9:26 AM
Brad
Cover Date: September 1962
Plot Overview: We start off with a recap of the last issue. The Kronans actually appear red in this issue instead of the greenish yellow they actually were. We come to present day as Dr. Don Blake and his nurse Jane Foster are making rounds. Blake is in love with Foster but dares not tell her due to his disability. Foster is also in love with Blake but feels he is not interested due to how he acts. They hear from a newspaper boy that revolution has broken out in a country called San Diablo.
A few weeks later Blake and Foster volunteer to take a trip to San Diablo for a medical relief visit. The ruler of San Diablo is the Executioner and he doesn't want the doctors arriving because he wants the citizens to stay sick and weak. The Executioner's army tries to stop the doctors numerous times but Blake manages to change into Thor and fight them off.
During one encounter they manage to capture Jane and Thor is forced to retreat. He becomes Blake again and turns himself over to the Executioner. The Executioner has become smitten with Jane and says he'll let Blake live if she marries him. Blake mouths off to the Executioner and then uses his cane to change into Thor.
Thor uses the Hammer to grab a tent and then wrap up most of the army with it. Then Thor makes a local volcano erupt and the military gives up. The Executioner tries to flee but is gunned down by his own people. Afterwards Blake explains his disappearance by climbing he fled to safety. The issue ends with Jane wishing that Blake was as brave as Thor.
My Take: This was a very old school comic. The superhero taking out the dictator of a small Communist country was a very cliche Silver Age storyline. I don't really know what to say about this issue honestly. The art was good and the story wasn't bad.
It just wasn't that interesting to me. I don't care for the small country dictator villain and seeing the superhero beat up on an army. I prefer super-villains or mobsters as my antagonists.
As I said, the issue wasn't bad. It just hit on a situation that doesn't interest me that much. It was still a solid effort from Marvel. There was some character development for Don Blake and Jane is decently developed.
I'd give this ** out of *****
Notes: This is the first appearance of Jane Foster. She's still around the Marvel Universe today. The Executioner is not the same as the Executioner that hangs out with the Enchantress. Thor is still talking as Dr. Blake and it's still referred to as the Hammer of Thor.
The love situation between Blake and Foster is also a pretty popular plot device in the early days of Marvel. You'll see the same storyline pop up in the Incredible Hulk and later with Daredevil. The Fantastic Four has a similar situation going on with Namor and Sue Storm too.
Next Issue: Incredible Hulk #3
Posted in: Jane Foster,Journey Into Mystery,Thor
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