In order to retrieve the mighty Thor from Earth so that his power could be used to augment the forces of Asgard in battling the invasion of Seth, the Egyptian god of death, Hogun the Grim has volunteered to be sent across the dimensions to Midgard in an effort to locate the Thunder God and inform him of the crisis. But with the destruction of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, the journey to Earth was perilous and fraught with risk--and so it is that Hogun is injured on arrival and beset by hallucinations, seeing enemies all around him. And wielding the power of Asgard, Hogun is a clear and present danger to the mortals who cross his path.
Unknown to Hogun, Thor is currently indisposed battling the villain known as Quicksand--and so, in a spotlight that's rarely turned on him for any extended length, Hogun all but receives second billing as he shares two issues with his fellow Asgardian, with both of them battling mortals. In Hogun's case, his opponent turns out to be none other than:
Sure DD is outmatched--beyond outmatched. But that's where the "Without Fear" part comes in!
Unfortunately for Daredevil, Hogun's impression of him is just as distorted as those he has of everyone else--consequently, he sees DD as nothing short of a demon, one he interprets as attempting to keep him from his mission.
After trading a few blows, Daredevil sizes up his opponent and correctly concludes that he's out of his league--so what are his options? Basically, he fights a holding action, while trying to reason with his foe--to say nothing of trying to stay alive.
It's certainly one of the most mismatched fights on record, though I mean that more in terms of chemistry than strength level. There's plenty of action in artist Ron Frenz's panels--but a knock-down drag-out between Hogun and Daredevil? I'd much rather see Code: Blue mobilize against him, given their greater resources and more aggressive posture (though their special ops unit hadn't yet been formed). There are only so many acrobatic--and ultimately ineffectual--maneuvers that Daredevil can utilize against Hogun, recycled with changes of street scenery. Granted, no one wants to see the fighting spirit of a never-say-die fighter like Hogun be dashed in his current state--but I'd settle for seeing him contained in some way, which Daredevil is ill-equipped for.
Yet Frenz indeed gives us our 37¢ worth (the other 38¢ going toward the Thor/Quicksand battle), with Daredevil acting as we'd expect him to--hanging in there, despite the odds.
Finally, however, an error in judgment takes DD out of the fight temporarily and gives Hogun the chance to ditch his opponent and complete his mission. But the N.Y.P.D. also see their chance--and that may be all she wrote, even for an Asgardian.
Stabilized at least for the time being, Hogun is ambulanced to the hospital, where Thor joins him after getting word of his plight. Donald Blake is no longer present at this point in time, so it falls to another physician to save Hogun's life--and save it he does, despite the interference of the newly-created Earth Force. Hogun, coming full circle in this struggle, would go on to have his moment in the crucial final battle against Seth, standing with his fellow gods in defiance of death itself.
The Warriors Three are a weird bunch - Fandral and Volstagg are from a Shakespeare play while Hogun looks like Genghis Khan. What any of them have to do with the Norse gods is a mystery.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fair observation, Colin. The three would fit well in the realm of Asgard that Walt Simonson established during his run on the title, which was populated by many Asgardians who didn't fit the norm of warrior we often associated with this race of gods.
ReplyDeleteI must disagree with your stance, sirrah!
ReplyDeleteI found this battle to be exhilarating (and, honestly, far more fun than the parallel battle of Thor vs Quicksand) and it also provided a valuable service. My whole comic reading life has yearned to get a measure of the power possessed by Thor's friends. Either they'd get batted aside by the brute monster designed to give Thor a tussle, or 99.9% of their battles are against gnarly troll monsters. Both too abstract for reference.
In a flat-out battle with Daredevil, I can now nod and say "Damn...!"
The previous benchmark I love is when Sif, in a frustrated fit, cleaves a fire hydrant with a backhand swing of her sword. Have you ever stood idly, perhaps waiting for a walk light to cross the street, and tapped a fire hydrant with your toe? Sif suddenly had serious game.
(and these moments totally sweep away earlier Thor stories where the Warriors seem thoroughly challenged by plain human thugs and Sif was too often nothing but Kidnapped Damsel Lady)
And I guess Daredevil is always fighting pointless fights he can't win, so this seemed merely another example. For crying out loud, Frank Miller had DD fight the Hulk!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Murray--to each his own! :)
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