Super Special Issue
The cover of this issue of JIM claims to be a 'Super Special Issue', and while that may be typical Marvel hyperbole, it is a bit special.
The Thor story is actually inferior, both in terms of art, and story, which is surprising, because it is a collaboration between four of Marvel's best: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Don Heck, and Artie Simek. Only the letterer, Simek, turns in top work. BUT, the story is still special - even though the battle itself is contrived, and Loki again seems to play his usual gambit, that isn't the part of the story worth talking about. It is the developing relationship between Dr. Blake and Nurse Foster that takes a major step forward here. The two seem to both be totally aware of each others' feelings. Thor asks for Odin's permission to wed the mortal, a request Odin denies. Finally, Jane Foster has had enough of Dr. Blake, and leaves to work for his rival Dr. Andrews, fully aware that Andrews is interested in her. This here is the kind of character development that set Marvel apart from DC in the Silver Age. One actually looks forward to the next issue to see how this will be resolved.
The second story, 'The Perfect Defense', is the kind of gimmicky backup sci-fi story that we're used to from JIM, but this one is actually a little more affecting and clever than most. Normally I recommend skipping the backup stories, but not in this case.
The third story, 'Tales of... Asgard! Home of the Mighty Norse Gods' is a welcome new series in the title. In it, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby present comic retellings of Norse legends, the perfect backstory companion to the Thor series.
There is a page of text continuing the prose story from last issue, which can safely be ignored, but other than that, there's very little filler here, and a lot of added character depth, making it a recommended issue for Thor fans!
