Appearing in "The Mighty Thor and the Stone Men from Saturn!"
Featured Characters:
- ⏴ Thor ⏵ (First modern age appearance)
- Dr. Donald Blake ⏵ (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Stone Men from Saturn (First appearance)
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Asgardians
- Kronans (First appearance)
- Dragons (As a hologram)
Locations:
- Sol
- Earth
- Europe
- North America (Mentioned)
- United States (Mentioned)
- Saturn (Mentioned)
- Earth
- Heaven (Invoked)
Items:
- Mjolnir (First appearance)
Vehicles
Synopsis for "The Mighty Thor and the Stone Men from Saturn!"
Donald Blake, a doctor from the United States, is visiting Norway. At the same time, a ship from Saturn lands nearby as advance scouts for a planned invasion. A local fisherman spots them and alerts the villagers, but they dismiss him. Blake overhears and goes to look for himself. When he steps on a twig, the aliens notice him. He flees into the hills, where he loses his cane. He runs into a cave, but the other entrance is blocked by a giant boulder. A secret door opens, revealing a chamber where Blake finds a walking stick. He tries to move the boulder with the stick but is unable to get leverage. Frustrated, he hits the boulder with the stick, and, in a flash of light, the stick transforms into a hammer, transforming Blake into Thor, the mythical Norse God of Thunder.
Part 2: The Power of Thor!
First appearance of Thor
Thor easily lifts the boulder and leaves the cave. He verifies that the hammer has all the powers of Mjolnir, Thor's legendary weapon. He discovers it gives him the power to create storms and that the hammer is indestructible and will come back to him if thrown. Meanwhile, the alien armada shows up on Earth's radar screens. When fighter jets scramble to meet them, they project an image of a huge dragon and frighten away the pilots. When the ground forces fire missiles, they explode harmlessly against the ships' force fields. Thor speeds to the defense of the Earth.
Part 3: The Mighty Thor Strikes Back!
When Thor attacks the aliens, they drop a cage over him, but he tears the bars open. They aim their disintegration beams at him, but his hammer smashes their guns. They unleash their Mechano-Monster, but he smashes it to bits. The aliens return to their ships and give up their invasion. Thor changes back to Dr. Blake, whom the soldiers ignore when they come to look for the invaders.
Appearing in "Discovery"
Astonishing #54
Featured Characters:
- Chauncey (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Zeke (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Unnamed Gas Station Attendant
- Jack Sprat (Mentioned in narration)
- Muscles Magee (First appearance)
- Muscles Magee's Manager (First appearance)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Earth
- United States of America
- Unidentified Gas Station
- Hotchkiss Fair (First appearance)
- United States of America
- Earth
Items:
- Magic Strength (Candy Bar) (First appearance)
Vehicles:
- Irmegarde (First appearance) (Chauncey's Car)
Synopsis for "Discovery"
Astonishing #54
Appearing in "The Perfect Crime!"
Featured Characters:
- Mike Morgan
Supporting Characters:
- Unnamed Mercurian
Races and Species:
Locations:
Vehicles
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Synopsis for "The Perfect Crime!"
A crook tries to kill and rob a man by pushing him off a cliff, but finds that he is a flying man from Mercury.
Appearing in "When the Jungle Sleeps"
Featured Characters:
- King of All the Beasts (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Many other Animals
Races and Species:
Locations:
Synopsis for "When the Jungle Sleeps"
A lion is the victim of an atomic bomb test. After it regains consciousness, an amazing change has been wrought in the lion's brain due to radiation. It has gained the power of human-like comprehension and seeks revenge upon mankind for nearly taking its life with their weapon tests. Demonstrating a new ability to command all forms of animal life, the lion summons nearby wildlife to a clearing to hear its orders. As the lion plots out a strategy for a comprehensive attack of all animal life upon mankind, the effects of the radiation prove to be temporary, and the lion's ability to reason slips from its grasp. It lets out a mighty roar, startling the other animals away from it, and they go back to their various activities. The now ordinary lion was almost the monarch of the entire planet.
Trivia
- This is the first appearance of Thor.
- It appears that Donald Blake is Thor's true identity here, but it is later revealed (in Thor #159) that Odin had stripped Thor of his memory of his true identity. Odin had Thor surrender his hammer to him, and then sent him to Earth in the mortal guise of a crippled young medical student named Donald Blake. After Thor had spent ten years in the role of Blake, Odin planted within Blake's mind the suggestion to take a vacation in Norway, where as seen in this issue he came to the cavern where Odin had left Thor's hammer in the enchanted form of a wooden cane. At first Thor has no memory of his past life as an Asgardian god, although as the series continues, more of his memories return.
- This is the first appearance of the Kronans, who are called the Stone Men from Saturn for this issue.
- Korg and his brothers Margus and Ard first appear here unnamed. Korg and Margus were later named in Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #93, while Ard was identitied in Incredible Hulks #620.
- This issue's fight scene is later retold from Korg's perspective in Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #94, during the Planet Hulk arc. Also, in the Planet Hulk animated film there is a scene where Thor fights the Kronans in a battle similar to the one seen here.
- The Kronans are green on the cover, but orange within the story itself.