(All images belong to Marvel Comics)
By Odin’s Beard! I am back, hammerheads, and I am talking about my newest obsession. Thor’s arsenal from Jason Aaron and Mike del Mundo’s ongoing run. And it is a fun ride, let me tell you.
In the second issue we find our main dude of thunder in Hel! With Loki, Toothgrinder the Goat, and Thori the Hellhound (yeah, I know, “Thor” and “Thori” can get a little confusing). He meets up with not only his brothers Baldur and Tyr, but also Skurge and Karnilla. It’s a Hel of a gathering, and a rare moment that every son of Odin (Thor, Loki, Baldur, and Tyr) are within hugging/smacking distance of each other.
But enough about the family dynamics, on to the hammers!
In this installment, we see the fate of the hammer I dubbed “Imperious Wreck,” which I sneakily hinted might meet its end in this issue. I know, I know, it was wrong of me to toy with you and manipulate you so brazenly, but I never said I was always on the side of the angels. But I am always on the side of the Asgardians, so let’s get to it.
Name of Hammer: “Imperious Wreck”
Cause of Destruction: Muspel blood, otherwise known as Fire Demon blood. It smells awful, and it freaking melts metal.
Story: “As it smited the enemies of Thor, so too did the enemies slowly smite Imperious Wreck. Though it was with their own innards and blood, so at least this weapon gave as good as it got. It went down smashing foul hordes of demons, and what more could a war hammer hope for?”
Name of Hammer: “Head Splitter”
Cause of (Supposed) Destruction: Possibly destroyed after it split into two. Kind of a one-time use hammer from the looks of it.
Story: “Moldcrust the Dwarf stared exhausted and dejected at what was supposed to be two hammers. ‘So… you laid hammers down too close to each other? When cooling?’ asked Moldcrust’s friend and fellow apprentice smith, Hackstump. ‘Yes…’ murmured Moldcrust. ‘Humph,’ illustrated Hackstump, ‘Not think they’ll notice. Go with it.’ ‘Truly?’ asked Moldcrust. ‘Aye! Tell Thor it can split to two. On purpose. All big plan!’ ‘All big plan,’ repeated Moldcrust, a small flicker of a smile creeping through his soot-blasted beard.”
Name of Hammer: “The Bomb Hammer”
Cause of Destruction: Doing what it does best.
Story: “Screwbeard made a simple proclamation: ‘Want one that blows up. Just… BOOM.’ And lo, the Bomb Hammer was primed.”
What a fine cross section of hammers! A bloody, bombastic mess that has split me right down the middle for trying to decide which one I loved more. Which is of course impossible for me to decide! The only thing I can choose is to write another blog entry, this time about Issue #3 and what might become one of the most powerful hammers in Thor’s growing (or, more likely, dwindling) armory.