From the Mouths of the Marvels:

"I could switch to Thor and force this madman to reveal where he hid Jane. But it's against my moral code to harm human beings except in self-defense!"

- - Dr. Don Blake, page 8

I suppose you don't have to look for a door if your woman is tied to a chair in some madman's basement!

Thor from Journey Into Mystery #95
August 1963 • 13 pages

Publication Date: June 4, 1963

Letters Page: No letters page was published in this issue

I: Feature Story: "The Demon Duplicators!"

Pages: 13

Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Robert Bernstein
Pencils: Joe Sinnott
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen

Villain/First Appearance: Professor Zaxton, Duplicate Thor

Guest Appearance: Odin, Professor Vlach, Jane Foster

Cameo Appearance: Heimdall

Gadgets & Technology: Duplicating Machine

Synopsis: While in Asgard, Thor helps out Odin by starting up a week-long rainstorm that will wet the dry, parched farmlands. Afterwards, he heads quickly back to Earth to make it on time for a presentation given by Professor Zaxton, an associate of his alter ego, Dr. Donald Blake. The presentation is to put on display an android developed by Blake (who couldn't be at the unveiling due to prior committments!) The android is super-intelligent as well as super-strong, able to crunch incredibly complex mathematical equations and stand up to the force of Thor's hammer. Unfortunately, during the display, Zaxton messes up the control dial and the android is out-of-control and set to self-destruct. Thor ties the android to his hammer and hurls him up into the sky, where he explodes without causing harm.

The demonstration ends and Thor contemplates on Zaxton's bungling, wondering if it was deliberate. He changes back into his human alter ego of Dr. Don Blake and returns to his office, where he finds Zaxton waiting for him. Zaxton shows Blake a machine that he has developed. It is called a Duplicating Machine, and he uses it to replicate "carbon copies" of anything he zaps with it. Zaxton reveals that he has kidnaped Jane Foster and will kill her unless Blake helps him develop his machine so that he can create duplicates of human beings. Blake decides to cooperate with the madman until he can somehow rescue Jane.

Zaxton takes the newly redesigned Duplicating Machine into the back alley and creates duplicates of an alley cat. While he's doing this, Blake goes back into his office to change into Thor, but Zaxton walks in on him and sees him transform! He knows Thor's secret identity! He also zaps Thor to create a duplicate of him, and announces to Thor that not only has he created a second Thor, but that the new Thor is the opposite of the real Thor as far as personality. Thus- he's an evil Thor, and under the mental command of Zaxton himself! While Thor is beaten back by his evil doppleganger, Zaxton zaps his hammer and creates two hammers for the evil Thor.

Thor tries to escape outside, but Zaxton duplicates a building and puts it in front of Thor, causing him to crash into it. The evil Thor races down to beat up on Thor, so he conjures up some lightning which knocks him out of the sky. Zaxton comes to the aid of his stunned evil Thor and creates another Thor to stand in front of him and take the blow of Thor's hammer. Thor tries to escape when the evil Thor comes to, but evil Thor chases him up into the sky. Zaxton uses his machine to duplicate an airplane that is in front of Thor several times over, causing Thor to pull up in order not to crash into them, but this allows the evil Thor to gain on him. Evil Thor throws his hammers at Thor, who waits for the resulting impact. However, the hammers pass right through him! Of course, Thor thinks! The evil Thor is not worthy to possess the power of Thor! With nothing to fear, Thor destroys the evil Thor and then sets out for Zaxton, who duplicates himself so Thor cannot tell who is the real Zaxton.

Unfortunately, the evil Zaxton slips and falls over he edge of the bridge he is standing on and falls to his death. Thor realizes that the Zaxton duplicate that is left is the same in all respects as the old, except he is good rather than evil. Thor finds Jane Foster and rescues her, then returns to Asgard to stop the rainfall.

--synopsis by Gormuu

Issues Reprinted
Thor and Tales of Asgard from
Journey Into Mystery #83-100

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