Reading Room: THOR GOD OF THUNDER "Blood Piracy in Shanghai"

The Golden Age Thor returns to battle a typical-for-the-period "Yellow Menace" Asian-stereotype villain in this tale from Weird Comics #5.
NOTE: this story may be NSFW due to the racial stereotypes.
Oddly, the Asian characters do not have yellow skin coloring, but standard comic book Caucasian flesh tones.

Despite the blurb in the last panel, this was Thor: God of Thunder's final appearance.
He didn't appear again until Erik Larsen revived him in Savage Dragon #141.

Check out the

Collectibles Store!

Video Fridays: The FIRST Live-Action THOR!

Thor (Erik Allan Kramer), Stan Lee, and The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno).

Face Front, True Believer!
Though Chris Hemsworth did a smashing job as The Mighty Thor, he wasn't the first choice to personify the God of Thunder in the flesh!
Erik Allan Kramer portrayed a somewhat headstrong Thor in the tv-movie The Incredible Hulk Returns.
Besides the quite-different costume, this version of Thor is two different people, the Thunder God and Don Blake (Steve Levett), a former student of David Banner's (Bill Bixby) who found Mjolnir and can summon Thor from between dimensions by holding the hammer and yelling "ODIN"...

And later the two team-up to...well, you'll get the idea...

Besides being a continuation of The Incredible Hulk tv storyline in a series of tv movies, this was a "backdoor pilot" to promote The Mighty Thor in his own tv series.

Reading Room: THOR: GOD OF THUNDER "Buddha's Golden Hoard"

Note that the Real Thor has white hair on this page, but red hair on page 3

The third appearance of the Golden Age Thor was presented HERE.
We now present his fourth tale.
Note: there are Asian stereotypes common to the 1930s-40s in this tale.
Definitely not Politically Correct, so this story may be NSFW.

Penciled and inked by Dan Gormley, this was the longest story of the Golden Age Thor's run.
Gormley's version discarded all the accouterments (helmet, cape, long hair) of the mythological god, and Grant's blonde hair is now red.
The final story will run soon.
Watch for it.

Check out the

Collectibles Store!

Reading Room: THOR: GOD OF THUNDER "Thor Goes to War"

With World War II still on the horizon for America in 1940, the Golden Age Thor has to contend with a girlfriend who still can't perceive of the horrors to come...

It's amazing how much they jammed into only 12 pages back then!
This rather lively tale was from Weird Comics #2, pencilled by Pierce Rice, inked by Arturo Cazeneuve.

Check out the

Collectibles Store!

Video Fridays: Thor vs the Destroyer!

 Since one of the main "set pieces" in the new Thor movie is a battle with The Destroyer, let's look at it as dramatized using Jack Kirby's art on the Marvel Super Heroes Show...

C'mon admit it, it's KOOL!

It's THORSday! All Hail MIGHTY THOR!

Inks by Chic Stone

To celebrate the Mighty Thor big-budget movie opening tomorrow and starring Chris Hemsworth and (yum) Natalie Portman, here's a selection of pix by co-creator Jack (King) Kirby with various inkers...

Inks by Dick Ayers

Inks by George Roussos aka George Bell

Inks by Joe Sinnott

Inks by Joe Sinnott

Inks by Dick Ayers

Inks by Don Heck

Inks by Joe Sinnott

Inks by Joe Sinnott

Inks by Joe Sinnott

Origin of the Golden Age Thor: God of Thunder

He's muscular, super-strong, has long blonde hair, uses a hammer named Mjolnir, and can control lightning, but he's NOT Don Blake!
Nor is he the real Thor!
Confused, True Believer!
Well, read on and all will be made clear...probably...

So, while Grant transforms into a Thor, the real Thor (with the mythologically-correct red hair and beard) sits comfortably back in Valhalla and watches the fun.
This version of Thor would run from Weird Comics #1 (this appearance) to #5, never once making the cover.
Interestingly, issue by issue, he lost elements of Thor's costume (including the helmet, cape, and long hair), until by his final appearance in #5, he just looked like Grant Farrel in a blue swimsuit!
After that, he disappeared until 2008, when he, and an assemblage of forgotten Golden Age heroes, popped up in Savage Dragon #141, in full "Thor" regalia.

We'll be posting the other four adventures of the first Thor over the next few weeks.

Watch for them.

Check out the

Collectibles Store!