COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Thor 375 Modern
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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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4003505017
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Owner:
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Thorseface
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Thor no. 375: “Shadows of the Past”
Publication date: January 1, 1987
In addition to the 9.8, I have a copy signed by Walt on 11/12/20. As of 6/20/23 it is the highest signed copy of this book on the census. Cert. Number 3729558003.
Census: As of 6/20/23, 3 copies in 9.8 (no change), none of which are signed (no change). There is no Canadian variant listed.
Writer: Simonson
Penciler, inker: Sal Buscema
Letterer: Bob Pinaha
Colorist: Becton / Scheele
Favorite line and some thoughts:
"Perhaps the time has finally come for me to summon one of your brothers at last. There are certain ancient prophecies I would dearly love to see fulfilled."
-Loki
This is the only issue in the whole of Walt's run to feature a proper cameo by Iron Man. The armored splint Tony Stark makes for Thor is the next step in the transformation of the Thunder God into bearded armored warlord. I love how Thor enlists the help of his Avenger buddy for this purpose rather than the "dwarf smithies of Asgard." Stark, "as a 20th century man, [is] not quite sure how much to believe about Asgard and her Gods." In other words, this was still the 1980s, a time when the Avengers had yet to see any serious action in the Realm Eternal and of their number Thor uniquely walked between Midgard and Asgard. Thor's Stark-built arm, which he would subsequently incorporate into full armor, attests to his special ties to Earth.
Notice that the prototype that Tony invites Thor to destroy is the torso of the Silver Centurion armor that Iron Man wore throughout the mid-1980s.
Hela's sarcastic question to her father ("Would you like a fatted calf") is a reference to the Gospel of Luke chapter 15, where Christ relates the parable of the Prodigal Son. The irony here is that it is the father (Loki) and not the child (Hela) who has finally come calling, and Hela is none too pleased. Her reference to her brothers who "are not so comely nor so gentle as I" is yet another signposting of the imminent arrival of Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent. With Thor diminished by Hela's curse, Loki figures it's time to summon his monstrous son and fulfill the prophecies of Norse mythology that foretell the battle of Thor and Jormungand at the end of time.
The title of this issue alludes to Thor's encounters with old foes, including the Man Beast (first introduced in Thor no. 134, 1966), the Wrecker (no. 148, 1968) and, most dangerous of all, the Absorbing Man (Journey into Mystery no. 114, 1965). These scuffles were undoubtedly Walt's homage to the early Lee / Kirby issues of JiM / Thor that he often identifies as early favorites / influences. The Man Beast and the Wrecker indeed turn out to be "shadows," but not the Absorbing Man. It's all a ruse by Loki to soften up Thor for Jormungand.
Walt must have set Thor's encounter with the Wrecker in Oberlin, Ohio in honor of his brother, now Professor Emeritus of Geology at Oberlin College.
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