Loki: Agent Of Asgard #2

Al Ewing - Writer

Lee Garbett - Artist

Nolan Woodard - Colorist

VC’s Clayton Cowles - Letterer

 

Loki is an extremely complicated individual. Nobody has quite understood what to do with the anti-hero in a solo setting, until Kieron Gillen mined gold from him. Then the Avengers solidified his rise to popularity, making him universally understood by comics fans and creators. Al Ewing has written the character in a post-Avengers world, but he has such an uncanny knack for chronicling the voice of villain with a screwball plot that shows he really understands how the persona of Loki operates. The God Of Mischief is so incredibly complicated, yet he easy to boil down to one word; trickster. In the second issue of the series, Ewing wraps a heist story inside of a romantic comedy inside of an Asgardian game of cat and mouse. There is such a vast array of pieces here that fit together so incredibly well. Loki’s issues of self identity also carry the story in the direction that readers are never sure what decision the character is going to make. Loki does not even know exactly what he is going to do, and even proceeds to lie to himself as this issue proves on the last page.

 

Ewing introduces a human female that is made interesting because of how she relates to the god of mischief. The two of them fit together so entirely well out of this complicated as t plot as they weave in and out of the average Loki story. The fact there are also twin versions of the villain meandering about adds other layers to the story filled with such lush depth. This tale can be hard to follow for those passively reading it, as it absolutely demands the utmost attention, and also draws upon previous Thor mythology. Those that are paying attention to the wealth of information now available thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe should still feel right at home here. Another shade of genius that deserves admiration is how the aforementioned Kieron Gillen’s work is not only being embraced, but there is a now a mythology being built around Loki himself spanning back to 2009.

 

Lee Garbett continues to deliver incredible work in the title, as he has been refining his pencils while he was cutting teeth on X-O Manowar. There is no line in this title that is not completely intentional on the behalf of the artist. As the pages are not only lush with detail, but still filled with the utmost clarity and expressive characters. There is a wondrous attention to detail that should impress even the most jaded fans of comics. This tale is very complicated, so being able to tell when flashbacks and real time are taking place is absolutely essential. Marvel is currently employing some of the most talented players in the industry with All-New Marvel Now, and Lee Garbett is no exception to this rule.

Lee Garbett and Al Ewing continue to deliver a Loki tale with so many amusing twists and turns, that readers will likely be glued to each and every page. They are also building the next rung in the mythology that Kieron Gillen started with Loki in 2009’s Journey Into Mystery. Fans of Marvel’s fringe characters, or even the Avengers film will discover something to love in these pages.