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Thor 1st/Nth Appearance Thor DC/Marvel/Charlton
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Started by Upgrayedd2,

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grendelbo

grendelbo

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From Wikipedia with citations -

In a 1984 interview Kirby said "I did a version of Thor for D.C. in the fifties before I did him for Marvel. I created Thor at Marvel because I was forever enamored of legends, which is why I knew about Balder, Heimdall, and Odin. I tried to update Thor and put him into a superhero costume, but he was still Thor."[7] The story was included in Tales of the Unexpected #16, from 1957; and although the character had a different design, some details would be reused by Kirby when he created the Marvel Comics version.[8] And in a 1992 interview, Kirby said " knew the Thor legends very well, but I wanted to modernize them. I felt that might be a new thing for comics, taking the old legends and modernizing them."[9]

Kirby in Van Hise, James (April 1985). "Superheroes: The Language That Jack Kirby Wrote". Comics Feature (#34).

 Jake Young (August 11, 2017). "6 Weird Things About Thor's Origin Story Nobody Talks About". Dorkly. Retrieved October 31, 2017.

 Green, Rick (February 1997). "Jack Kirby: Prisoner of Gravity". The Jack Kirby Collector (#14): 18.

 

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thunsicker

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On 5/20/2022 at 12:43 AM, Upgrayedd2 said:

Here is the breakdown based on good old internet searches.

1941: "Mercury" appears in Red Raven (Timely Comics)  and later becomes Hurricane in Captain America (Marvel Comics). Hurricane is the “son of Thor, god of Thunder, and the last descendant of the ancient Greek immortals.” – a Kirby character.

1942: "Thor" appears in Adventure Comics #75 (DC). Thor is a villain/mobster using tech to imitate the god. – Kirby-designed.

1948: "Mercury" (a similar character) appears in "Venus" (December issue) – edited by Stan Lee.

1957: "Thor" appears in Tales of the Unexpected #16 (DC). Thor is a Norse god, wears the same tunic which appears in today's story line, has the same hammer which appears in today's story line, reference to Loki as a villain. – illustrated by Kirby.

1959: "Thor" appears in Out of this World #11 (Charlton Comics). Thor discovers the hammer and uses it to drive away enemy forces. – illustrated by Ditko.

1962: "Thor" appears in Journey into Mystery #83 (Marvel). – Ditko/Kirby/Lee???

So how can one argue the 1957 appearance of a Norse god named Thor, with the same hammer and tunic, villain Loki, lightning bolts, etc does not represent the 1st appearance of Thor in a comic? Journey into Mystery #83, under the key notes should read, "1st Appearance of Thor in Marvel Comics". Would love to hear y'alls opinions pro and con.

I guess I must be on ignore?  You missed my example:

1940 - Fox Features has a hero “Thor: God of Thunder” in Weird Comics #1.  Thor is a hero who wields a hammer and throws lightning bolts.  
 

EDIT:  Here’s GCD’s info

“Thor, the son of Odin, chooses a mortal, Grant Farrel, and imbues him with the God of Thunder's powers and abilities. Thereafter, Grant is known as Thor when he changes shape and assumes the form and powers of the Thunder God.”

Edited by thunsicker
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Jesse-Lee

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On 5/20/2022 at 6:23 AM, thunsicker said:

I guess I must be on ignore?  You missed my example:

1940 - Fox Features has a hero “Thor: God of Thunder” in Weird Comics #1.  Thor is a hero who wields a hammer and throws lightning bolts.  
 

EDIT:  Here’s GCD’s info

“Thor, the son of Odin, chooses a mortal, Grant Farrel, and imbues him with the God of Thunder's powers and abilities. Thereafter, Grant is known as Thor when he changes shape and assumes the form and powers of the Thunder God.”

Happy birthday!

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grendelbo

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On 5/20/2022 at 5:23 AM, thunsicker said:

I guess I must be on ignore?  You missed my example:

1940 - Fox Features has a hero “Thor: God of Thunder” in Weird Comics #1.  Thor is a hero who wields a hammer and throws lightning bolts.  
 

EDIT:  Here’s GCD’s info

“Thor, the son of Odin, chooses a mortal, Grant Farrel, and imbues him with the God of Thunder's powers and abilities. Thereafter, Grant is known as Thor when he changes shape and assumes the form and powers of the Thunder God.”

 

Thor01WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor02WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor03WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor04WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor05WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor06WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor07WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor08WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor09WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor10WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor11WeirdApr40.jpg

Thor12WeirdApr40.jpg

71VpqI19tpL._SL1425_.jpg

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Upgrayedd2

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Update: 1st comic book appearance of Thor in 1940 (Fox Publications), Odin in 1946 (DC), and Loki (1949).

1940: "Thor" appears in Weird Comics #1 (Fox Publications). Thor, son of Odin,  imbues Grant Farrel with the God of Thunder's powers. Thereafter, Grant is known as Thor when he changes shape and assumes the form and powers of the Thunder God.

1941: "Mercury" appears in Red Raven (Timely Comics) and later becomes Hurricane in Captain America (Marvel Comics). Hurricane is the “son of Thor, god of Thunder, and the last descendant of the ancient Greek immortals.” – a Kirby character.

1942: "Thor" appears in Adventure Comics #75 (DC). Thor is a villain/mobster using tech to imitate the god. – Kirby-designed.

1946: "Odin" & "The Valkyries" appear as villains in Comic Cavalcade #17 (DC).

1948: "Mercury" (a similar character) appears in Venus #3 (not sure if this is Marvel Comics) – edited by Stan Lee.

1949: "Loki" appears in Venus #6 (Marvel Comics) – edited by Stan Lee.

1957: "Thor" appears in Tales of the Unexpected #16 (DC). Thor is a Norse god, wears the same tunic which appears in today's story line, has the same hammer which appears in today's story line, reference to Loki as a villain. – illustrated by Kirby.

1959: "Thor" appears in Out of this World #11 (Charlton Comics). Thor discovers the hammer and uses it to drive away enemy forces. – illustrated by Ditko.

1962: "Thor" appears in Journey into Mystery #83 (Marvel Comics). – Ditko/Kirby/Lee???

Edited by Upgrayedd2
removed old info
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Lazyboy

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On 5/20/2022 at 12:43 AM, Upgrayedd2 said:

Here is the breakdown based on good old internet searches.

1941: "Mercury" appears in Red Raven (Timely Comics)  and later becomes Hurricane in Captain America (Marvel Comics). Hurricane is the “son of Thor, god of Thunder, and the last descendant of the ancient Greek immortals.” – a Kirby character.

1942: "Thor" appears in Adventure Comics #75 (DC). Thor is a villain/mobster using tech to imitate the god. – Kirby-designed.

1948: "Mercury" (a similar character) appears in "Venus" (December issue) – edited by Stan Lee.

1957: "Thor" appears in Tales of the Unexpected #16 (DC). Thor is a Norse god, wears the same tunic which appears in today's story line, has the same hammer which appears in today's story line, reference to Loki as a villain. – illustrated by Kirby.

1959: "Thor" appears in Out of this World #11 (Charlton Comics). Thor discovers the hammer and uses it to drive away enemy forces. – illustrated by Ditko.

1962: "Thor" appears in Journey into Mystery #83 (Marvel). – Ditko/Kirby/Lee???

So how can one argue the 1957 appearance of a Norse god named Thor, with the same hammer and tunic, villain Loki, lightning bolts, etc does not represent the 1st appearance of Thor in a comic? Journey into Mystery #83, under the key notes should read, "1st Appearance of Thor in Marvel Comics". Would love to hear y'alls opinions pro and con.

Everyone knows JIM 83 is the first appearance of Marvel's Thor. That is, the character who has been continuously used by Marvel since that debut and has had a major role in the Marvel Universe.

No comic book is even close to being the first appearance of the Norse god Thor. Jack Kirby using similar designs for different interpretations of mythology doesn't make them the exact same character.

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Upgrayedd2

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On 5/20/2022 at 11:37 AM, Lazyboy said:

Everyone knows JIM 83 is the first appearance of Marvel's Thor. That is, the character who has been continuously used by Marvel since that debut and has had a major role in the Marvel Universe.

No comic book is even close to being the first appearance of the Norse god Thor. Jack Kirby using similar designs for different interpretations of mythology doesn't make them the exact same character.

Although my original post asked for forum member opinions, I could see where it appeared I leaned towards recognizing Thor's first appearance as something other than JIM #83. After seeing all of the previous appearances and how Lee/Kirby developed the character, these Thor appearances are more than similarities. Had Kirby remained at DC and developed Thor as a character, would one of the aforementioned comics been identified as Thor's 1st appearance? We will never know.

WRT to your comments, I concur...JIM #83 is the 1st appearance of "Marvel's" Thor.

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ADAMANTIUM

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On 5/20/2022 at 5:46 PM, Upgrayedd2 said:

Although my original post asked for forum member opinions, I could see where it appeared I leaned towards recognizing Thor's first appearance as something other than JIM #83. After seeing all of the previous appearances and how Lee/Kirby developed the character, these Thor appearances are more than similarities. Had Kirby remained at DC and developed Thor as a character, would one of the aforementioned comics been identified as Thor's 1st appearance? We will never know.

WRT to your comments, I concur...JIM #83 is the 1st appearance of "Marvel's" Thor.

Ya between the two, jim#83 is the Marvel thor.

I'm not sure if there would be a cgc term for the DC.

It may have mentioned a copyright for a purpose if needed.

The only other and off the top of my head that I can think of is Angela from Spawn, then went on to Marvel. I think you could look there for the cgc specific terms.

Or something  :cheers:

 

Edited by ADAMANTIUM
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Lazyboy

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On 5/20/2022 at 5:46 PM, Upgrayedd2 said:

Although my original post asked for forum member opinions, I could see where it appeared I leaned towards recognizing Thor's first appearance as something other than JIM #83. After seeing all of the previous appearances and how Lee/Kirby developed the character, these Thor appearances are more than similarities. Had Kirby remained at DC and developed Thor as a character, would one of the aforementioned comics been identified as Thor's 1st appearance? We will never know.

WRT to your comments, I concur...JIM #83 is the 1st appearance of "Marvel's" Thor.

If there was another prominent (version of) Thor from some other publisher, that (version of) Thor would have his own first appearance. If it predated Marvel's Thor, it's possible that Marvel may not have even done theirs. :whatthe:

Hercules is somewhat similar as well, though not as big a character for Marvel.

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Axe Elf

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Maybe we could call the JIM appearance the 1st appearance, and the DC appearance the 0th appearance.

I mean, I see comics numbered #0 all the time...

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