REVIEW: ‘Loki’ Issue #1

Loki #1 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Dan Watters, art by Germán Peralta, colors by Mike Spicer, and letters by Travis Lanham. Loki is now King of Jotunheim. But a weapon from his days as an enemy of Asgard that could spell disaster for all realms. 

This is a plot that uses a blending of mythology and history in order to establish a new adventure. And it does feel fresh, with a different position of power for Loki. He is the king of a realm that has never considered him one of them, and they are often the source of trouble. But a blend of Loki’s own doing and his subjects leads to the inciting incident for the series. The issue wastes little time before highlighting the danger of what could happen if Loki’s quest fails. It will take him across the realms. Watters uses events in other books to affect this one, meaning that some legendary locations will not be the same as they used to be. The pacing is sometimes slow, with the grand mission needing a lot of building and exposition. Then even when it seems to start, Loki finds himself in a comical yet dramatic situation, stopping the direction of the story many could have considered.

This version of Loki is fascinating to explore. Watters picks up a character with countless changes of heart and various personalities. And this is beyond just Marvel history. This is a character with stories etched into legend. And that is what is used beautifully; everything from the weapons he used in legend and to attack Asgard, to his unstable relationship with both Thor and Jotunheim, to his current state of being something of a hero. It’s a brilliant depiction of progression and the passage of time. The dialogue in the narration is eloquent and poetic, like being read from a scroll, while the spoken can be slightly more accessible. Figures like Thor will never be colloquial, but the trolls and Loki himself can be. The various facets of Loki’s personality can be seen early on. He is still confident and egotistical, with an “it’ll be fine” attitude. But, what Watters also stitches in within the issue is Loki’s cunning and intellect. As a ruler of Jotunheim, he’s laid back, but there can be a threat within his voice when he desires it.

The art is great, using the Norse elements of Loki #1 to significant comedic effect. The different worlds are stunning, with huge Frost Giants and other realms considered part of Loki’s remit. But then there are some visual jokes that are executed perfectly to show the difference between a Thor and Loki series. Many of these are size gags, based on the huge scale of the giants or Asgardian objects appearing in normal areas. In the early parts of the issue, Loki’s outfit has casual pieces but also regal attire, as he always wears his headpiece. Peralta excellently captures the attitude of the God of Mischief. When he is smug and passive, the smarmy look on his face is glorious. By the end of the issue, he is dressed in more appropriate garments and looks incredible in them. The opening has a set of incredibly detailed and superbly crafted panels. And particular attention is given to depicting a totally different design to Loki, even down to his facial expressions and body shape.

The colors are stunning. Each realm or location comes with a different set of colors, with Spicer breathing all of them in magnificent tones. From the cold blues of Jotunheim to the rich purple around Space and the World Tree, a beautiful and unique atmosphere exists. Seeing the individual brush strokes gives texture and definition to a book that requires grandiosity. The lettering is that standard Asgardian text, but the colors used for the caption boxes sometimes make it tiresome and difficult to read.

Loki #1 is a terrific mix of mythology and modern storytelling. The book is gorgeous to look at, and the fantastical parts make it instantly easy to escape within multiple worlds. Loki’s ability to easily hop between these realms allows for a picture book of resplendent, jaw-dropping locations. Ambitious in its scale and creativity from the start with a beautifully written tale from Norse legend, it begins to idea that the new King of Jotunheim has God’s lifetimes of sins he needs to atone for.

Loki #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.