The Mighty Thor #408 Cover By Ron Frenz
Artists: Ron Frenz (Penciller) , Joe Sinnott (Inker)
680 Views - 35 Comments - 13 Likes
Artwork Details
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DescriptionYou know, sometimes the comic art hobby really hurts. I could be paraphrasing Rocky Balboa when after fighting Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan) in Rocky III he remarked at a photo op after the fight that "...sometimes charity really hurts." This hobby does hurt when you see a piece that you have loved since you were a kid, especially when you see it in a climate of fearful collecting. Fear of selling. Buyers remorse. Sellers remorse. Fear of missing out. When did the passion of our youth become so stressful? Why do I sound like the Silver Surfer ruminating to himself why he can't surf the heavens?As for the cover. The cover is that rarified space. That 11x17 box that for us stops traffic. The way Scarlett Johansson stops traffic. We are caught in the covers magnetic field and can't escape its pull. Eras have distinctive cover designs and are somewhat defined by these layouts and tried and true elements. You know you are in the Golden Age if you are marveling at a cover featuring oversized, giant heroes grabbing torpedoes and rocking battleships. It was never even part of a story element but it was a staple of the period. Along comes the Silver Age and specifically the Marvel Age where covers were almost like circus posters and you could hear a disembodied barker off stage barking out what was inside the tent. "He's Back! Hercules!" Witness "The Power Of Odin" and the "Savagery of the Mongoose!" This was in 1989! Yet that was the tail end of the reach of the coronal mass ejection that was the brilliant cover design of the Marvel Age. It lasted roughly 29 years before it began to fade from use. Even when comics started to embrace a more adult orientation and content where heroes (or anti-heroes) were telegraphed by black leather and jeans - more Marlon Brando Wild One then superhero - Defalco's Thor was that tether to the silver age. Frenz and Breeding and Sinnott's Thor was a reminder of where it all began. By design. It was big and bold and vivid. It was lusty. It was like opening the comic up and hearing the score from The Vikings and Kirk Douglas yelling "Odin!" I loved it and couldn't get enough. This cover has long been one of my favorites. It was at the very early stages of my comic reading years. I had been mesmerized by the cover to Thor #391 with the battle with Mongoose, this new cool looking character. I was certain this guy must be one of Thor's arch foes. He was pretty formidable during this arc and when he reappeared on the cover of #408 I knew his greatness as a villain was cemented. I don't care I still think he's cool. The issue is somewhat of a key as well since it is the first time Eric Masterson and Thor are merged together. It also is the first time Hercules uses the "Harry Cleese" (no one was cracking that code) alias and to be honest Hercules should have been a permanent member of Thor's supporting cast. I love that he is on the cover along with Odin (and Eric Masterson) framing the great battle scene of Thor vs Mongoose. More wondrous work by Ron Frenz and Joe Sinnott. The hobby may sometimes hurt but it still feels really good. The Mighty Thor #408 October, 1989 "The Fateful Decision" Writer: Tom DeFalco Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Fisch Benz 
Member Since 2019
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
Congrats, Jason! A beautiful, nostalgic Thor cover! Hard to beat that.
Bill J
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
Splendid cover, one that truly does recall the glory days of the Marvel Age! Great pick-up!
Duke Fleed
Member Since 2013
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
By Grabthar's hammer !!! This is a magnificent pick up! Love the Sinnot Inks and Hercules too! Huge congrats..aka.. Bravo!!!
Paul P Spiderversity
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
Seriously man, who could ask for anything more in a cover image? Very entertaining and well-written description, and one AMAZING cover !!!!
Jimmy Cawley
Member Since 2015
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
Congrats and enjoy for many years my friend. You certainly did earn this one
THIEFAR art
Member Since 2010
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
Wow...Another amazing cover. How do you get this stuff?
Nick Katradis
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
Jason, a glorious Frenz Thor cover! A great addition to your fabulous collection ! I want to see it in person. Bring it to Umberto’s next week. Oh, and you are paying for lunch.
West Stephan
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
I'd say it was a Fateful Decision to buy this great cover!
K Gearon
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
Huge congrats, Jason! I know this squarely in your OA wheelhouse - perfect intersection of art and nostalgia. Not hard to see why. Lots to pore over with this one with the 5 characters featured and love how the lettering is incorporated into the cover. And Mongoose! A great new villain addition of the time :) Congrats!
Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
You couldn't have said it any better, Jason. I also want to go on record and state that as pricey as the art from this run has been getting, it is still undervalued. Why? Because fans forget just how amazingly fun and beautiful this run is, mainly due to the fact that it suffered the ignominious fate of having followed immediately after the instant classic Simonson run. Fans were still on a massive high when Simonson left the book with his all-time best run, so nobody could have ever dreamed that another run, different yet equally fantastic, was to start immediately after Simonson left. Thankfully the run is becoming more and more appreciated, especially in the comic art hobby in recent years and The Mighty Thor can now officially boast of being the only character and title to have had not one but TWO all-time classic runs within the same decade! Classic and beautiful cover, man, congrats!
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 2/1/2022
A great cover that ages better with time. This was a throwback with Frenz and Sinnott bringing that old school style against the grim and gritty trend of the times. It seemed out of place, but it probably has a greater lasting power to it now because it could fit in with the classics while their contemporaries now look like they are specific to that time period.
Dave W
Member Since 2006
Posted on 2/2/2022
Congrats - this is a magnificent cover! So glad to see Ron Frenz art moving into more rarified air, as it should have long ago. Thanks for sharing!
Shelton Bryant
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 2/2/2022
Perfect and Pure Thor Cover!! Godly, Muscular and Heroic!!!
T Shen
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 2/3/2022
This is a ridiculously awesome cover and an amazing story to accompany it. Super happy for you, Jason - congrats!
J H
Member Since 2019
1 - Posted on 2/4/2022
You have chosen...wisely. And your first point is spot on. Fear and anxiety seems to rule the day nowadays. Our hobby is a-changin'. But luckily we have Frenz here to remind us what is good from the past. I'm nearly as big a fan of his style as you are ;), and looking at that cover, it's easy to see why. Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome! So awesome. Huge congrats to you and that little kid inside!
Romain Verlier
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 2/5/2022
Love the words you put aside this marvelous cover!!! Especially the surfing freely to the heavens part! Congrats and thanks for sharing your joy!
James Halperin
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 2/5/2022
That cover sure has a lot going for it. Greatness.
Damon Owens
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 2/5/2022
By the bristling beard of Odin!! Tis artwork most magnificent! I doth raise mine flagon of ale to thee, Sir Jason of Versaggi!!
Earl Hamilton
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 2/6/2022
Huge congrats!!! Thanks for sharing! I love it!!
Ron S
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 2/6/2022
Great cover. Always thought Frenz did some of his best work on Thor.
Vincent Zurzolo
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 2/7/2022
one of the things I love about collecting is how different artists, time periods, characters etc appeal to different people for different reasons. I always love seeing your emails/posts of art that means so much to you as it opens my mind to new artists and styles that i hadn't taken notice of as much before. Keep building your very special collection. and keep the emails/posts coming. Most importantly- have fun brother!
Michael McIsaac
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 3/24/2022
I'm not sure how I missed this when you first posted it, but let me rectify that mistake now by saying that this is a phenomenal piece that would be a crown jewel of any collection of Thor art. I wish they still made covers like this!
Nick Katradis
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 9/20/2022
Jason, a stunner Frenz masterpiece. I am so glad you were able to get this deal done. I know how badly you wanted this. Frenz is a master artist who is finally reaching the perch on which he belongs.
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