Journey into Mystery #644 – Review

By: Kieron Gillen (writer), Carmine di Giandomenico (art), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story:  Loki tries to save Leah while Thor finds himself in Hel.

The Review:  Five issues in and the Everything Burns crossover is still going strong, serving as an effective and complete culmination of Kieron Gillen’s run on Journey into Mystery, with no stone left unturned and no element left unused, as Hela and the Disir get in the mix this month.

What really makes this issue shine, like most issues of JIM, is the excellent character-work.  Amidst all the bluster and wit, there’s a real aura of sadness and guilt that comes off of Loki throughout the whole issue.  Truly, Everything Burns is everything Loki has done throughout the series coming around to bite him and Gillen does a great job in emphasizing that fact.  This isn’t just Loki with his back against the wall, this is a sad Loki faced with the ruin he’s wrought, alone and outcast.

Mighty Thor #19 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Alan Davis (art), Chris Sotomayor (colors)

The Story:  Thor tries to either rally, or beat down, the Asgardians and the Nine Worlds catch fire and Loki finds his back against the wall.

The Review:  I’ve been pretty high on the Everything Burns crossover thus far.  It’s brought the absolute best out of Fraction’s title while serving as a perfect culmination for Gillen’s title.  Unfortunately, this issue of Mighty Thor is very much a transitional issue.  Things are consolidated, pieces are shuffled a bit on the board, and there’s one, big, giant reveal/cliffhanger on the last page.

That doesn’t mean this is a bad issue though, far from it.  Everything that’s made this crossover so great is still present: I continue to enjoy the political machinations, with rulers being scandalized and imprisoned and the Asgardians going into revolt.  Politics are a tried and true staple of great fantasy novels (just look at the Songs of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones!) so it’s no surprise how well it continues to work here.

Fraction also does make some adjustments that strengthen his work overall.  One of the very few complaints I had in his last issue was that Kid Loki’s voice just wasn’t as strong as it is in Gillen’s book.  Well, this month, Fraction fixes that problem and Kid Loki is back to his lovable self, with a couple of great lines and his always fantastic, nuanced relationship with Thor on full display.

Art-wise, once again it’s Alan Davis drawing a fantasy book so, no surprise, it’s excellent.  Davis gets to draw some great, worlds spanning battle scenes this month, which is awesome.  His Surtur also continues to look amazing and Davis’ remains escapist, immersive fun with a very classic fantasy, swords and sorcery feel.  He’s a perfect fit for this comic.

The Mighty Thor #18 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (writer), Alan Davis (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Javier Rodriguez (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Mysterious, unquenchable fires break out over Broxton as Freyja dreams of a forgotten war from long ago.

The Review:  When Alan Davis draws an issue, it’s grounds to be excited.  When he draws a high-fantasy comic, it’s time to just fork over the money.  As anyone who’s ever flipped through Avengers Prime should know, while Davis can draw a great many things, his work is nothing less than transcendent when drawing fantasy stuff.  Naturally, Matt Fraction gets this, as this issue is the most straight high-fantasy of anything we’ve gotten from Fraction thus far.  This allows Davis to really go to work, immersing us in a uniquely fantasy yarn that feels epic and distinct from anything else Marvel is offering.  With genre diversification not being Marvel’s strong suit, it’s nice to see Davis doing what he does best and Fraction giving us a straight high-fantasy comic, taking us away to faraway worlds and long-ago times.

Journey into Mystery #641 – Review

By: Kieron Gillen (writer), Rich Elson (art), Sotocolors (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Loki brings an unpopular kind of peace to Otherworld and fulfills his debt to Hela.

The Review:  KIERON!!!!!!  Seriously, this issue made me feel like Captain Kirk in Wrath of Khan.

That’s actually not really a bad thing though.  It’s just that Gillen delivers an absolutely heart-rending, downright unfair character death this month that almost hits too hard.  Given that it’s a character that Gillen has done such a great job of building from the ground up, and one with a really great dynamic with Loki, it’s hard to read.  Gillen also shows his skill as a writer:  this is one of the best written death scenes that I’ve read in a big two comic in some time.  In just a couple of pages, Gillen makes the scene truly emotional by capitalizing on the reader’s investment, using dialogue that recalls former elements of the character’s relationship with Loki.  I guess that’s what makes it so sad as well: those elements are, chiefly, a running joke between the two that now takes on a very sad and ironic, and hence very different, meaning.  I guess this touches upon why this death is written so well – it feels meaningful because Gillen has spent so much of the series getting us invested in the character and his/her relationship to Loki.  Gillen spent the time in the script, he made the investments, and now he’s reaping the dividends.

Journey into Mystery #626 – Review

by Kieron Gillen (writer), Doug Braithwaite (pencils), Ulises Arreola & Andy Troy (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Loki cuts a deal with the biggest, toughest demon in limbo before seeking the aid of a very shiny resident of Asgard.

What’s Good:  One thing I’ve really appreciated about Kieron Gillen’s Journey into Mystery has been it’s pacing.  Each issue is a full experience, seeing Loki get himself into a scrape, cut a deal with a megapower or two, and achieve an objective.  Each issue then leaves us with a prelude for next month’s issue, showing where Loki’s going to be heading to next.  It’s a really great format that makes each issue comprehensive and satisfying, while also leaving the reader desperately wanting the next installment.  It’s a fine balance, and Gillen rides it well.

Meanwhile, Loki remains as endearing as ever as we once again watch his machinations unfold as he constantly seems one step ahead of the big boys of the Nine Realms.  Gillen makes it easy to see suggestions of how exactly Loki is manipulating the great powers he runs up against, Surtur in this case, yet that the big demon seems unaware of any foul play ends up forging a kind of link between Loki and the reader and makes us all the more attached.  Loki’s escape route was also a really nice touch of comedy and mischief.  Similarly, it’s just so easy to root for Loki as he runs from a vengeful Hel-Wolf or dodges giant demon swords, as the character manages to be crafty and lovable, but also vulnerable.  As witty and smart as Loki is, Gillen is aware of his physical fragility and how most readers will react to a kid in danger.

Meanwhile, Doug Braithwaite is as epic and generally awesome as ever and despite the extra colorist, there’s really not any noticeable difference from previous months.  I remain impressed at how Braithwaite is able to produce detailed, impressive work like this month after month without any delays.

Also, that ending…  Wow.  Just wow.  It’s as though Gillen sat back and thinks to himself each month “how can I make Kid Loki more awesome?”