Review: Thor #179

Thor #179
Published and © by Marvel, August 1970

Title: “No More the Thunder God!”
Synopsis: There is little time for convalescing as Thor is sent back to Earth to root out Loki’s latest scheme.

Writer: Stan Lee
Penciler: Jack Kirby
Inker: Vince Colletta

Review: And with this issue, the end of an era. On the surface, this is a typical Thor outing: It features Stan Lee’s faux-Old-English dialogue, Jack Kirby’s power-packed pencils and Vince Colletta’s wooden inking. But “Stan’s Soapbox” reveals the real plot twist: Marvel has lost its most important artist, with Kirby resigning from the company he helped redefine throughout the 1960s. Elsewhere on the same “Bullpen Bulletins” page is a house ad announcing the addition of Conan the Barbarian to the Marvel roster. Collectively, the King’s departure and the coming of Conan marked Marvel’s transition from Silver to Bronze Age.

Grade: B

Cool factor: No more Thor would soon mean a whole bunch of New Gods over at the Distinguished Competition.
Not-so-cool factor: If only the King could have left Vince Colletta behind at Marvel.

Notable: “The Hammer Strikes” letters page includes LoCs from future comics professionals Neal Pozner and Nils Osmar (credited as Nils Osman).
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 1/- British variant of this issue.

Character quotable: “Mayhap the time has come for speaking!” – Balder the Brave, following several pages of big punching

Editor’s note: This review was written Feb. 8, 2026.