Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Single Issue Hall of Fame: Tales of Asgard #1

I remember my initial disappointment when I first purchased my copy of this book more than two decades ago only to discover that it was filled with reprints. I was an idiot back then. I should have been thrilled to have so many terrific back-up stories from 1963 and 1964 all in one place. In addition, this was (and likely still is) one of the most affordable Marvel Silver Age superhero books on the market. To begin with, the cover is pretty darned impressed, assembling as many Asgardians as possible in one place. Inside, you'll find no fewer than 10 five page stories featuring some of Thor's supporting cast including Odin, Balder and Heimdall. There's something particularly cool about the Marvel one-shots of this era (see Iron Man & Sub-Mariner) and this is also a great opportunity to compare the work of different inkers on Kirby's pencils. Good stuff all around and it won't do too much damage to your wallet. 

2 comments:

Kid said...

I've got this issue myself. Did you know there was a second volume a good few years later? For details see http://kidr77.blogspot.com/2011/04/tales-of-asgard-and-yesterday.html

The Mutt said...

I loved Tales. I always remember the one where Balder tied big, flat rocks to his horse's hooves so he could ride across a field of spikes. Genius!