Journey into Mystery #110
Journey into Mystery #110 is the second time Loki orchestrated a proxy assault on Thor through the criminal tag team of Mister Hyde and the Cobra, cementing what would become one of Silver Age Marvel's most enduring villain partnerships. The issue is structurally notable for being the first half of a two-part story (continued in #111) that put Jane Foster's life in mortal danger and forced Thor to defy Odin's banishment to save her — a dramatic escalation of the Odin-Thor-Jane triangle that drove the series emotionally. It also showcases the maturing Lee-Kirby storytelling approach of weaving street-level villainy together with Asgardian politics in a single plot, the kind of mythic-meets-Marvel layering that would define the Thor title's growing ambition. The Hyde-Cobra partnership forged here proved durable far beyond the Thor books, eventually making both characters recurring menaces for Daredevil and others across decades of Marvel continuity.
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The issue was written by Stan Lee, penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Chic Stone on the main Thor story, with Vince Colletta inking the 'Tales of Asgard' backup; lettering was by Artie Simek, with Stan Lee also serving as editor. It carried a cover date of November 1964 and an on-sale date of September 1964. By this point in the run, Kirby had fully settled into the regular penciling role on Thor after a period in which he was simultaneously launching other Marvel titles, and Chic Stone — who Kirby enthusiasts have noted gave the feature a bold, expressionistic look — was his collaborator on the lead story. The issue's two-part structure was a relatively new device for Marvel at the time, the Thor feature having pioneered it only a handful of issues earlier.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated November 1964; on-sale date September 1964. Title story: 'Every Hand Against Him!' — the first half of a two-part arc concluded in Journey into Mystery #111.
- Written by Stan Lee, penciled by Jack Kirby, inked by Chic Stone (main story) and Vince Colletta ('Tales of Asgard' backup); lettered by Artie Simek; edited by Stan Lee.
- Loki recruits Mister Hyde (Calvin Zabo) and the Cobra (Klaus Voorhees) by posting their bail, then magically doubles their strength and speed before sending them to kidnap Jane Foster as bait against Thor.
- Cobra and Mister Hyde had individually debuted in JIM #98 (Nov. 1963) and JIM #99 (Dec. 1963) respectively; their criminal partnership was first formed in JIM #105–106 (June–July 1964), making #110 their second team-up and the start of the pair's second multi-issue arc together.
- Odin banishes Thor from Asgard after watching him stand down rather than fight the villains while Jane is held hostage; Thor defies the banishment, fights past Heimdall and the entire Asgardian army to confront Loki, then extracts Jane's location.
- The issue ends on a cliffhanger: Jane is critically wounded in an explosion, and Thor uses his hammer to create a time-warp around the building to suspend time and keep her alive while the battle continues.
- The 'Tales of Asgard' backup story, also by Lee and Kirby (inked by Colletta), features Odin intentionally retreating from battle to give his enemy Prince Rivvak credibility among his own people.
- The main story has been reprinted in Marvel Tales #23 (1969), Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 2 (2003), The Mighty Thor Omnibus Vol. 1 (2010), Thor Epic Collection Vol. 2: When Titans Clash (2016), and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 3 — The Trial of the Gods (2023), among international editions in Brazil, Germany, Italy, the UK, France, and Spain.
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
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Loki sends the Cobra and Mr. Hyde to kidnap Jane. Thor confronts them but is forced to back down and let them go after they threaten to hurt her. Odin, witnessing the scene, expresses his displeasure at Thor's "weakness" and banishes him from Asgard. Thor explains that his former actions were a result of Loki's trickery. Odin allows Thor to return to Earth where he battles the villains again. He rescues Jane but she is critically ill. Whirling his hammer, Thor creates a vortex around Jane in which time stands still. This will afford him the opportunity to finish his battle with Cobra and Hyde.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).