Review – Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 (Marvel Comics)

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Lee Garbett
Release Date: 5th February 2014

I have a confession… I only got this book because of Young Avengers and Tom Hiddleston. This is going to be one of those books that I think is going to attract a lot of attention for that exact reason. Loki is cool just now, very cool in fact, and most of that is because of his portrayal on the big screen and in the pages of Young Avengers. So expectations were high to say the least and, after a few pages, this book definitely didn’t disappoint. However, as good as it was, at times the humour seemed far too forced while I felt pushed the book into almost ‘Deadpool’ levels of slapstick.

Al Ewing does a good job of harnessing the God of Mischief’s voice though, and the narrative is spot on – especially when self-referencing himself as he is trying to earn a clean slate. It’s an interesting take actually. I mean, when dealing with reincarnation of a God, would they comeback as themselves or as a new being with the same face? Is The Doctor always The Doctor? Well, yes, but is he the same character? I don’t think so. So it stands to reason that this version of Loki would want to distance himself from his previous ‘version’.

Lee Garbett does a fantastic job with the art on the book, giving it a lighthearted feel without seeming too gimmicky, and makes Loki look more like how a teen should, which I think many artists would miss the point on. The only minor issue I had was with one of scale when it came to his depiction of Thor and Hulk, but to be honest, that’s just me nitpicking.

Overall, this is a story of beginnings, and serves as a fantastic start to a book that I find myself looking forward to reading more of. Hopefully the book will bring on some new readers that are familiar with the character from his other portrayals and won’t sink back into obscurity any time soon