Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Doug BraithwaiteFEAR ITSELF TIE-IN! Loki, the great betrayer, the great destroyer has returned! But in all the nine realms there is no one who trusts him. Sadly, when he’s the first to discover the dread secret behind FEAR ITSELF and issues forth a call to arms, none will heed his call. Thrill to the latest JIM installment as the younthened Trickster God makes his devious move for power and control!
Kieron Gillen’s new companion book to the relaunched Mighty Thor continues into its second issue, and it looks like young Loki is finding himself in a position that he isn’t used to: that of the hero. Does it work, or does it fail? Find out after the cut.
When Kieron Gillen was the writer of Thor, he didn’t get much time to truly stretch his legs. First, he had to tie up the various plot threads that JMS had left unresolved upon departing the book in the story “Latverian Prometheus,” and then he had to work around the Asgardian-centric “Siege” (though both instances were quite good). Gillen finally got to show us what he could do when given full control over the title with the unique supernatural, political-thriller-esque story “The Fine Print,” cementing how great of a fit he was for Marvel’s take on the Norse god of thunder. Then… he was replaced by Matt Fraction.
Well, crap.
Luckily, Gillen is back with Journey Into Mystery, this time focusing more on the newly-revived kid Loki (since Fraction still has the keys to Thor). That’s fine with me. Some of my favorite Marvel comics are Thor-related, but – to me, at least – the two best things about Thor comics are the massive scale on which they are told, and the great supporting cast of gods. Of course, you don’t necessarily need Thor (as a character) for either of these. In fact, since Thor has become less brash and slightly more wise, he isn’t that much of an inherently interesting character. Maybe I’m the only one who thinks that, but I stand by it. Take a look at Volstagg, who completely stole the show in JMS’s run, and continued to be generally awesome and entertaining in this issue.
While I wasn’t particularly fond of Fraction’s first arc on Thor (I really, really wanted to), I did like the idea behind bringing Loki back as a kid. Is he evil by nature, or is it more of a matter of the failure of his father to raise him properly? With that basis, Gillen has given us a very interesting characterization of Loki: he is still a god of mischief, but he seems to want to do good. The question is, with the mind of a child – even an Asgardian one – does the gosling really know what is and isn’t good? Loki seems to know something about the Serpent that we don’t, so while we know that he may have the best of intentions, one can’t help but feel that this kid running off to save everyone could have dire consequences. As much as I love the classic, scheming Loki that JMS perfected in his run, this new take on the character is just generally more interesting, and I’m more than ready to see how the young god develops.
This issue also reinforced my opinion that Gillen just has the proper voice for this sort of series. There’s something about Gillen’s writing that makes his Thor-related work seem less like a generic blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and more like a sort of modern myth-telling that is truly captivating to read. The retelling of Thor’s capturing of Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr serves as an interesting juxtaposition to the storytelling style of the issue’s primary story, while following the tradition of stories-within-stories that was ever-so prevalent in ancient mythology (even though sometimes those stories didn’t have anything to do with the story on hand). This is the sort of story that will (or at least should) endure once comics have moved on from Fear Itself, and its “lasting effects on the Marvel Universe” are but a fleeting memory.
Continued belowThis can also be attributed to Doug Braithwaite’s breathtaking art. With highly detailed and delicate penciling, Braithwaite’s art takes on a “classic” look that fits the book ideally; no, not Jack Kirby classic, think way earlier. Marvel is also always careful to pair Braithwaite up with a great colorist, and the resulting collaboration between him and Ulises Arreola resembles a painting that you would expecting to see hanging in a great hall than it does a comic strip. Unlike some highly-detailed artists, though, Braithwaite’s art still maintains its sense of movement and dynamism, and doesn’t simply seem like a bunch of still images placed side by side.
Only a couple of issues in, and Kieron Gillen’s return to Asgard is already trumping Matt Fraction’s work. If Fraction is able to step it up, though, and accomplish the greatness that he should be able to achieve on Mighty Thor, then these two will form a stretch of work that will be remembered as a great period to be a fan of the thunder god. Until then, Journey Into Mystery is all the Asgardian adventure you’ll need.
Total: 8.6 – Buy it!
