Thor #393
Thor #393 is a pivotal chapter in Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz's 1988 run because it resolves the debut two-part arc of Quicksand — one of the more distinctive Thor villains of the Copper Age, a nuclear-accident survivor whose rage-fueled motivation sets her apart from her sand-powered Marvel predecessors. The issue also continues the slow-burn introduction of Eric Masterson, the civilian architect whose growing entanglement with Thor would eventually reshape the Thunder God's legacy entirely, culminating years later in the Thunderstrike identity. Running two intercut battle sequences — Thor versus Quicksand at a nuclear plant, and a hallucinating Hogun versus Daredevil across New York — it showcases DeFalco and Frenz's deliberate effort to stretch the title beyond Asgard and into street-level Marvel, while simultaneously advancing the looming Seth invasion subplot that would peak in issues #395–400.
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The issue was produced by the stable creative team of writer Tom DeFalco and penciler Ron Frenz, with Brett Breeding on inks, John Workman Jr. on letters, and editor Ralph Macchio overseeing the book. DeFalco and Frenz had conceived Quicksand together as a fully fleshed-out character from the outset — DeFalco later confirmed to the Marvel Appendix that the pair had worked out her complete backstory and power mechanics before she ever appeared in print, even if those original character notebooks have since gone missing. The colorist Christie Scheele worked the issue under the pseudonym 'Max Scheele,' a byline she used across multiple issues of the title during this period.
Trivia · 10 facts
- Story title: 'The Blaze of Battle!' — cover-dated July 1988, on-sale March 22, 1988.
- Creative team: Script by Tom DeFalco; pencils by Ron Frenz; inks by Brett Breeding; letters by John Workman Jr.; colors by Christie Scheele (credited as Max Scheele); edited by Ralph Macchio.
- First appearance of Valdor in this issue, as listed in the issue's character index.
- Quicksand (created by DeFalco and Frenz) makes her second appearance here, concluding the two-part debut that began in Thor #392 (June 1988) — her first appearance.
- Eric Masterson — future Thor stand-in and eventual Thunderstrike — appears in his third consecutive issue, further embedding him in Thor's civilian life before the much later merger storyline.
- Thor prevents a nuclear meltdown by using Mjolnir to transport the entire power plant to a barren alternate dimension before it detonates.
- The Daredevil vs. Hogun subplot runs simultaneously: Hogun, suffering from a head injury, mistakes Daredevil for a demonic monster, setting up an unlikely and mismatched street-level brawl.
- The issue includes deliberate Marvel fan-club Easter eggs: a bus advertisement for the Merry Marvel Marching Society (MMMS) and a sound effect referencing Friends of Ol' Marvel ('FOOM!').
- A newsstand edition variant of this issue was published alongside the standard direct-market edition.
- This issue is part of the larger Seth-invasion buildup that DeFalco and Frenz would bring to a head in Thor #395–400.
Cast · 13 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
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Thor battles Quicksand and tries to keep her from causing a nuclear meltdown at the power plant. An addled Hogun battles Daredevil, thinking he is a demonic monster.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).