Thursday, March 30, 2017

Wow, automation does cost jobs.


One Replicus takes the job of two mobsters, in today's book: from 1974, Marvel Spectacular #12, reprinting Thor #141, "The Wrath of Replicus!" Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta.

This issue, mobster Slugger Sykes uses the robot Replicus of mad scientist Chuda (no title, only one name, like Cher) for a crime spree so bad it attracts the attention of Thor. Actually, Dr. Donald Blake had been treating the elderly flower merchant Granny Gardenia, who was Sykes' mother, in a plot that was pretty hackneyed well before this story. Thor has a pretty good slugfest going with Replicus, when Sykes realizes Chuda was actually an alien intent on using an army of Replicuses to take over, and Sykes blows them both up.

Not a great lead story, but the back-up this issue is "The Meaning of Ragnarok!" (Lee/Kirby/Colletta, from Thor #127.) It's only five pages of Ragnaroking goodness, but well worth the price of admission. Now, do I have the conclusion anywhere...yes, in the 2001 Thor #32 100-Page Monster!

Was this the first Ragnarok in Thor? As a back-up? Well, it wouldn't be the last time, anyway.

1 comment:

SallyP said...

I have been reading Thor since the 70's, and there really have been an awful lot of Ragnaroks. Like... every other Tuesday.