The Rise Of Odin-Power

This month Marvel Comics released True Believers #1: Annihilation - Odinpower. It is a reissue of Thor #349, which was originally published in 1984. These were the days when "The Mighty Thor" was introduced as "Stan Lee presents." Walter Simonson was responsible for the artwork and the story. John Workman, Jr. handled the lettering chores, while Christie Scheele added the color. Having read many issues regarding our Asgardian warriors, I couldn't tell if they were intentionally trying to alter Thor's speech patterns in certain panels to signify his way of speaking or there were just some editing that was missed. His speech could have been altered by the amount of Golden Mead that he was drinking.

Even though Malekith was captured, the Casket Of Ancient Winters was decimated bringing freezing cold temperatures and storms across the entire world. This had an extreme effect on Midgard, or as we like to call it Earth, as Thor and his allies head to New York City to figure out their next move at Melodi's apartment. Melodi is the one who is feeding Thor the Golden Mead, which is spiked with a potion designed to control Thor. This is because Melodi is really Lorelei, a sister of an enchantress recognizable to Odin.

In Asgard, Balder The Brave and Agnar Of Vanaheim return with news for Odin of the visions of a Burning Shadow. This prompts Odin to summon a meeting of the minds. Just then, Thor returns with his prisoner, Malekith. Odin feels that it is time to tell Thor and the others present a story that happened a long time ago. Three brothers rode into Muspelheim after defeating Ymir, who was the premier Frost Giant. These brothers were Odin, Vili and Ve. It was in Muspelheim where they encountered many fiery beings that led them to their ruler, Surtur. It was here that they found out that Surtur's destiny was to destroy the nine worlds with fire. It became a battle between ice and flame, which was pretty much ineffective. Nabbing the Flame Of Destruction, Odin left Muspelheim to return to Asgard, while his two brothers stayed behind to ensure that Surtur doesn't escape after him. By doing this Vili and Ve gave up their powers to Odin, which was how the Odin-Power came into being. Knowing full well what lies ahead, Odin calls upon Beta Ray Bill for assistance.

This story within the main story is one that is very important in regards to the history of Asgard. The few confusing language blips did not keep me from loving this tale.