Re Thor and borrowed Ideas.
Oh, I think
One:- Stan had to have been an avid reader. Had to have been to get the ideas for all the stories he wrote.
And I've been looking at many old Atlas books recently. He wrote
a lot of stories.
Obviously with the help, at times of some of the artists.
Two:- In any business, it makes sense to keep an eye on what the competition is doing.
Just look at DC and Marvel from 1960 onward. One publisher does something, the other publisher copies it. Just like Movie companies or TV companies.
Monkey see, Monkey Do.
Kirby recycled his own work mostly, not that of others.
Hey, thought! Kirby worked for the company that published the original
Thor. Maybe it was his idea in the first place?
Stop the presses. Research is wonderful! Answer to the question. Yep! it was Kirby's idea.
Here is Kirby doing Thor - for DC! a few Years before!
See Thor And His Hammer In a DC Comic Years Before Journey Into Mystery #83
https://www.cbr.com/thor-hammer-dc-comic-jack-kirby/ Wow! that has made my day!
What really blows me away about that story, just look at that hammer! That is totally Marvel Thor's hammer!
And it seems I know something that the writer of this piece on Wikipedia doesn't.
The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters served as supporting cast members in Thor. The Warriors Three are the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. Though the characters are gods of Asgard, they are original creations of Marvel Comics and not based on characters from Norse mythology.
These characters are based on a group of characters from
Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth. They were drinking companions of the King when he was a prince. Sound familiar?
Volstagg is based on Falstaff.
Love to know if it was Kirby or Lee who read Shakespeare. I suspect Lee, given the prose style he used on Thor.
Cheers, and happy reading!