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The Mighty Thor #167
August, 1969

ROLL YOUR MOUSE OVER THE IMAGE
TO VIEW THE UNPUBLISHED VERSION

This looks like another time when a cover was completed and Stan (or someone) looked at the finished version and said, "Hey, this wasn't a very good idea.  We can do a lot better."  The unpublished version was pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Vince Colletta.  The published version is pencilled and inked by John Romita, who then worked in the Marvel offices.  That suggests this was probably a very last-minute change.  If there'd been even a few days before the issue had to go to press, it would have been easier to have Kirby pencil a new one and to have Colletta ink it.

Kirby and Colletta were two of the fastest Marvel freelancers but it would have taken a few days to get a new cover rough to Kirby, have him draw it and send it in, and then get it to Colletta for inking.  Since Romita was right in the office, he could immediately sit down and do the finished cover.

My guess is that the unused cover was rejected because of a feeling that the scene was too complicated and that it needed a stronger image of Thor on it.  The unused cover, by the way, would almost certainly have had lettering added to it if it had been used.