Artifacts of Infinity

Episode 15 - The Galactus Palaver

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Episode 15: The Galactus Palaver

Today we’ll be covering Thor (1966) 167-169 which covers Thor’s second encounter with Galactus, but what does Galactus want?

Dramatis Personae:

PROTAGONISTS

  • Thor
  • Odin
  • Sif
  • Balder
  • Heimdall
  • The Warriors Three
    • Fandral the Dashing
      • Hogun the Grim
        • Volstagg the Lion of Asgard
        • The Watcher

          • ANTAGONISTS

          • Galactus
          • Loki
          • Karnilla
          • Haag

            • Preface:

            • We’re covering 167 even though it’s mainly Asgardian deity stuff because it’s vital to the story
            • Thor has fought HIM for the sake of Sif, but committed the ultimate Asgardian sin of slipping into the Warrior Madness
            • Sif is a self actualized warrior of Asgard who is awesome, not a prize to be won.

              • Thor (1966) 167 - “This World Renounced!”

              • Thor is drumline marched to the throne of Odin for committing the sin of giving into The Warrior Madness--fighting for revenge instead of justice alone
              • Thor pleads guilty and proclaims that he will accept whatever punishment Odin metes out
              • Sif pleads for Thor but Balder restrains her. Sif insists that she should share in the burden since Thor was acting on her behalf. Sif is awesome
              • Odin sentences Thor to an act of restorative justice, Find Galactus!
              • Balder meets Heimdall at the Rainbow Bridge and heads to Earth to serve in Thor’s stead. Karnilla-The Queen of the Norns spys on Balder and thirsts. She’s a babe!
              • Loki wants to take advantage of the situation so he enlists Karnilla’s minion Haag. Haag uses a voodoo doll to injure Balder’s brain.
              • Odin and Thor talk. Odin begins unveiling the burden of leadership to Thor. Odin presents Thor with a sweet spaceship equipped with a device called Odin’s Eye which will let Thor find what he seeks. Thor recognizes that the fate of the Realm Eternal is on the line and shoulders the responsibility
              • Thor heads to Earth and finds Balder unconscious and thus changes back into Dr. Donald Blake to treat him but is immediately beset upon by Loki.
              • Odin pops up and explains to Loki that though he earned Mjolnir fairly, if he wishes to keep the hammer then he must seek Galactus. Loki is no fool and nopes out
              • As Donald Blake saves Balder and takes to the sky to begin his quest, we see Galactus consuming a planet, wreathed in smoke.

                • Thor (1966) 168 - “Galactus Found!”

                • Odin urges the Odinship to depart
                • Balder is discharged from the hospital and is surprised to find The Warriors Three waiting for him. They vow to right the wrongs of the world
                • In the B-Plot there is a lot of Yellow Scare going on but we aren’t covering that in this episode. It’s a bad look every time but is certainly a sign of the times it was written in
                • The art in this issue is so good
                • Thor finds Galactus and attempt to enjoin battle but Galactus holds him back with his Galactian Barrier.
                • Galactus then uses telepathy to show Thor a vision of a Watcher who witnesses the crash of an interstellar ship. The Watcher, and thus Thor see that the crew has succumbed to plague. Thor begins thrashing in the visi-haze
                • Galactus explains that he’ll release Thor from the vision but Thor must cease the enmity between them. Thor agrees and Galactus begins explaining who he actually is.

                  • Thor (1966) 169 - “The Awesome Answer!”

                  • At the start of the issue, Galactus is tired of avoiding people who fight him
                  • Galactus explains that the plague ship only contained one survivor, himself
                  • Galactus is angry at his lot in the universe, there is only hunger and the gnawing memories
                  • Galactus explains Taa, his homeworld, was incredibly advanced.
                  • Galan of Taa (Galactus) has been seeking an answer for the growing radiation that’s been plaguing their universe, he has found that there’s no escape
                  • Even their vast space fleet has been overcome by this radiation plague
                  • The few remaining Taa scientists board the last ship and head towards the center of the calamity, flying the ship into the largest sun in their universe
                  • Everyone died in the radiation except Galan but he was transformed
                  • A Watcher observed all of this and saw the opportunity to stop Galactus before he became a threat, but didn’t act
                  • Thor is conflicted, he sees that Galactus doesn’t attack with malice and that he’s just feeding but that whole planets have been devoured. Before he can act however, Odin teleports Thor to Earth.

                    • Creators of these issues:

                    Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, Artie Simek, John Romita Sr., George Klein, & Morrie Kuramoto

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                    Artifacts of InfinityBy Everett Christensen and Jonathan Hutson