Thor #195

Jan 1972 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

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“In the Shadow of Mangog!”

★ 1st appearance — Hildegarde

About this Issue

Thor #195 marks the opening chapter of Gerry Conway's first complete story arc on the title — a multi-threaded epic that simultaneously sent Thor and the Warriors Three to the realm of World's End and dispatched Sif and the newly debuted Hildegarde to the planet Blackworld, establishing a dual-quest narrative structure that played out across several issues. The issue is also notable for introducing Hildegarde, a physically imposing Asgardian Valkyrie whose partnership with Sif represented one of the earliest sustained female friendships in Marvel's Thor comics, at a time when meaningful female-to-female relationships were nearly absent from those pages. The return of Mangog, unleashed by Loki on the issue's final pages, ties the Conway run directly to the high-mythology tradition Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had established, even as a new teenage writer was reshaping the series. Collectively, the first appearances of Blackworld and World's End — two entirely new cosmological locations — expanded the Asgardian map in ways that continued to pay off through Thor #203.

In "In the Shadow of Mangog!", Thor and the Warriors Three answer Odin’s call for a new quest, while Hildegarde is sent to Blackworld with Sif. Meanwhile, Loki faces the monstrous Mangog in a desperate battle—only to be captured and encased in amber. As the colossal threat turns its attention to Asgard, the realm braces for an onslaught. Written by Gerry Conway and brought to life by John Buscema’s dynamic art, with inks by Vince Colletta and letters by Artie Simek, the cover by John Buscema and Frank Giacoia captures the epic dread of the moment.

writer Gerry Conway · artist John Buscema · inker Vince Colletta · letterer Artie Simek · cover John Buscema, Frank Giacoia

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $7

CGC 9.8 · 5 in census $1,120

CGC 9.6 · 13 in census $333

CGC 9.4 · 24 in census $192*

CGC 9.2 · 12 in census $135*

CGC 9.0 · 5 in census $110*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $90*

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CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $45*

CGC 7.5 · 6 in census $40*

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CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $23*

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CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $20*

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CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $20*

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History

Thor #195 was scripted by Gerry Conway, then eighteen years old and barely out of high school, making it one of the earliest major superhero assignments for a writer who would soon become one of Marvel's most prolific voices of the Bronze Age. Conway had been rapidly ascending the Marvel ranks since breaking into superhero comics with Daredevil in early 1971, and Roy Thomas — serving as editor-in-chief — handed him the Thor assignment as part of a broader generational transition away from Stan Lee's direct creative oversight of the line. Interior art was pencilled by John Buscema with inks by Vince Colletta, while the cover was pencilled by Buscema and inked by Frank Giacoia, a pairing that gave the issue a slightly more polished exterior than the interior pages. Conway has acknowledged in later interviews that during this period he was largely plotting on instinct rather than with a mapped-out plan, which contemporary readers and later commentators have noted in the somewhat improvised way the Twilight Well's significance evolved across the arc.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Hildegarde, an Asgardian Valkyrie warrior who goes on to make over 100 appearances in Marvel continuity and later resides at Avengers Mansion as a supporting character.
First appearance of the locations Blackworld and World's End, two new Asgardian-adjacent realms that anchor the entire Conway story arc running through Thor #203.
First appearances of the elder Asgardian warriors Whitemane, Khan, Bulwar, and Rongor, four retired champions Odin recalls to defend Asgard in Thor's absence.
First appearance of Kygar, a Forest Troll of World's End, and the entity Him Who Sleeps.
Story title is 'In the Shadow of Mangog!' (script: Gerry Conway; interior pencils: John Buscema; interior inks: Vince Colletta; cover pencils: John Buscema; cover inks: Frank Giacoia; letters: Art Simek; editor: Roy Thomas).
On-sale date was October 5, 1971; the cover date reads January 1972 — a standard Marvel dating practice of the era.
The issue has been reprinted in Essential Thor Vol. 4 (2009, black and white), Thor Epic Collection Vol. 6: Into the Dark Nebula (2020), and The Mighty Thor Omnibus Vol. 4 (2023), as well as in several international editions including Mexican, Dutch, and French printings.
A Mark Jewelers advertisement insert variant of this issue exists, a distribution variant common to Marvel comics of the early 1970s sold through military PX outlets.