Hammer of the Gods: Color Saga

By Michael Avon Oeming

This tale happens before Modi's mission to conquer the gods, going to q the Wise Ones. Modi doesn't intro himself by name, but title of nomad and poet, Ganglari, the 3 communicators to the gods accepting his curious q, and not being tricked by his name change, Modi wishing to know where he could locate Thorr, the Wise Ones instead drop him down a hole with trolls, he kicking their asses. 1 troll is left of those who run from him, and it tells of locating a specific temple of Thorr and take a shit on the altar, Modi willing to try anything. As he's on his way, he decides to threaten Thorr with destroying 1 of the last idols he'd made to him.

The erf rumbles, but not because of Thorr, he'd awakened Durnir after a thousand year sleep. He was hungry and a crunch human sounded yummy, he throwing a boulder on Modi instead, and Modi picks it up, like last issue with the giant's foot, and hits Durnir with it, messing up his leg. Modi finishes him off with another boulder to the face, but mythical talking maggots come out of him, still talking of eating Modi, so he uproots them out of the giant's tummy and regards the gods as cowards for not addressing him, yet. He also curses the giver of his gift, since he has yet to meet Skögul.

This one was in a most annoying position due to having to turn the comic lengthways for this first story, since it's printed horizontally, unnecessarily. The gods are partying in the underwater palace of Aegir in winter, Thorr chugging Aegir's best brewed ale, the place starting to sing tavern tunes. As the sea bottom reverberates with their foot stamping, Heimdall is on Bifrost bridge, far from this scene, but hearing them and yearning to join. His ma, a giant, Alta visits him and asks if he desired snacks, but he declining.

As the gods tap so much, the place is starting to come down, waking a dragon called Jormungander. He flies over Asgard where he discovers the bridge, planning to eat it like a popsicle, but Heimdall stops him. Unfortunately not long enough to save the bridge, though the dragon breathing flame on it and consuming the whole of it, Asgard losing its color. This also affects Valhalla, Modi's trio of first followers chatting about the greyness, and Midgard, his parents noticing it, as well.

Meanwhile, Heimdall isn't lucky when looking for help at Aegir's palace, all the gods sleepy drunk. Loki relates this to Heimdall, and he accuses Loki of being the cause since the dragon was one of his. Loki doesn't wish to get more backlash from the gods so decides to handle the dragon's mess. What he creates is worse, since halfway through his spell, Heimdall brings his attention to he having changed all the gods into animals.

Loki decides to get the help of Modi, he currently chatting up some drunk chick, next being transported to Aegir's palace, and Loki's work still being done half drunk, himself. Modi's so pissed by Loki cockblocking him, he drinks some mead, Loki not in time to stop him, he looking like an armored Donald Duck, and Loki sending him off to locate Skögul, who could fix their color prob. Heimdall, born by giants, and guard of Bifrost the bridge is supposed to blow his horn when an enemy attempts to cross, it able to be heard over the 9 worlds. Alta, his ma calls him a runt, and Modi is dropped in a deserted snow fields, which would be difficult to travel regardless of mortality.

Modi fights normal wild animals, but this is unimportant as he travels in duck form. Modi wonders why Skögul wasn't in Valhalla with her sisters, what with now leading them, he also thinking about what her opinion of him would be as a duck. Modi tracks her to a grody hut, she not wanting to be disturbed for the "feelings" he had opened up, but he ID's himself, and despite his being plain on why he was a duck now, she thinks it's a trick, but listens anyways. She starts to sense perhaps it was Modi, he tentatively suggesting a smooch maybe turning him back, which it doesn't, but his tonsil hockey skills confirming Skögul's opinion of it actually being Modi.

She decides to have him wait for her back at Aegir's spot, since he was a shorty, and would meet up with him back there when she'd handled it. On Midgard, winter is thicc and no one seems to be about. Vermin are taking over as men are sapped of their wills with the lack of color. Skögul realizes she must work quickly and meets Alta where the bridge stood, and when she tells of the dragon being the cause, Alta advises her to get a special mint leaf for the dragon to eat.

Skögul locates the cave alright, the mint growing everywhere, but she needing to locate a non-red one among the now grey bunch, since those ones put one to sleep for eternity. Meanwhile, Jormungander is at a cliff and readying to nap again, since the gods were blissfully quiet, now. Skögul locates his ass as he's settling in, and she rides him where the bridge stood, Modi waiting there, back to being human, she then makes the dragon swallow the mint, and punches him in the tummy, he blowing Bifrost chunks back to where they needed to be and it reformed the bridge to its normal form. Modi is then able to explain all he'd required to do was a good wee to get the magic mead out. They smooch and Modi swats her joke of finding a feather in his beard by stating it was at least in color! Definitely not as strong as the main series, good for a single read to get more of the story, but not necessary.