Thor Annual #5

GRAIL ALERT!!!!

I consider Thor Annual #5 to be one of the two or three greatest self-contained single stories ever published in comics. (off the top of my head FF #51 "This Man, This Monster" and Legion Annual #1 "Monster in a Little Girls Mind" are two of the others)

Steve Englehart weaves an amazing story recounting the first meeting of Thor and Hercules. Arguably he gives it even more weight than the original Lee/Kirby epic as he takes us through a trip to the beginnings of the time of the gods.

Aided by my FAVORITE Thor art team of Big John Buscema on pencils and Tony DeZuniga with finishes. I read once where it was important to John to depict Thor as the most handsome Marvel hero. A feat he always succeeds with as he tells powerful tales, and this page is no exception.

Story-wise this is an important page as the two regal combatants call for a truce after an EPIC battle between the legions of the Vikings and Greeks. The page for me harkens back to the finest Hal Foster Prince Valiant Sundays.

Always amazing to acquire a true grail from one of the very comics you cherished as a kid. A rare feat indeed.