Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: fox features syndicate, golden age, thor

Thor, God of Thunder Goes to War in Weird Comics #2, Up for Auction

There were several comic book depictions of the mythological god Thor before the famous Marvel character we know today which appeared Journey into Mystery #83 by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.  These include versions that have appeared in comics such as Adventure Comics #75 (June 1942), Boy Commandos #7 (Summer 1944), Tales of the Unexpected #16 (August 1957), and Charlton's Out of This World # 11 (January 1959).  Marvel itself had published a prior version of Thor who debuted in Venus #12 (February 1951).  There have been others. But one of the earliest and most interesting of these was Thor, God of Thunder who debuted in Weird Comics #1 from artist Pierce Rice.  This Thor's adventures ran in Weird Comics #1-5, and while every issue of this Fox Feature series is a tough get, there's a Weird Comics #2 Incomplete (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) Condition: FR up for auction in the 2022 June 12-13 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122224 from Heritage Auctions.

Rice's Thor has some of the same key attributes as the Silver Age Marvel's Thor, even beyond the parallels embedded in the basic mythology.  This Weird Comics Thor is a mortal who has been given the power of the god.  He can fly, and also wields his hammer in a similar way, as a ranged weapon which seems to return to him after he throws it.  Bizarrely, this rather interesting take on Thor was replaced after five issues with a completely different character called Dynamite Thor, which was not based on Norse mythology at all.   It's hard not to wonder if this was another dispute between rival publishers, the likes of which Victor Fox often found himself involved.  Despite the mythological underpinnings of numerous versions of the Thor character, it might be worth noting that Top-Notch Comics #1 from publisher MLJ introduced a character called Thor who, while not a god, was a Viking warrior who looked the part.  That character debuted about four months prior to the Fox version.  Regardless, even Dynamite Thor lasted only two issues, replaced in Weird Comics by the electrically-powered character Dynamo.  Dynamo himself had gotten his start in the Fox title Science Comics, and had changed his name from Electro after a likely dispute over a character of the same name in Marvel Mystery Comics.

All of these historically important and tough-to-get Fox Weird Comics issues are worth seeking out, and there's a Weird Comics #2 Incomplete (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) Condition: FR plus several other issues of Weird Comics up for auction in the 2022 June 12-13 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122224 from Heritage Auctions.  If you've never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.

Weird Comics #2 Incomplete (Fox Features Syndicate, 1940) Condition: FR. Lou Fine cover. Don Rico art. The back cover is missing. Incomplete. Overstreet 2021 GD 2.0 value = $486.

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