Journey into Mystery #97
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeJourney into Mystery #97 is one of the most structurally significant issues in the entire Silver Age Thor run because it does two landmark things in a single package: it introduces the Lava Man (Molto), the first wholly subterranean villain in Thor's rogues' gallery, while simultaneously launching 'Tales of Asgard,' the five-page mythological backup feature that would redefine the character for decades. The 'Tales of Asgard' premiere plants the cosmological roots of the entire Marvel Asgard mythos — first appearances of Ymir, Surtur, Buri, Bor, the Ice Giants, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, and Yggdrasill all occur within its five pages — giving Lee and Kirby a dedicated sandbox for pure Norse world-building separate from the superhero lead story. Critics and historians consistently point to this backup as the creative pivot that transformed Thor from a competent but generic superhero book into the sprawling mythological epic that inspired every major Thor run that followed, from Walter Simonson through Jason Aaron. The Lava Man's subsequent appearance in Avengers #5 also made this issue an early node in Marvel's emerging shared universe.
In "The Lava Man," a mysterious force rises from the depths of Asgard’s ancient Well of Life, stirring long-buried legends of the Frost Giants and the first Norse gods. Written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby, with inks by G. Bell and colors by Stan Goldberg, this 1963 adventure unfolds beneath the roots of the world, where the legacy of Ymir and the divine lineage of Borr’s sons still shape the fate of Earth. The cover, penciled by Kirby and inked by George Roussos, captures the primal dread of what stirs below.
In "The Lava Man," Thor faces a fiery foe summoned by Loki, who claims Earth’s dry surface for his subterranean people. With Odin forbidding his love for Jane Foster, Thor must confront both the Lava Man and the growing distance between them.
In a future where Earth has claimed every planet but one, the military assumes the unyielding resistance comes from a terrifying defense. But when a new expedition arrives, they discover the truth: the planet’s inhabitants aren’t hostile—they’re simply too kind to let conquerors go.
In the ancient halls beneath Asgard, the Well of Life stirs with the echoes of creation—where Ymir, the Frost Giant, first drew breath, and Buri, the first god, rose from the primordial waters. Odin and his brothers, born of Borr, now watch over Earth, guardians of a world yet to be.
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By mid-1963, Jack Kirby had returned to Journey into Mystery as the regular penciler on the main Thor feature after a stretch away from the title, and both he and Stan Lee were eager to push the book beyond standard superhero fare. Kirby's deep personal enthusiasm for Norse mythology — he had earlier introduced a proto-Thor figure while at DC Comics — made 'Tales of Asgard' something of a passion project, and the premiere installment in #97 was deliberately styled after Hal Foster's wordless 'Prince Valiant' newspaper strip, using only caption boxes and no dialogue balloons, a consciously literary choice that set it apart from everything else Marvel was publishing at the time. Larry Lieber, who had scripted early Thor stories, contributed scripting to other backup material in this issue, while the 'Tales of Asgard' feature itself was scripted by Lee with Kirby pencils and George Roussos inks — a tight creative pairing that would carry the backup all the way through Thor #145. The issue was distributed to newsstands in August 1963 with an October 1963 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of the Lava Man, later named Molto, a volcanic subterranean creature secretly unleashed on the surface world by Loki.
- Launch issue of the 'Tales of Asgard' backup feature, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby, which ran continuously through Thor #145.
- The 'Tales of Asgard' premiere story introduces, for the first time in Marvel continuity, Ymir (greatest of the Frost Giants), Surtur (the fire demon), Buri (first of the Aesir/Asgardians), Bor, the Ice Giants, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, and Yggdrasill.
- The inaugural 'Tales of Asgard' installment was told entirely in caption boxes with no dialogue balloons, deliberately echoing the visual style of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant newspaper strip.
- Main story credits: script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Don Heck, letters by Artie Simek; cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos.
- The Lava Man (Molto) crosses over almost immediately into the wider Marvel Universe, reappearing in Avengers #5.
- The main story advances Thor's romantic subplot: Odin explicitly forbids Thor from revealing his identity to or marrying Jane Foster, causing her to leave Dr. Blake's employ — a plot thread with consequences running through dozens of subsequent issues.
- The issue was reprinted in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965) — alongside stories from JIM #85, #93, and #95 — and later in Tales of Asgard #1 (1968), the Thor Epic Collection Vol. 1 (2014), the Marvel Famous Firsts: 75th Anniversary Masterworks Slipcase Set, and the Thor: Tales of Asgard by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby remastered series (2009).
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints World of Fantasy #2 (1956)
Reprinted in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965), Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #1 (1965), The Mighty Thor Collector's Album #72-125 (1966), The Mighty Thor [Golden Book and Record Set] #[nn] (1966), Fantastiska fyran #1 (1967), Marvelserien #2 (1967), Fantastic! #19 (1967), Tales of Asgard #1 (1968), Il Mitico Thor #2 (1971), Il Mitico Thor #6 (1971), Hit Comics Die fantastischen Vier #234 (1971), De Vier Verdedigers Classics #55 (1972), Hit Comics Die Spinne #236 (1972), Vengeur #7 (1973), Spider-Man Comics Weekly #15 (1973), Spider-Man Comics Weekly #25 (1973), Die Spinne #1 (1974), Edderkoppen #3/1974 (1974), Eclipso #45 (1974), The Mighty Thor #5 (1978), Marvel-Comic-Sonderheft #4 (1980), Star Wars Weekly #116 (1980), Valour #1 (1980), Marvel Masterworks #18 (1991) + 22 more
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