial spaceship is likewise very similar to Skuttlebutt.
Notice how Walt consciously chose to show Odin’s empty eye socket in this issue…it’s a reminder that he nonetheless “sees” in a way that everyone else cannot, a hint that he somehow knew the good that would come from the arrival of Beta Ray Bill.
Thor 337–340 have been reprinted in various formats many times over the years, most notably in volume one of the IDW “Artist’s Edition” series dedicated to Walt’s Thor run and the Marvel Omnibus. A 1989 reprint TPB titled “The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill" featured an all new cover (it’s a wraparound) fully illustrated and painted by Walt that shows Bill and Sif atop Skuttlebutt on the front and Thor driving his goats on the back. There's also that "Thor Visionaries" volume from 2001 released in hardcover and later in paperback, which included 337-48. That hardcover came sealed with Walt's signature inside. For its cover Walt created a new illustration intended to serve as a bookend with Thor 382, the last issue in the run. You can still find those on ebay from time to time. Pretty cool.
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