Journey Into Mystery #84 Is Silver Age Marvel Madness in the Best Possible Way

Thor has become one of the most popular heroes in the Marvel Universe, thanks in no small part to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor in Phase One did an amazing job of capturing the weird sci-fi/fantasy flavor of early Thor comics and put it directly on the big screen. Silver Age Marvel is one of the greatest eras of any comic company ever. It’s not just because of all the iconic characters that were being introduced on what seemed to be a monthly basis; it was because of the flavor of those books. Comics were one things in the days before 1961’s Fantastic Four #1, big fun stories that were pretty vapid as far as it went. Marvel was different and you felt it right from the beginning. Among their earliest greats, Thor is the most unique and shows the promise of the Marvel Universe.

Thor has starred in brilliant stories over the years, and the origins of that come from the Silver Age books that brought him to prominence. One of the most interesting things about early Marvel Comics is the way they smushed together so many little things. So, you had the sci-fi, which was all the rage back then. You get the slice of life stuff, something you didn’t really get back then in the same way. Finally, there was the added air of Cold War reality that made it all pop, allowing creators to take characters in all-new directions. Thor’s adventures in Journey Into Mystery #84 is a perfect example of everything that Thor stories did right. Those old Marvel stories are gems, amazing stories that still stand up today. They are coveted by collectors for good reason, this particular issue is especially cool for all of the directions it takes the God of Thunder.

Journey Into Mystery #84 Is Textbook Kirby and Lee

Early Marvel is known for one thing more than anything else, even the characters – the partnership between Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. While Lee gets all of the credit nowadays – he was always the louder of the two – Kirby was also a true creative dynamo. If you look at their work while they’re apart, you’ll see where each of their strengths lie as creators. Lee was amazing at soap opera dialogue and character-building. He was more grounded as a creator, which fit someone who always talked about wanting to write a great American novel. He was the beating heart of the ’60s in a lot of ways and he gave the comics their wit.

Meanwhile, Kirby gave them their wonder. Kirby was one of those creative dynamos that rarely comes about, someone who is constantly churning out amazing characters and concepts. He was much more interested in the intersection between science fiction and mythology, something that would later come to a head when he went to DC and created Darkseid and the Fourth World. Kirby was the guy coming up with the out there ideas and the wild character concepts. You could tell the books that Kirby had more control over; they were in the ones that went in the most wild directions. It was this fusion of talent – grounded Lee and head in the clouds Kirby – that made Marvel Comics in the ’60s so amazing.

Journey Into Mystery #84 is a perfect example of why their talent worked so well together. Thor had just appeared in the previous issue and he was yet another amazing synthesis of Kirby and Lee sensibilities. You had the wild sci-fi/fantasy setting of Asgard, Kirby taking looking at Norse myth through a modern sci-fi eye and making it sing. Meanwhile, Lee added the drama, the brashness of Thor, the bombast of Odin, the whole Donald Blake angle – the Odinson forced into a human body to learn humility. Journey Into Mystery #84 takes all of that and wraps it up into an amazing package.

It features the first appearance of one of Thor’s first villains, the Executioner. However, this isn’t Skurge but a human, a communist leader trying to ensure that his country of San Diablo joins the Soviets – a battle he doesn’t survive. It’s classic Lee Cold War-storytelling, using the issues of the day to give readers an amazing adventure. Thor was one of Marvel’s strongest heroes and Kirby went wild in this issue with his might, giving readers gorgeously rendered action scenes. This story showed the way you could use the God of Thunder in a contemporary setting, with Kirby’s brilliant action mixing with Lee’s expert character work. Sure, reading it now, you can tell it was written for younger, simpler readers, but there is so much going on in this book that is impressive. Lee and Kirby do what they do best here and it’s one of reasons this book is so coveted by collectors.

Thor’s Second Appearance Is a Winner

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are two of the most important creators in the history of the medium. Kirby had been creating icons for almost as long as he had been working in the industry, creating a unique style on Marvel’s monster comics that helped make him into one of the most beloved creators of his lifetime. Meanwhile, Lee was long the carnival barker for Marvel. He created the myth of the company in the ’60s, with its wild bullpen of talent, and would be their biggest cheerleader. There’s always the argument about which one did what and who was more important to the success of Marvel Comics (I’m a Kirby man, myself) but the truth is that we never would have any of it if it wasn’t for the way they gelled together. Journey Into Mystery #84 is a perfect snapshot of their power.

Early Lee/Kirby work was at another level and this particular issue came from the end of their first year together creating a new superhero universe. It’s definitely not perfect yet – it’s a grounded Thor story that doesn’t really take too much advantage of the weird sci-fi/fantasy that would become the hallmark of Lee/Kirby’s Thor work. This was a story that could have been told in Tales to Astonish, where Iron Man had his commie-smashing adventures resided, but what makes it so amazing is the way that two very different sensibilities come together to take a story that shouldn’t work – a Norse god fighting communist revolutionaries like he was a CIA agent – and make them sing in harmony. This is the kind of book that every Marvel fans wants, but usually can’t find, a perfect example of everything readers loved about the company back then.

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