DC Special #4 - The Magic Hammer

This issue reprints the Kirby story from TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #16 (1957). Unfortunately, they added a framing sequence to the issue with all the DC horror comic hosts of the era, so they cut out the title image on the first page and start with the bottom tier of the first page. Not sure if they did any other editing.

Anyway, the story features Bard, a prospector, finding a hammer out in the desert, and finding it causes rainstorms when thrown. He sells the rain-making ability for a while, then finds out the hammer can also cause destruction when thrown, and plans to use it to rob banks. Suddenly he's confronted by the figure of the Norse god Thor.



Thor explains how the mischievous Loki stole his hammer centuries ago, and how Thor'd been punished by being reduced to human size until he found his hammer. With his hammer returned, Thor grows to his old godly size, leaving Bard scared straight while Thor goes out to take care of Loki.

This is a really attractive story, especially with this Thor character. I suppose it's not too likely, but I'd love to see a collection of Kirby's scattered short stories and covers for the DC sci-fi/fantasy books of the 1950s.

Published 1969