JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #94: Here We Go Again!

Published: July, 1963

This month, Thor once again meets up with his mischievous brother, and once again, there’s a kind of “hypnosis” explanation for Thor’s bad behavior. More of the same. Sigh…. Russ advised I might find nothing new to talk about in this issue, but that’s precisely why I decided to review this book.

As I’ve been reading and reviewing, there’s so much going on in each issue that sometimes I feel I’m only scratching the surface. And the longer I read, the more I see certain trends that have me thinking, “Well, that happens so often, a time will come to mention it in the blog.”

There are so many good examples of recurring motifs in this story that I’ve decided to talk about a few of them now. See if you don’t agree, and get a chuckle, over these comic book traditions.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE??
On page two, as the story begins to rev up and the people of Earth realize they’re going to need help above and beyond the police and military, we find a two-star general frantically exclaiming that there is “only one person” who can help them now: Thor!

Well, of course this is Thor’s story, but is the general public not aware that the world is positively swarming with superheroes? Why can’t they call on the Fantastic Four, or Iron Man, or Ant-Man, or Spider-Man? I talked with Russ about this, and he offered a plausible explanation. Perhaps all the other superheroes are busy at the moment. This month, The Fantastic Four are in Microworld and Spider-Man has his hands full with Doctor Octopus. And as we’ll see in my upcoming posts, Tony Stark and Iron Man deal with Kala, the Queen of the Underground, and tiny adventurers Ant-Man and Wasp have a big adventure with criminal mastermind Egghead. So perhaps Thor IS the only superhero with an opening on his calendar.

Okay, I buy this explanation. But it still strikes me as funny, whenever someone exclaims there is only one person who can help them now.

“LOOK!!!”
And now, what I call the “Grand Announcement.” Very often, when a new character appears on the scene, someone will shout out their name, frequently with multiple exclamation points. It strikes me as funny, because there’s no particular reason why this needs to be verbalized. Is Thor so shocked by the sudden appearance of “A flame-breathing dragon—behind me!” that the natural inclination is to shout about it? I doubt it. Instead, I think the natural reaction to a shocking appearance would be to exclaim, “Crap!” or something not so polite. Or maybe “Hey!” or “Wow!” or “Great!” But generally, in moments of great excitement, most people don’t become overly verbal. One explanation: superheros are not like “most people.”

And Marvel characters do this all the time. If I had so much time on my hands that I didn’t know what to do with it, I would go through every comic I’ve read so far and catalog every time this happens. Unfortunately, I don’t have leisure time in copious amounts. But trust me. This happens. A LOT.

Another, and perhaps better, explanation: the announcement is made to provide information. It almost reminds me of a radio drama. To some degree, you could read these comics to a blind person, and they would still have a good idea of what was happening, without even seeing the pictures.

CHATTY CHARACTERS
In a similar vein, we know we are not in the real world, so to a great degree, we don’t expect Marvel characters to talk the way real people do. For one thing, it appears no one can utter a single phrase that does not end in an exclamation point! It’s true! Every single phrase and sentence ends with at least one exclamation point!! When I mentioned this to Russ, he explained that periods “disappeared” in the printing process they used in the sixties, so exclamation points were used to avoid the appearance of characters speaking unintelligibly or in tremendously long run-on sentences, sort of like this one!

However, the panel on the left goes a bit deeper than that. Here, Thor reminds Heimdall, in extensive detail, of the intricacies of his job duties. He couldn’t have just said, “You’re the gatekeeper” or “You’re just the Guardian”? Why does he go into this long explanation of what Bifrost is? As if Heimdall doesn’t know? Of course, Heimdall knows! But the readers may have forgotten, or there may be new readers who are getting this information for the first time. So, I understand why this is done, but still…it takes you out of the story for a moment and makes you remember that this is just a story, with narrative details that may bear repeating.

TERRIFIED HUMANITY
If there was no evil in the Marvel Universe, there would be no need for superheroes. But, lucky for us, the Marvel Universe is a place plagued with troublesome villains, causing frequent occasions of the populace breaking out in terrified expressions. I wonder how many of these faces I have run into already…and I’ve only just begun my marvelous journey! On the splash of this comic we have an excellent example of the terrified faces of humanity, badly in need of rescuing by the resident superhero. Never fear, people! Help is on the way!

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
I always have to smile, if not outright chuckle, when I read a reference to how something must be accomplished in a “split-second.” In this story, Loki’s plan requires that Thor turn his head “at the crucial split-second before the hammer returns to him!” It strikes me as funny because, on the page, it takes longer to read the words “split-second” than it would take for something to happen in that split-second. It makes you realize how inadequate print media is for these kinds of quick-moving stories. Thank goodness, Marvel has survived all these years in the print medium to emerge fully into the wonderful world of film, where we can appreciate the nuances of the split-second.

PSEUDOSCIENCE
In this story, “at the exact split second” he needs to, Loki wallops Thor’s chromosomatic gland, which immediately changes the noble do-gooder to a no-good-nik. Yep. All that is possible with a direct hit to the chromosomatic gland.

“The…what???” you may well ask, and you would not be wrong to ask, as there is, in fact, no such thing as a chromosomatic gland. Just another golden nugget of pseudoscience brought to you by the good folks at Marvel Comics.

Now, I was not gullible enough to even dream that a direct hit to a particular GLAND could instantaneously change someone’s personality, but I did look it up online to see if perhaps there is such a gland that performs more mundane functions. Turns out there’s not. What I did find out, though, during my Google search of “Chromosomatic Gland” is that I’m not the only one out there that thinks this is hysterical. Next time you’re bored, google “Chromosomatic Gland” and you’ll see what I mean.

So, we can add this one to the long list of Marvel’s pseudoscientific inventions and phenomena that include items such as:

• Henry Pym’s amazing ants that understand human speech and communicate with electronic impulses sent through their antennae (TTA#36)*
• Doctor Doom’s electrically charged asbestos net (FF#5) or magnetic “grabber” (FF#6) for capturing and carrying away entire skyscrapers
• Bruce Banner’s “Project 34” which emits electro-magnetic waves that blanket a city, making it invulnerable to enemy missiles (FF#12)**
• Spider-Man’s foe, the Vulture, who can fly simply by strapping on a pair of wings and flapping his arms
• Tony Stark’s foldable suit of iron that fits in an attaché case
• General Ross’ giant specially-constructed neuron-magnet designed to attract and hold living beings (Hulk #5)
• Spider-Man’s STRONG liquid cement that allows him to shoot a web that can hold and propel him anywhere he wants
• Super-powerful magnets and transistors of all kinds, in all titles, not to mention, PASTE so powerful it’s “the ultimate weapon”

These are just a few examples I’ve run into thus far! I can’t wait to see what other wonders await me as I continue my journey through the Marvel Universe!

In compiling this list, I’ve found there’s a thin line between pseudoscience and science fiction. There’s also a gap between what appears to be science fiction in the 1960’s when these comics were written, and today’s concepts, which, if not yet actually realized, may exist on the cusp of possibility.

One more observation before I leave this topic: as for the chromosomatic gland, I may have been unfair in calling it “pseudoscience.” Human beings do not have a chromosomatic gland, but who’s to say it’s not part of Asgardian physiology? When you create your own universe, you can fill it with any details you choose.

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
From the beginning, the Marvel Universe has always existed as a sub-universe of the real world. Marvel stories take place in New York City, California, the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. Not in Gotham City and Smallville.

In this story, not only is Thor’s assistance requested in every language on planet earth (presumably), but we also take a trip around the world, visiting historic monuments such as the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower. Of course Loki, and Thor, as his brother’s duped partner in evil, wreak havoc and destroy so many important landmarks of earthly civilization. But don’t worry, once Thor is released from his pseudoscientific enchantment, he and the people of Asgard promise to put everything back where they found it.

It’s such a lovely touch to have all this taking place in the real world. I especially enjoyed the shot of the Egyptian Sphynx taking a stroll down Main Street. To some degree, these stories probably supplemented their readers’ history and geography lessons; some youngsters may have even been inspired to crack open their Encyclopedia Britannica to get a better idea about what the heck was happening in their favorite comic.

Now, when I see these references to the real world, I enjoy the nostalgia of a US President who has to tuck daughter Caroline into bed, or Bing and Bob on a Hollywood set. The illusion of reality in a story that is decidedly NOT real creates a delightful dichotomy!

HOW CONVENIENT!
When Thor’s personality is changed by a bump to his chromosomatic gland, he conveniently doesn’t remember that Loki is his arch enemy, but he does remember Loki is his brother. He also remembers that Odin is his father, but prefers loyalty to brother over father. How convenient for Loki, and for the story.

Of course this begs the question: When Thor hits Loki on the head with the hammer, why did he not aim for the volatile chromosomatic gland in an attempt to change his evil brother into an upstanding citizen? Boy, if he could accomplish that (and we have seen that such a feat can be accomplished, “in a split-second”), it sure would make things easier for everyone. But it seems Thor has conveniently forgotten all about the offending gland. Either that, or he’s just having too much fun facing off against Loki time after time, and doesn’t want to take the chance that any attempt to transform Loki could actually work.

Or maybe Thor is looking out for us, his readers, aware that without Loki perpetuating his endless stream of mischief, Marvel won’t be selling quite as many comic books.

SOME OF THE LANGUAGE IN HERE JUST SLAYS ME
When I was in college, I had a teacher who once said, “Some of the language in here just slays me,” and I’ve always remembered that phrase, and use it as often as I can. Well, here is an excellent opportunity to celebrate language.

• How many times have we seen the word “puny,” and how often is it paired with “planet” for the alliterative “puny planet”? I love the use of the word “puny” in Marvel Comics!

• There have been at least two occasions so far when an explosive noise has manifested as some variation of “Bar Room.” I’m really starting to think the creators may have been putting the finishing touches on some of these panels at the end of a long day, looking forward to some refreshment before heading home.

• How appropriate that someone of Odin’s station would wonder how Loki has WROUGHT such a terrible change, and then need time to PONDER. Lord Odin really does tend to express himself in grand Shakespearean style.

And now, even after having made all these observations, I still feel I have only scratched the surface. In truth, I feel I will never have the opportunity to say enough about the Marvel universe, but I shall continue to try to hit as many high points as I can, here in the Marvelous Zone.

So join me next time, right here in the Marvelous Zone, when we at last find the creators putting an end to all that “Sugar & Spice” nonsense. You won’t want to miss this groundbreaking tale!