BETA RAY BILL versus THOR

Doom! (Marvel Comics)
Where: Thor #337 When: November 1983

Why: Walt Simonson How: Walt Simonson

The Story So Far...
When an experimental warp probe captures images of an unidentified, star destroying ship -- Director of SHIELD: Nick Fury has no choice but to call in the heavy artillery! With the probe destroyed by the alien craft, SHIELD has no way of knowing what will happen when it completes a light speed course headed straight for Earth!

So, why are Fury and his boys making a covert nab of a mild mannered physician who walks Central Park with a cane? Because Colonel Fury is one of the few men on Earth who knows Dr. Donald Blake is really The Mighty Thor - god of thunder! When he taps his cane, he becomes the only hero capable of travelling into deep space to confront the hostile space ship!

Little does Thor realize, his connection to the plight of the occupants inside goes far deeper than SHIELD's convenience -- and what he finds inside will be unlike anything he's ever encountered before!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Draw 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Draw 5 (Lasers)

It's been nothing but close battles for the 10th Anniversary of The Comic Book Fight Club, but we're yet to have a match-up as literally even as this! Inherently strong, and gifted with the weapons of Norse gods - both of today's competitors owe much of their renowned might to a mutual source. Differing more greatly are their origins, and the favour they receive from Odin. Factors that will weigh heavily into today's legendary superfight spotlight!

We've seen Beta Ray Bill in action just once before on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, standing toe-to-toe with cosmic super heavyweight: The Silver Surfer [Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2]! That's a resounding endorsement of Bill's power, but there's a big difference between that 2009 story, and his first appearance in today's 1983 issue: He doesn't yet have the Uru forged hammer Stormbreaker!

Bill's no slouch when unarmed. He's a Korbonite redesigned by his people to be their ultimate warrior! Through bio-engineering and technological enhancement he possesses phenomenal super strength, enhanced endurance, stamina, and reflexes. He's also a supremely skilled hand-to-hand fighter. A living weapon strong enough to stand up to the demon hordes of Surtur - their primary threat!

The original hammer-meister of Marvel Comics is, of course, Thor! A Norse god by birthright, he's wielded his enchanted hammer Mjolnir in recorded victories against: Super-Skrull [Thor #465], Dr. Doom [Heroes Reborn: The Return #4], Red Hulk [Hulk #6], and two titans of DC Comics: Captain Marvel [Marvel versus DC #2] and Superman [JLA/Avengers #1]!

As résumés go, it's one of the finest, showcasing an ability to beat some of the most powerful characters in two universes - but it isn't perfect! Thor and the Avengers were overwhelmed by the raw power of the unstoppable Destroyer armor in Thor (Vol. 2) #1, and they succumbed to surprise tactics from Ghost Rider in 1981's Avengers #214!

Ghost Rider wasn't worthy enough to wield the enchanted hammer Mjolnir, but he was able to use its natural return trajectory against its master! Sometimes the Odinson takes his weapon for granted, and it's around this time he will revert to frail mortal Dr. Donald Blake when separated from his hammer for more than sixty seconds. Given that Thor can summon the hammer at will, it's no mean feat to play keep away - but it's an important weakness for the few strong, or cunning enough, to take advantage of it!

The Tape: Draw Ranking: Thor (#28)

What Went Down...
Using Mjolnir to traverse time and space, Thor reaches his destination in deep space - coming face-to-hull with the warship Skuttlebutt! Even as it outpaces the thunderer the mighty machine scans his energies -- detecting a similarity with that of the true enemy that sent the warship on its mission: the deadly demons of Surtur!

Skuttlebutt fires on an unprepared Thor, who returns his own assault with a toss of his enchanted hammer! It breaches the hull, allowing Earth's defender to do his job and learn more about the threat. Inside, he recognizes a ship very much alive, and a "coldsleep defense" procedure just as living!

A giant hand explodes from a mysterious crystal and clutches Thor's inquisitive skull! The creature hurls him across the room and reveals itself - the engineered living Korbonite weapon that is: Beta Ray Bill!

As Bill threatens what he believes to be another demon agent of Surtur, he knows not the cape on which he truly tugs! Thor lets him know, swinging Mjolnir with a mighty upward strike that sends Bill flying and echoes his objection!

Bill recovers quickly, lunging at Thor with murderous intent! Mjolnir spills from Thor's grasp as the alien grapples with his wrists. The living ship Skuttlebutt has given Bill the language to engrave Thor's epitaph. Thor turns the ship against Bill, ripping at its metal walls to toss them at his foe!

The improvised metal work causes vital damage to Skuttlebutt, but fails to slow Beta Ray Bill. He rushes Thor again. The force of his right hand colliding with Thor's skull sends the thunder god's helmet airborne! It's a blow unrivalled by any of Thor's greatest foes! Were the fate of Earth not hanging in the balance, he would relish the combat. Instead, the dishevelled god fires back with a left cross and a challenge to yield. "Only in death!"

His opponent shows no signs of quitting, but Thor has vowed to protect the Earth. He knows he must strike a winning blow, but in the heat of battle, he hasn't retrieved the magic mallet Mjolnir!

The damage caused to Skuttlebutt had expedited the need for the ship to land, sending it on an accelerated course toward Earth! The proximity restores the effect of the enchantment that causes Thor to revert to Dr. Donald Blake when separated form his hammer!

He has no time to act! Bill descends upon his opponent, believing the new form to be an ill conceived tactic! A devastating blow knocks the helpless mortal out cold!

Bill doesn't question the fortune of the strange sequence of events. Instead, he seeks Mjolnir as a means of enhancing his power in the fight against Surtur. Finding only Dr. Blake's walking stick, Bill strikes it in anger -- activating the magic that transforms him into a thunder god!

The Hammer...

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." As we can clearly see - Beta Ray Bill is worthy! He's also the winner in yet another classic comic book confrontation for our 10th Anniversary!

There were a lot of prospective contenders for the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths anniversary month. I've always favoured a mixed bag approach, but I felt it was time to touch on some of the big battles we'd overlooked. This one kinda provides both -- a well known modern classic, but still a little leftfield.

It's debatable whether this is the best fight between the pair. They have another more evenly matched, more meaningful showdown a couple of issues later. This is the first appearance of Beta Ray Bill, though, and that put it over with me. I enjoy the issue just fine, but I love Beta Ray Bill. A milestone we had to have!

I really must impress on intrepid new readers the significance of this issue's event. Noble characters lifting Thor's hammer has become a bit of a modern cliché, but Beta Ray Bill was the first, and most shocking! Well, okay... Wonder Woman was pretty shocking [Marvel versus DC #3], but lets stay on point...

It's kind of a no brainer. The hammer isn't sworn to Thor - the powers are on offer to anyone worthy of them! An Arthurian twist given an extra jolt by the mad genius of Walt Simonson, who didn't take the obvious route of another golden haired, gleaming, virtuous white knight. Instead he created a bizarre, horse-faced alien -- an unlikely figure, intended to appear villainous on sight.

The twist gives Beta Ray Bill a slight edge over many other derivative heroes, and would-be replacements. No matter how extensive the similarities - he'll never be Thor. He won't grow up to be Thor. He isn't a weak ass doppelganger trying to grow into Thor. This guy will always be Beta Ray Bill. A weird echo, a curious odd-man out in most situations: one of Marvel's best original expansions to their pseudo Norse mythology!

I tend to think he's exactly what Marvel movies need. The first two Thor films managed to be tepid and uninteresting, devoid of memorable villains. Building a third movie around Beta Ray Bill's arrival wouldn't just inject much needed personality into an A or B conflict - it'd provide the perfect organic bridge between the terran Avengers and the cosmic Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a short leap from Surtur's demons to Thanos and his movie minions. Bill could be a great addition to The Guardians sequel, before it all comes crashing down to Earth in Infinity War. I dare to dream.

Dreams inspired by Walt Simonson, whose Kirby infused energy I sometimes took for granted as a kid - but have tremendous admiration for, today! The kind of frenetic comics that go balls to the wall to tell the story. Pencils so crazed they don't always have time for posed hero shots, and are fighting the inks that try to hold them down! Good comics!

I'll be working through the holidays to make sure there's more good comics cheer next week! The Friday Night Fights of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths land on Christmas Day! Naughty or nice, there'll be a super showdown to deck the halls with seasons beatings!

Winner: Beta Ray Bill
Stats: Skuttlebutt - 1 assist.

BETA RAY BILL versus SILVER SURFER
Godhunter: Part Two (Marvel)
Where: Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2 When: September 2009 Why: Kieron Gillen How: Kano

The Story So Far...
After escaping an infernal parallel dimension to be briefly imprisoned by a Skrull invasion fleet; Beta Ray Bill renews his efforts as a Norse empowered hero with greater fervor than ever before. Driven to avenge the eradication of the last survivors of his Korbinite brethren, Bill accepts the burden of hunting Galactus -- the omnipotent cosmic being whose insatiable appetite claimed his people's second home planet during his absence.

Against the advice of allies such as the mighty Thor himself, Bill uses his Norse given powers, and those of his own people's sciences, to take to the stars. He has faced Galactus before, however, and is not nearly naive enough to believe himself capable of destroying the ancient devourer. Thus, Bill takes upon himself the burden of what is necessary to destroy Galactus...

Threatened with the prospect of having every world destroyed from beneath his hungry gaze by Beta Ray Bill, Galactus deploys his most legendary herald to succeed where his other, Stardust, had failed. Thus, the Silver Surfer emerges to face his former ally, with the purpose of ending his violent scheme.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Silver Surfer 5 (Professor)
Speed: Silver Surfer 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Silver Surfer 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Beta Ray Bill 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Silver Surfer 7 (Cosmic)


- Once an inhabitant of the paradise world Zenn-La; Norrin Radd was forced to enter into a faustian pact for his soul in order to protect his planet and beloved, Shalla-Bal, from the endless hunger of omnipotent world devourer, Galactus.
Pledged to serve as herald to the devourer and seek out planets to satisfy his sustainance, Radd was bathed in the Power Cosmic, transforming him into the chrome-coated space rider and harbinger of death, the Silver Surfer.

When first leading Galactus toward Earth, the Silver Surfer was engaged by the Fantastic Four, who were aided by The Watcher. During battle with Thing, the Surfer was knocked into the studio appartment of a blind artist, Alicia Masters. The kind touch and concern of the sculptress was key to reawakening the spirit of Norrin Radd, who then chose to use his powers against his master. Galactus spared Earth, but exiled his herald to the confines of the Milky Way Galaxy. As a result, he briefly held membership with The Defenders, along with adventuring many more times alongside the Fantastic Four.

The Power Cosmic grants Silver Surfer a near limitless array of abilities, many of which are rarely explored. At the outer limits of his skill, the Surfer has been shown to adapt telepathy, convert matter into alternate substances, and even time travel. More typically, he possesses greatly enhanced strength, stamina, and endurance sufficient enough to withstand even the harshest of environments unphased. He channels cosmic energy into projectile bolts as a means of combat, and can also control all aspects of his board, upon which he travels. The board is an extension of his being, but does not have any inherent baring on his power.

- Emerging from the destruction of their home in the Burning Galaxy; survivors of the Korbinite race travelled through space to escape their demonic destroyers. Championed by the scientifically enhanced warrior, Beta Ray Bill, they travelled in suspended animation in a fleet of warships led by sentient vessel Skuttlebutt, designed to aid Bill in his battle against the demons that pursued them to the Milky Way Galaxy. There, Bill was met by Thor, who he hastily bested in combat and accidentally replaced when clutching the mythic hammer, Mjolnir.

Mystic enchantments prevent any but those whose spirit is truly worthy to wield the hammer of Thor. Beta Ray Bill was quickly able to prove his nobility to Odin, ruler of Asgard, and earn the same blessings as Thor when granted a mythic hammer of his own, dubbed Stormbreaker.

The weapon enhanced his already impressive strength and durability, granting him much the same powers of flight, strength, and weather manipulation as Thor. Beta Ray Bill was able to wield these powers against the mutual enemy of both the Norse Gods and Korbinites -- the fire demon, Surtur. He remains a champion and ally to those in Asgard, Earth, and countless other worlds.

Math: Silver Surfer Ranking: Silver Surfer (#35)

What Went Down...
Running in pursuit, Silver Surfer attempts to quell his former ally's firey attitude with a verbal request. The Surfer's pleas are met with a bolt fired by the hammer forged for Beta Ray Bill by order of Odin himself: a shot that does not strike it's chromed target, but creates diversion enough to allow the sentient ship, Skuttlebutt, to continue toward the target planet which Galactus intends to devour -- I'Than Prime!

Driven by a zealous determination, Beta Ray Bill again defies the Silver Surfer's attempts to rekindle their alliance of previous trusts. Without a hint of forgiveness he rises Stormbreaker above his head and strikes down at the herald of Galactus, callously judging him for his compliance, "... You serve Galactus. Thus your hands are bloody red."

The hammer leaves a crackling trail of electric energy as it knocks the Surfer clean off his board! The blow proves powerful enough to send the herald smashing into the beseiged Skuttlebutt -- he emerges with a blast of the power cosmic, requesting an opportunity to explain his renewed affiliation with Galactus. Stormbreaker absorbs the energy blast as effortlessly as Bill does the Silver Surfer's attempts to resolve the conflict peacefully.

In his staunch opposition, Beta Ray Bill does not notice the Silver Surfer's board circling around behind him. Controlling remotely as an extention of the Silver Surfer himself, it delivers a crushing blow to the base of Bill's skull!

The Silver Surfer follows his ambush attack with a rare strike from his fist.
It is a demonstration of the power his otherwise unassuming form contains, the gift the impossible power cosmic! Repeat blows spatter Beta Ray Bill's blood into space, left to drift until an opposing force slows it down.

Burning with cosmic energy, the Silver Surfer commands a battered Beta Ray Bill to remain defeated. He asks why he would defy the inevitable, to which the hammer-wielding hero retorts with the tale of the extinction of the Korbinite people. The tale of loss is one Norrin Radd -- the man the Surfer once was -- can understand all too well, as is the plight now faced by the I'Than race. The Surfer, though clearly troubled, is rendered inert by the conflict his renewed pledge to Galactus inspires. It is a moment easily capitalized upon...

Skuttlebutt fires upon the unsuspecting Surfer, unleashing a volley of blasts that send him drifting limply. The distance allows Beta Ray Bill to be reunited with his ship with the purpose of reaching the nearby planet before his opponent.

Skuttlebutt is forced to negotiate a dense field of floating space mines, sure to be easily maneuvered through by the lithe Silver Surfer, who quickly recovers and resumes his pursuit. Skuttlebutt endures the mine's explosions, but I'than attack drones prompt the Silver Surfer to flee the airspace. It is a distanced conclusion to their battle.

The Hammer...
Ladies and gentlemen; I "ummed" and I "ahhed," but in the end, I felt I had no choice but to declare this cosmic kerfuffle a draw. A less than impressive debut for Beta Ray Bill in the Infinite Wars rankings, but none the less, accurate.

Since starting The Comic Book Fight Club way back at the end of 2005, I've been hatching different schemes to get Bill in on the action. What can I say? If you're a long time reader, you know I have a soft spot for some of the so-called "unimportant" secondary characters that popular the Marvel and DC universes. I think it's fair to say that, in the grand scheme of the pseudo league this site maintains, that these characters are also what makes ranking comic book fights a lot of fun. Afterall, we all know Superman, Batman, Spider-man and the like will dominate the upper rankings. (Or so we assume).

At the time of this writing, we're well into mid-March, so I've had about half a year to get my hands on the first issue of Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter that I initially overlooked. I'm glad I did. Like so many comics these days, it was easy to read on without the set-up provided by the first issue, but it added a little bit of texture to what led to a big ol' cosmic brawl between two classic Marvel heroes.

I have to admit to being skeptical about the depth the three-issue mini-series would demonstrate under writer, Kieron Gillen. Best known for his independent Brit-pop fantasy series Phonogram, Gillen is clearly a talented writer, but in a few interviews I'd read [namely for X-Men Origins: Sabretooth], he'd given the distinct impression that he was largely unfamiliar with the superhero universes.

I'm a firm believer that a good writer can transcend his familiarity with material by being a master of his craft, and doing a little bit of research. Assuming Gillen was indeed ignorant to the characters that appear in this series, then he's a shining example of the successful side of that philosophy.

Part of Gillen's success lies in the fact that Godhunter isn't a complicated story.
The tale is a universal one, dealing chiefly with the consequences and morality of being a hero. By borrowing from some of the simple and best known mythology from the Marvel universe -- the enchantment of Thor and Bill's hammers, as well as Galactus' status as a devourer of worlds -- the story gains an additional level of resonance and poginant context that other versions couldn't have. It's a type of storytelling that confirms other philosophies I personally hold, such as the notion that corporate comics like those at DC and Marvel are rendered inherently unique by the tapestry of context their years of publication has created.

It's nice to see the Silver Surfer back in action.
Where once the Kirby/Lee creation stood equal with many of Marvel's greatest icons, in recent years he's well and truly lost his lustre. It disappoints me that the character has fallen into such obscurity, many younger fans would find it difficult to imagine the character supporting his own series. Something he did do, with mixed results, for a couple of decades.

It doesn't seem starring as titular pseudo-villain in a commercially successful film has helped much either, probably because comic fans regard the Fantastic Four films [re; Rise of the Silver Surfer] with such relative disdain. Maybe Super Hero Squad will do some him good, particularly as the series recently ended with the big unveiling of Galactus and some of the key backstory of the character. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the renewed association of herald/master over here in the comics, but I did recently read that part of the thinking behind that decision is to leave the character idle until a strong solo direction can be conceived.

Part the Surfer's downfall comes inadvertently from the general loss of interest in comics and by extention, more complex comics, throughout the nineties. The cosmic corners of the Marvel Universe have been gradually expanding, however, since their exciting resurrection in Drax and then the cosmic mini-event, Annihilation. Marvel's cosmic connections have been maintained ever since, through rebooted titles like Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as subsequent mini-events, like Annihilation Conquest and War of Kings.

It was a lot of fun jumping back in with Beta Ray Bill and I hope we get a chance to see more from the character in the future (without any lasting damage)!

Each issue reprints a chapter of Walt Simonson's original three-part introduction of the character, which only serves to remind how well the classics did it. I must admit to being somewhat cynical about Marvel's 2010 announcement for a "Heroic Age" of Marvel Comics, regarding it as something of a response to DC's five-year strength with classical renditions of their catalogue of characters -- but if nothing else, it will be nice if some of the energy and indulgence of these Simonson issues of Thor can be recaptured!

Kano -- artist on Godhunter -- certainly lacks Simonsons's bombastic cartoon energy, but shouldn't go without a mention before I wrap this up. He exhibits a good sense of drama, getting particularly good emotion out of the horse-faced Bill on the last page shock of this issue, which reveals the Stormbreak enchantment has rendered him unable to lift his hammer -- unworthy of it's power for his decision to fight Galactus by denying him sustainance (by destroy each world he targets).

At times, Kano's space scapes feel a little sparse, and I do question some of the direction of scenes. At times, his panels appear awkwardly close or distant from the action, which seems to work counter-intuitively to the spacial nature of a fight like the one between Bill and Silver Surfer.


The last time Kano appeared in the Infinite Wars action, he was contributing some sort of embellishment to David Lafuente's beautiful pencils [Spider-man Family #2]. His rise as penciller of Ultimate Spider-man Comics probably says it all, but the benefit of Lafuente's direction in that issue becomes all the more apparent in the first-credited Kano's work.

The Issue: 4.5 The Fight: 4

Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter is a three-part mini-series published by Marvel Comics. It is also currently available in collected format and can be purchased using the Amazon links provided. You'll find plenty more collected editions based upon the issues reviewed in the Secret Archives, by checking out the Online Store. Using links provided by the site helps sponsor future entries! The Infinite Wars are running on low power in 2010, but be sure to vote in the 2009 Annual DC vs Marvel Fantasy Fight polls at the top of the right menu.