Core Issue

99: Journey into Mystery #97 (v1) [A Story]

" The Lava Man "

(2.98)

Editor-in-Chief:
Cover Artists: Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers
Writers: Stan Lee
Pencilers: Jack Kirby
Inkers: Don Heck
Colourists:
Letterers: Artie Simek
Editors:
Cover Date: October 1963
Release Date: August 1963
Story Arc: -
Pages: 13
Cover Price: $0.12
Times Read: 1,206 Times Rated: 634
Plot Flags:
Universes: Earth-616
Go to Issue #96c	Go to Issue #97b

FULL ORDER


97: Strange Tales #113 (v1)	98: Fantastic Fou... #19 (v1)		100: Journey into... #97b (v1)	101: Tales of Sus... #46 (v1)

Expanded Order

Strange Tales #113 (v1)	Fantastic Four #19 (v1)	Journey into Mystery #97b (v1)	Tales of Suspense #46 (v1)

Issue Blurb

Lava Man, a being spawned from an active volcano, has declared that his people shall soon rule the Earth. Thor will have something to say about that. Meanwhile his alter-ego Donald Blake is trying to overcome his own personal problems.

Character Appearances

Main Characters
		Thor

		Thor last appeared in Avengers #1 (v1). Thor next appears in Journey into Mystery #98a (v1).

Supporting Characters
		Jane Foster

		Jane Foster last appeared in Avengers #1 (v1). Jane Foster next appears in Journey into Mystery #98a (v1).

		Odin

		Odin last appeared in Avengers #1 (v1). Odin next appears in Journey into Mystery #97b (v1).

Villains
		Loki

		Loki last appeared in Avengers #1 (v1). Loki next appears in Journey into Mystery #100c (v1).

		The Lava Man

		This is the first appearance by The Lava Man in the mainstream continuity. The Lava Man next appears in Avengers #5 (v1).

Group Appearances

		The Gods of Asgard
		The Gods of Asgard last appeared in Avengers #1 (v1). The Gods of Asgard next appears in Journey into Mystery #97b (v1).


		Lava Men
		This is the first appearance by Lava Men in the mainstream continuity. Lava Men next appears in Avengers #5 (v1).

Equipment, Items & Vehicles

		Mjolnir
		Mjolnir last appeared in Avengers #1 (v1). Mjolnir next appears in Journey into Mystery #98a (v1).

Issue Notes

	There are no notes for this issue.

Issue Review
	RikerDonegal October 4, 2017 Probably the best issue so far. It’s told in broad strokes but it’s a lot of fun. More than action, we get a lot of soap opera in this issue. More than in any issue so far. The ‘relationship’ between Jane and Don comes to a climax when she threatens to leave, and go work for another suitor. It’s OTT (like a lost episode of MELROSE PLACE) but it makes for a genuinely enjoyable read. And we get to see an angry/upset Thor really cutting loose, too. 8/10

Issue Synopsis
	There is not synopsis for this issue.

Comments

	thomassp74 Says:
	2011-11-23 08:30:13
	Main story didn't do a lot for me, but I liked the Tales of Asgard segment. Stan is much better at narration than dialog, and it introduced several future characters from the Thor universe such as Ymir and Surtur. I wonder how much of this is from mythology and how much is just Marvel?

	Webslinger Says:
	2012-04-22 11:32:31
	Main story pretty better than earlier ones for me, as Thor he has a mixed feeling about Blake's thoughts, before it was as if Thor had one mind and Blake another, also, people decided things here, as Jane f. e. Cool this tales of asgard, but I am learning about them one MU now. Thomas, just consider that Loki is not Thor's brother on norse mythology, and is not god of evil, sometimes beig the savior, but this is still theme of debate among specialists.

	Ice Says:
	2012-07-24 19:18:46
	Thor cuts loose on the Lava Man and that was fun to see. Jane quits, and that makes me curious as to what will happen next with those two. And, we get Tales of Asgard, which is quite good, and I want to read more. This is probably my favorite JiM so far.

	chrisWhite Says:
	2012-08-01 20:20:57
	+2 ★ for an interesting if briefly fought villain. +1 ★ for a little emotional complexity and conflict in a super hero. -1 ★ for the earnest beginning of Marvel's favorite romantic relationship paradox. +1 ★ the Tales of Asgard, this looks interesting!

	specialque Says:
	2012-09-18 08:38:28
	I'm giving this one a grade higher than I typically would because I really liked Tales of Asgard. The Thor story was good, and even though it threatens to become tedious, I like the Thor/Loki dynamic, even if Lava Man isn't much of a villain. Thor's love life isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and the ending was pretty good. I can see myself at some point really getting into Thor, because his universe is starting to flesh out and get interesting to me.

	MX5 Says:
	2012-09-29 15:28:29
	I really enjoyed the Blake/Thor/Jane scenario and it allowed me to find interest in Thor rather than him defeating a bunch of meaningless villains. That said, the Lava Man started out feeling like Jack Frost from the previous Iron Man issue, with the whole "bullets turning to ash" and "bullets turning to snowflakes." Probably one of my favorite Thor issues thus far.

	sputnix Says:
	2012-10-01 00:02:44
	Yes lavaman was lame, and blake wanting to tell the truth about thor was done earlier, but the issue as a whole was done so well I ended up l enjoying the story quite a bit

	cmp_doctor Says:
	2012-10-19 22:18:48
	I like how they are trying to show Thor's human side with Jane

	Phantasmagoria Says:
	2012-11-02 18:24:31
	This easily outclasses all the JiM issues that come before it, with maybe one exception. The Lava Man is a suitable menace for Thor to go up against, and he isn't defeated too easily as The Radioactive Man was in his first appearance. However, the real meat of this story is in the first real development in the life of Don Blake since the introduction of Jane Foster. I really feel that I'm getting to know Thor's character, and I especially enjoyed all the lines where he seems to be using his struggles as Thor to escape how helpless he feels as Don Blake. And to top it all off, we get the start of Tales of Asgard, which shows a lot of promise!

	ringsting Says:
	2012-11-11 06:01:17
	A welcome piece of character development, and in addition pretty cool extra story, can't complain.

	Adrian Says:
	2012-11-21 13:06:53
	Maybe i missed it somewhere, but has Odin gave a legit explanation as to why he wont let Thor be with a mortal? Or is it just taboo?

	edgar987 Says:
	2012-12-29 14:51:31
	Gotta go with 4 stars as I think it was above average. Love ToA though.

	Dopey Says:
	2013-02-14 05:39:09
	I really enjoyed this one. Stan Lee is finally giving his love to Thor. After the terrible Larry Lieber issues it was Robert Bernstein who took over, and he didn't do such a good job either. I for one noticed right off the bat that with Stan Lee in complete control in scripting these comics, they will be taking a turn for the better. Examine: not five pages in, and the Lee-style melodrama is gushing! Jane leaving Don Blake? Holy shnikies! Also cool is that Jack Kirby is soon to join this mag as a staple too. Stan and Jack currently hold the reins with Fantastic Four. They're about to pull off Thor as a duo for almost a hundred issues! I'm pretty excited to see how it goes. It's pretty obvious that Heck did the faces in this issue, and I hope he stays on as inker for Thor because I could live with the profiles he draws. Nurse Jane is haaaawt! Tales of Asgard was awesomesauce too. I hope that with a deeper mythological background, we'll stop seeing Thor fight off two-bit thugs and posers. One star for the start of the Stan Lee era of Thor. One star for pretty faces. One star for good drama. One star for the development of Asgard.

	minicheddaz Says:
	2013-03-07 16:37:14
	now that stan is running the show, this is a massive improvement on the book after the really bad run of books before.

	Spider-Borg Says:
	2013-03-07 19:34:47
	Dr Blake is a***when it comes to Jane. Grow a pair, dude.

	rebelmswar Says:
	2013-03-11 19:29:49
	Such a drastic improvment with the two heavies waving the pencils. Thor turned into 'roid raged megadeath in the space of two pages! "Not for me are the romantic pursuits of human beings! I was born for battle!! My limbs ache to smash and shatter" Holy crap, Lava Man soiled his crust and took off under the ground like a superheated gopher after that tirade. Bruce Andrews needs a slap for his parting jibe as he is ushering Nurse Jane out the door.

	leisch Says:
	2013-07-24 19:08:38
	Since I'm a fan of mythology, i love the Tales of Asgard. Don Heck's inks make Jane Foster freaking gorgeous. Did Odin punish Thor by making him mortal then get pissed when he starts to have mortal feelings? From here on out, the Thor/Odin/Jane foster dilemma becomes soap opera.

	wedgeskywalker9 Says:
	2013-09-16 01:48:00
	I wasn't really feeling this one. The fight with the lava man was a snoozefest, nothing that hasn't been done already over and over. The whole thing with Jane confused me more than anything else - initially it seemed like Blake just took on another form when he became Thor, then things got a bit more confusing as it seemed like Thor had his own personality, and now it seems like Thor is in the drivers seat all the time. But then what happened to the Dr. Blake personality? The whole thing just left my head spinning, and not in a good way. Tales of Asgard shows promise, and keeps this issue from being a 1 star. 2/5.

	Psychopat Says:
	2013-10-19 14:40:24
	I really liked the Thor/Blake/Foster story... it gives us something "to be continued". Lava Man was okay I'm glad he's coming back and The Tales Of Asgard spin-off was really cool.... it devellops the universe and give more depth to the whole Thor world... also the huge amount of first appearances is worth a star.

	Tarquinnff3 Says:
	2013-10-20 22:22:41
	Good issue. I always look forward to the character development in these old comics. Things just got real in this one. I'm eagerly awaiting the next Thor comic for the first time. On top of that, Kirby's art was really well done. I like his take on the characters. It actually seemed slightly better than the Fantastic Four in parts.

	kat_ducat Says:
	2013-10-26 06:38:34
	Thor being angsty and oblivious while the Lava Man was being active was pretty amusing. I'm glad that Jane is getting out. At the end of the issue, it promises that Thor will make "his most important decision!!!", which gives me some hope as to his relationship to Jane.

	Durango55 Says:
	2013-10-28 11:23:32
	So is Jane working for Dr Basil Andrews or Dr Bruce Andrews? Hmmm.... Maybe they're brothers?

	marvelcomicslover Says:
	2013-11-17 17:17:57
	Good seeing Kirby back on Thor and I'm anxious to see the Lave Men come back to fight the Avengers. Tales Of Asgard seems like it will be really good, can't wait to learn more about the Gods.

	VenomousIntent Says:
	2013-12-03 20:10:00
	Pretty emotional stuff for a guy who has overcome everything thrown at him thus far. Definitely the best JiM issue so far in the order and I hope to see more emotional conflict from such a powerful character. One thing I would really like to understand more is the connection between Don Blake and Thor, but alas I'm going to have to wait while Stan and the boys continue to develop their characters.

	Locust75 Says:
	2014-02-07 14:12:35
	3 stars for Tales of Asgard starting. Cover Me - Lava Man's name is covered in ICE! Also, it's the same on the splash page as well. Different Strokes - Thor worries about being seen changing back to Blake. Although Blake loves to change into Thor in front of everyone! Soap Opera - Ugh....I still hate Jane!!! Mix Up - On page 4, panel 4 the sign on Dr. Blake's door reads Dr. Don Drake!!! Grandpa - Geez, Odin must be getting old...he's wearing bifocals! Newsflash - Didn't Thor just made it rain? Yet, people below are reading the paper with no problems! Mo' Money - Lava Man can make millions endorsing Lava Soap! 'Nuff Said - "Bah! No mere surface dweller can defeat me!"-Lava Man

	opusaug Says:
	2014-02-16 23:24:42
	Thor's personality, shed of the odd Blake origin story two issues ago, really starts to pick up steam now. When he's monologuing during a fight, it's packed full of Asgardian goodness. Solid 4-star. Dialogue on pages 8 through 12 was awesome, even if the fight itself could have been better.

	Bramwell Says:
	2014-03-12 04:28:46
	1. Wow...Blake is a real wuss 2. Page 10 panel 1.....thumbs up 3. The art is pretty good. 4. The Asgard story is interesting All in all....3 stars

	GroovyGolem Says:
	2014-03-16 09:40:10
	Okay, so Stan is back in action here. Already we're seeing more character development in the area of Don Blake and Thor. Are they one and the same? Two different personalities? Prior to this issue it seemed as if it was up in the air... however now we see more of a blending of personalities. I'm not up on the full character history. Does it end up being that Odin turned Thor into Don Blake to teach him humility, and so Thor was really Blake all along? That would make sense to me. In any event, nice change of pace from previous issues that just seemed to be going absolutely nowhere. Here we have real conflict, and I'm not talking about Lava Man! Jane! Come back, Jane!

	rainbowsad Says:
	2014-07-24 11:48:12
	As far as Thor issues go, this one was pretty good! I didn't care much for the Lava Man, but I feel like the main focus was mostly Dr. Blake's dilemma over Jane, which I quite enjoyed! It's nice to finally see some development in their relationship. The second story also had me pretty excited. I look forward to hearing more about Asgard!

	rodyoungerblood Says:
	2015-06-10 09:36:12
	Definitely a step up from the earlier and disastrous issues.

	jbb10499 Says:
	2015-11-19 12:20:24
	Best Thor yet. Good character development and fantastically drawn action

	Urgat Says:
	2015-11-27 17:29:12
	3* alone for the great character developments of Jane and Don Blake / Thor...but no more stars for the lame lavaman

	wingot Says:
	2015-12-06 04:34:24
	Does Loki have to be involved in every Thor comic?

	yack Says:
	2015-12-23 13:33:37
	yes it seems... it does get tiresome.

	RobinHoodMtl Says:
	2016-03-28 20:13:37
	That’s my line – “Must the Thunder God live out his days… alone?” (Thor) I agree with comments above. Loki’s involvement in this one was pointless. Well, what do you know? Thor is agoraphobic? Odin now needs glasses to see his son. Oh, Thor, you poor thing! Daddy is so unfair to you! And Jane too, but she’ll come crawling back. I promise! Come to think of it, is Jane really looking for a job or for a husband? Lady, that is so not professional! Wow! Locust75, how observant to notice the Drake typo on that door sign! We’ve all been mooned on page 8. Kirby does a good job with the Lava Man. Although I doubt Lava Men would need a hairline. The text first panel on page 11 is almost erotic. First panel on page 13 has a magnificent perspective. Pencils are credited to Kirby, but no way he did Jane like that. Just look at how he still draws Sue Storm. This looks more like Don Heck’s regular art. On the other hand, I can recognize Kirby’s work on Thor. They probably shared part of the pencil work. Hey, not a bad story, huh? It felt more like character development and emotional issues than anything else. Can’t say the villain took a lot of focus, but it was fine that way. The best for Thor so far. 4 stars.

	Billstar2 Says:
	2016-05-12 22:29:34
	Not one of my favorite issues. Kinda dull although the Jane story line has promise.

	Calion @ RobinHoodMtl (original post):
	2016-05-25 18:39:45
	>Come to think of it, is Jane really looking for a job or for a husband? Lady, that is so not professional! Pretty typical for the era though. Watch Mad Men.

	Calion Says:
	2016-05-25 18:41:49
	1. Hey, I've read this before! I wonder where? I had a little book of black-and-white Thor comics when I was a kid—maybe there. 2. That whole "I don't want crowds around me because they might discover my secret identity" bit makes sense for literally any other costumed hero (besides Hulk, I guess)—except Thor. How could anyone possibly guess? 3. Love the art. Heck's awesome (despite his unfortunate name). 4. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I loved this issue. 4 stars.

	RobinHoodMtl @ Calion (original post):
	2016-05-29 09:04:36
	I know. We've come a long way, haven't we?

	Russ Says:
	2016-07-24 05:37:42
	Well, Jane may be looking for both a job and a husband, but she decided not to work for someone she doesn't want to work for, hence the switch to another office. I think it's a little too soap-opera-ish, but at least it's an attempt to establish continuity and an ongoing narrative. Like another commenter suggested, a sign of the times. The Lava Man was an awfully run of the mill foe, but Thor operates best when he has an opponent he can cut loose against. The gangsters and scientists he'd been facing just weren't Thor material.

	KnuckIfYouBuckley Says:
	2016-09-23 09:54:58
	This is a good deal better than the previous Thor stories (not that the bar was that high, though), we've got Stan Lee writing, Jack Kirby drawing and Don Heck inking, a great combination. A forgettable villain, but Thor with each subsequent appearance is beginning to talk in the Shakespearean style that we all love from the character and we get a development in the Don Blake-Jane Foster "will they/won't they" dynamic. Very good stuff.

	kent18 Says:
	2016-11-06 20:21:04
	whoa! Kirby and Lee both bring their respective "A" games... and, suddenly, what had been Marvel's most inexhaustibly mediocre title, up to this point, suddenly EXPLODES with new power and vitality! Gone are Sinnot's cautious-bordering-on-lethargic poses and figures, replaced by pure Kirby/Heck dynamism! All Bernstein-era blah and blather cleanly blown away, with a welcome spritz or two of vintage Stan Lee soap opera angst sweetening the storytelling air instead! As far as I'm concerned, this issue marks the real, true beginning of Thor's viability as a major, ongoing Marvel comics character. Four very, VERY happy stars!

	philvt101 Says:
	2017-04-02 18:37:29
	Odin's a prick.

	CrazyforRAMU Says:
	2017-07-16 17:00:43
	Who'da guessed the secret to revitalizing this title was injecting 50 CCs of General Hospital soap opera?

	marvej Says:
	2017-10-31 06:04:13
	Wow, by far the best Thor issue yet.

	jennychan Says:
	2018-01-13 18:16:43
	Wonder if Dr. Bruce Andrew Basil already tried out Jane Foster during the interview Harvey Weinstein style... Lava Man started off well but Thor went into roid rage, probably over Jane lol Art is good. Thor's personality- he has been slowly changing his speech patterns last two issues, plus Avengers, and it appears he took over Don Blake's body..lol I think all of this gets revealed with Tom DeFalco in the late 1980s or early 1990s, I read the secret origin of Donald Blake then.

	ScottG12 Says:
	2018-04-18 07:41:37
	I'm still really confused how Thor works in these early comics. Shouldn't Don think that he's not really Thor, why is he asking Odin for permission? My brain hurts.

Essential Thor, Volume 1

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor, Volume 1

Thor: Tales of Asgard

Issue Letters Page

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Story Locations

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Updates

Date	User Name	Update
November 26, 2017	TStarnes

November 25, 2017	TStarnes

November 21, 2017	TStarnes

November 16, 2017	TStarnes	Added Mjolnir listing.

February 9, 2015	Drax	Updated the listing for Lava Men.

February 9, 2015	Drax	Deleted listing of Ice Giants.

February 9, 2015	Drax	Deleted listing of Fire Demons.

February 8, 2015	TStarnes	Deleted listing of Ve Borson.

February 8, 2015	TStarnes	Deleted listing of Vili Borson.

February 8, 2015	TStarnes	Deleted listing of Bor Burison.

February 8, 2015	TStarnes	Deleted listing of Buri.

February 8, 2015	TStarnes	Deleted listing of Ymir.

February 8, 2015	TStarnes	Deleted listing of Surtur.

June 19, 2014	TStarnes	Changed comic details.

June 19, 2014	TStarnes	Changed comic details.

December 28, 2013	fragsel	Added Ice Giants to the issue.

December 25, 2013	fragsel	Deleted listing of Frost Giants.

December 25, 2013	fragsel	Added Frost Giants to the issue.

November 23, 2013	Drax	Updated the listing for Loki.

November 23, 2013	Drax	Updated the listing for Odin.

November 23, 2013	Drax	Updated the listing for Thor.

November 10, 2013	Raistlin903	Changed comic details.

July 22, 2013	fragsel	Updated the listing for The Gods of Asgard.

July 22, 2013	fragsel	Updated the listing for Fire Demons.

May 10, 2013	fragsel	Updated the listing for The Lava Man.

May 10, 2013	fragsel	Added Lava Men to the issue.

May 5, 2013	Loki120	Updated the listing for Ve Borson.

May 5, 2013	Loki120	Updated the listing for Vili Borson.

May 5, 2013	Loki120	Updated the listing for Bor Burison.

May 5, 2013	Loki120	Updated the listing for Buri.