250's for America's 250 · Day 7: The Mighty Thor #250

Publishing: Wednesday, June 17, 2026 · Marvel Comics · Cover date: August 1976

Cover commonly credited to Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott (verify on the GCD)

See full issue details on the Grand Comics Database →

Our first Marvel entry, and a cosmic one: an Asgard-on-the-brink chapter of the long Mangog saga.

The issue

"If Asgard Should Perish…!" finds the realm eternal at the edge of annihilation. The deranged, mind-controlled Odin is revealed to be acting under the influence of Mangog, who has seized power and threatens to draw the Odinsword — the unsheathing of which would herald the end of the universe. Thor and Asgard's defenders race to stop catastrophe before the blade clears its scabbard.

Who's in it

• Thor — the Asgardian Thunder God, racing to save his home realm from total annihilation.
• Odin — the All-Father, seen here helplessly under Mangog's mental domination.
• Mangog — a being embodying the collective rage of a billion billion beings destroyed by Odin's sword centuries earlier, one of Thor's most cataclysmic recurring threats.
• Sif — Thor's warrior companion, standing with Asgard's defenders.
• Balder and the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg) — core members of Thor's supporting cast, rallying against the threat.
• Karnilla — the Norn Queen, an Asgardian sorceress with a long, complicated history with Balder.

Behind the book (creators)

• Writer: Len Wein
• Pencils: John Buscema · Inks: Tony DeZuniga
• Colors: Glynis Oliver · Letters: John Costanza
• Cover: Jack Kirby / Joe Sinnott (per most sources — verify)

Meet the creators

Jack Kirby co-created Thor himself, along with the entire mythic vision of Asgard, alongside Stan Lee back in 1962 — by the time this cover was published Kirby had already left Marvel for a stint at DC and returned, but his visual fingerprints (the towering, ornate Asgardian architecture, the operatic scale of Thor's world) still shaped how every subsequent artist, including this issue's interior team, approached the title.

John Buscema was one of Marvel's defining pencillers of the 1970s, drawing landmark runs on The Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Conan the Barbarian in addition to a long stretch on Thor. Known in the industry for extraordinary draftsmanship and anatomical fluency, he later co-authored the influential instructional book How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way with Stan Lee, which trained generations of aspiring comic artists.

What it's worth

A common Bronze Age issue valued mainly as an anniversary chapter of a beloved storyline. Raw VF/NM copies typically run $10–$30; scarce CGC 9.8 copies likely land around $80–$150 (estimate — confirm a recent sale).

Where to read it (collected edition)

Reprinted in Thor: If Asgard Should Perish (Marvel Premiere Classic hardcover), which gathers the storyline, and covered in the corresponding Thor Epic Collection / Mighty Thor Omnibus ranges for this era.

Part of "250's for America's 250" — counting 24 milestone #250 comics down to the U.S. 250th on July 4, 2026.