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Journey Into Mystery (2011) (Collected Editions) #1-3
Journey Into Mystery by Kieron Gillen: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
Loki has been reborn as a child...but will he be Asgard's savior? Fear Itself looms, and the Serpent threatens Earth! The mortals' only hope is that Thor can fulfill an ancient prophecy, but the plan is doomed to fail without help from young Loki. The former Lord of Lies' only chance of success is to utilize all the skills of deceit that made him so hated in his past life...but will he find redemption or damn himself further? And in the war's aftermath, Nightmare is gathering enough energy to rule the world...and the mother lode is inside Loki's mind. Aided by an undead handmaiden and a demon puppy, Loki will risk everything on a scheme so crazy, it could only have been hatched by a god of mischief! COLLECTING: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY 622-636, 626.1
392 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2014
17 people are currently reading
353 people want to read
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,472 books1,909 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
July 13, 2019
Back in the day, Loki was evil. Then he was dead.
Then he was a lady. Still evil. And agian with the dead!
Now he's a kid. <--not evil, I swear.
I know, with his track record, that's a hard one to swallow. But it was true, and seeing Kid Loki struggle to be LokiButNotEvilLoki is what makes Gillen's Journey Into Mystery run so much fun. For me, anyway.
The gist is that Thor, unable to live in a world without his brother, resurrected him...as a kid. Kid Loki is actually pretty decent and loves his big bro, but nobody else is really excited to see him back.
On top of all that, there's this big Serpent thing that's out to scare the shit out of everyone and suck the fear out of their bones. Or something like that.
Odin ain't having any of that nonsense (because Ragnarok), so he's going to nuke Earth.
Because if they're dead, they can't feed the snake monster. <--makes sense, no?
Loki, sneaky little bastard that he is, figures out a way around it.
BUT.
There's a huge catch.
If you're into Loki and wanting to read more about some of the cooler arcs he's been involved in, I would say this is one is pretty fun.
The only real downside to this collection is that there's a whole lot of just random stuff in here to pad it out. Yes, it all pertains to the story, but not all of it was particularly interesting to me. And there were several times I just wanted to get back to the main storyline instead of reading about the side-stories.
Overall, though? I enjoyed it.
Then he was a lady. Still evil. And agian with the dead!
Now he's a kid. <--not evil, I swear.
I know, with his track record, that's a hard one to swallow. But it was true, and seeing Kid Loki struggle to be LokiButNotEvilLoki is what makes Gillen's Journey Into Mystery run so much fun. For me, anyway.
The gist is that Thor, unable to live in a world without his brother, resurrected him...as a kid. Kid Loki is actually pretty decent and loves his big bro, but nobody else is really excited to see him back.
On top of all that, there's this big Serpent thing that's out to scare the shit out of everyone and suck the fear out of their bones. Or something like that.
Odin ain't having any of that nonsense (because Ragnarok), so he's going to nuke Earth.
Because if they're dead, they can't feed the snake monster. <--makes sense, no?
Loki, sneaky little bastard that he is, figures out a way around it.
BUT.
There's a huge catch.
If you're into Loki and wanting to read more about some of the cooler arcs he's been involved in, I would say this is one is pretty fun.
The only real downside to this collection is that there's a whole lot of just random stuff in here to pad it out. Yes, it all pertains to the story, but not all of it was particularly interesting to me. And there were several times I just wanted to get back to the main storyline instead of reading about the side-stories.
Overall, though? I enjoyed it.
October 30, 2017
When you think of Asgard, you think of Thor, considering now there have been three movies about the God of Hammer. However, there is more to Asgard than just Thor, who made his debut in #83 of Journey into Mystery, a title that Marvel has revived several times, from initially a horror comics anthology, to segueing towards giant-monster and science fiction stories in the late 1950s.
At the start of this decade, Kieron Gillen sits on the throne for Journey into Mystery, which isn’t about Thor, but shifts the focus towards his supporting cast. Reincarnated as a child following his sacrifice in the series Siege, Thor's adopted brother Loki is trying to re-adjust to his home life despite the fact that everyone rightly hates him due to his many mischiefs. However, when Thor's uncle The Serpent threatens the Earth, Loki is determined to redeem himself by facing this threat by his own means, even if he might damn himself further.
As the early issues tie in with the event Fear Itself, the story here isn't clear for those who are as Marvel-heavy. When it comes to the Nine Realms, Gillen delves deep into the mythology that might lose the attention of some readers. However, Gillen keeps everything grounded with the humorous characterisation, in particular the young Loki, who is such an unconventional protagonist in this universe of heroes as he uses witty deceptions to face the likes of Surtur and Mephisto. Gillen's dialogue is a perfect blend of Old English and modern quips, which applies to the majority of the cast, from Hela's protégé Leah who is a great sidekick to Loki, to even Volstagg who has a whole issue devoted to telling his fictionalisation of Fear Itself to his children.
There are many artists involved in this book, starting with Stephanie Hans' covers that showcases stunning digital paintings of these Asgardian figures. Given the numerous artists involved, some are better than others, such as Doug Braithwaite, whose illustrations give a unique presentation to that fantasy world, whilst Whilce Portacio's art is rough and almost reminiscent of John Romita Jr.
As the initial half of a whole run, Kieron Gillen's Journey into Mystery is a terrific and funny exploration of the Thor mythos, which is told through the perspective of a supporting cast that are as compelling as the God of Thunder.
At the start of this decade, Kieron Gillen sits on the throne for Journey into Mystery, which isn’t about Thor, but shifts the focus towards his supporting cast. Reincarnated as a child following his sacrifice in the series Siege, Thor's adopted brother Loki is trying to re-adjust to his home life despite the fact that everyone rightly hates him due to his many mischiefs. However, when Thor's uncle The Serpent threatens the Earth, Loki is determined to redeem himself by facing this threat by his own means, even if he might damn himself further.
As the early issues tie in with the event Fear Itself, the story here isn't clear for those who are as Marvel-heavy. When it comes to the Nine Realms, Gillen delves deep into the mythology that might lose the attention of some readers. However, Gillen keeps everything grounded with the humorous characterisation, in particular the young Loki, who is such an unconventional protagonist in this universe of heroes as he uses witty deceptions to face the likes of Surtur and Mephisto. Gillen's dialogue is a perfect blend of Old English and modern quips, which applies to the majority of the cast, from Hela's protégé Leah who is a great sidekick to Loki, to even Volstagg who has a whole issue devoted to telling his fictionalisation of Fear Itself to his children.
There are many artists involved in this book, starting with Stephanie Hans' covers that showcases stunning digital paintings of these Asgardian figures. Given the numerous artists involved, some are better than others, such as Doug Braithwaite, whose illustrations give a unique presentation to that fantasy world, whilst Whilce Portacio's art is rough and almost reminiscent of John Romita Jr.
As the initial half of a whole run, Kieron Gillen's Journey into Mystery is a terrific and funny exploration of the Thor mythos, which is told through the perspective of a supporting cast that are as compelling as the God of Thunder.
June 28, 2024
This is Kieron Gillen's well regarded, but to me largely incomprehensible, run on the Loki story, in which the trickster god is reborn as a child. Gillen's strengths are his wit, humour and a nice line in sharp dialogue; his main weakness is his sometimes baffling and underexplained plotting. This is made worse here by the fact that the whole thing seems to be taking place in the sidelines of another story (the Fear Itself cross-title event), so that a lot of the biggest moments happen off-screen. The last few issues, involving Nightmare and the Fear Lords, have little connection to what came before.
The art, mostly from fellow Brit Doug Braithwaite, is superb – he obviously relishes getting stuck into the Asgardian setting, with its strange landscapes and cast of gods, demons and assorted cosmic weirdnesses. I'd love to see his work in another genre. I might have said the same about sometime cover artist Stephanie Hans—
—except that I've already read her excellent longer-format collaboration with Gillen in Die. Here I only had glimpses of interest, but that probably says more about my interest in superhero comics than about the qualities of those involved.
The art, mostly from fellow Brit Doug Braithwaite, is superb – he obviously relishes getting stuck into the Asgardian setting, with its strange landscapes and cast of gods, demons and assorted cosmic weirdnesses. I'd love to see his work in another genre. I might have said the same about sometime cover artist Stephanie Hans—
—except that I've already read her excellent longer-format collaboration with Gillen in Die. Here I only had glimpses of interest, but that probably says more about my interest in superhero comics than about the qualities of those involved.
February 12, 2024
2024 Review: It looks like I agree with past me on this. The first have was boring and I had a hard time following it. When I had originally read this all those years ago, I slogged through the back catalogue to get through all the related issues before tackling this one. It doesn't quite stand on it's own as a story as there's a LOT of references to things that are developing in other issues/storylines. As a character study of Loki, I still find it fascinating however.
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Original Review (2015):
Allright, this one is a little difficult to review. The first half of the novel was tying up all those loose ends from Seige and finally putting that hot mess to an end. It was boring...the whole mess Siege created was awful. I'm glad it is FINALLY over. The second half is much more fun as Kid Loki finally develops into a solid character. The most interesting part I feel is that internal conflict Loki has...everyone expects him to be bad and to make wrong choices. However, Kid Loki is Loki reborn and doesn't actually have those memories. He is, well, a kid. And he wants to prove himself as good. So the whole time he's fighting these negative views of himself and trying to prove it is not fate for him to be evil. We meet a fun group of people and even the most adorable murderous puppy. Leah is a great match of wits for our young...hero?...and I think they have great chemistry. A great book for Loki fans once you get past the actual end of the Siege arc.
____________________
Original Review (2015):
Allright, this one is a little difficult to review. The first half of the novel was tying up all those loose ends from Seige and finally putting that hot mess to an end. It was boring...the whole mess Siege created was awful. I'm glad it is FINALLY over. The second half is much more fun as Kid Loki finally develops into a solid character. The most interesting part I feel is that internal conflict Loki has...everyone expects him to be bad and to make wrong choices. However, Kid Loki is Loki reborn and doesn't actually have those memories. He is, well, a kid. And he wants to prove himself as good. So the whole time he's fighting these negative views of himself and trying to prove it is not fate for him to be evil. We meet a fun group of people and even the most adorable murderous puppy. Leah is a great match of wits for our young...hero?...and I think they have great chemistry. A great book for Loki fans once you get past the actual end of the Siege arc.
September 22, 2020
For my full interview with Kieron Gillen, follow this link: https://youtu.be/np9kcC1ruWU
*update* I’ve also interviewed artist Stephanie Hans! The interview can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/h7hj1n6Er8Y
So so so so good!
Kieron Gillen is a champ. I really love his writing voice.
Let’s talk about the humor first. Sometimes, I think I don’t like humor... but then I read something like this, and I realize that I love humor. I just don’t like silly, quirky, zaney slapstick humor. I like clever, self referential meta humor. This book was the latter. The jokes were frequent, and they sincerely made me laugh. The cultural references were on point, and the commentary was witty and sharp.
The art was another very high point. And I mean god damn. Beautiful. Perfect. It never distracted in a bad way. It told the story and I found myself lingering long after I’d read the words.
The story serves as a support for Fear Itself in many ways, but in this case, the “tie-in” element is forgivable. This tells a unique story that stands on it’s own, and any debt it owes Fear Itself is purely circumstantial.
Loki is reborn as a fascinating, worthwhile character. He’s unique, and weirdly likable. We want him to succeed.
Can’t wait to dig in to the second volume!
*update* I’ve also interviewed artist Stephanie Hans! The interview can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/h7hj1n6Er8Y
So so so so good!
Kieron Gillen is a champ. I really love his writing voice.
Let’s talk about the humor first. Sometimes, I think I don’t like humor... but then I read something like this, and I realize that I love humor. I just don’t like silly, quirky, zaney slapstick humor. I like clever, self referential meta humor. This book was the latter. The jokes were frequent, and they sincerely made me laugh. The cultural references were on point, and the commentary was witty and sharp.
The art was another very high point. And I mean god damn. Beautiful. Perfect. It never distracted in a bad way. It told the story and I found myself lingering long after I’d read the words.
The story serves as a support for Fear Itself in many ways, but in this case, the “tie-in” element is forgivable. This tells a unique story that stands on it’s own, and any debt it owes Fear Itself is purely circumstantial.
Loki is reborn as a fascinating, worthwhile character. He’s unique, and weirdly likable. We want him to succeed.
Can’t wait to dig in to the second volume!
April 13, 2014
This was tough to review. On one hand, the whole first story taking place in the shadow of a huge, sloppy Marvel event is distracting, resulting in a lot of seemingly big plot points happening in the dismal background of about a dozen other books. Another detractor for the book is the constant and heavy handed narration, making it a slog at times just to get to the end of a page.
On the other hand though, those narrative bits are actually pretty fantastically written, and every piece of dialogue feels natural and perfectly on point. The plotting is genius and appropriately clever, especially considering the restraints of the crossover event happening behind the scenes. The art is all excellent, with Doug Braithwaite standing out in particular. His pencils perfectly match the mythological tone of the book, though those artists who follow are not dwarfed in his shadow. Gillen handles Loki perfectly despite the adversity, barley bringing this from a three to a four for me. Plus the puppy story. That was adorable.
On the other hand though, those narrative bits are actually pretty fantastically written, and every piece of dialogue feels natural and perfectly on point. The plotting is genius and appropriately clever, especially considering the restraints of the crossover event happening behind the scenes. The art is all excellent, with Doug Braithwaite standing out in particular. His pencils perfectly match the mythological tone of the book, though those artists who follow are not dwarfed in his shadow. Gillen handles Loki perfectly despite the adversity, barley bringing this from a three to a four for me. Plus the puppy story. That was adorable.
March 25, 2018
- But I'm Loki. If I'm going to save anyone, it's going to be in a Loki way. And if it goes wrong, look on the bright side...
- What damned bright side is there?
- Everyone has the satisfaction of a good hard "I told you that boy was bad news."
- What damned bright side is there?
- Everyone has the satisfaction of a good hard "I told you that boy was bad news."
March 13, 2023
I own this book.
I've read a fair share of Loki comics, but I'm never sure of the reading order. At the start of this book, Loki has sacrificed himself and has been reborn as a younger version of himself. This version seeks to be better than his previous being but when he is met with other people's perceptions of him, he isn't so sure a Loki can be all that good. He is the God of Mischief after all. When the ancient Serpent threatens Midgard, Thor is burdened with fulfilling an old prophecy, one that cannot be completed without Loki. However, in order to do so, Loki must channel parts of his older self that made others so suspicious of him in the first place. With the Serpent bringing fear, and Odin fearing Ragnorok, realms collide and Loki is right in the centre of it all.
I liked this book. It was fast-paced enough to keep me interested and I enjoyed the additions of Hela, Leah, Mephisto and Nightmare throughout this story. I really enjoy the Young Loki stuff I've read previously and I'm glad I picked this up. I do think there was some random filler content in this story that it could have done without, but hey, not everything can be the central plot all the time, right?
I've read a fair share of Loki comics, but I'm never sure of the reading order. At the start of this book, Loki has sacrificed himself and has been reborn as a younger version of himself. This version seeks to be better than his previous being but when he is met with other people's perceptions of him, he isn't so sure a Loki can be all that good. He is the God of Mischief after all. When the ancient Serpent threatens Midgard, Thor is burdened with fulfilling an old prophecy, one that cannot be completed without Loki. However, in order to do so, Loki must channel parts of his older self that made others so suspicious of him in the first place. With the Serpent bringing fear, and Odin fearing Ragnorok, realms collide and Loki is right in the centre of it all.
I liked this book. It was fast-paced enough to keep me interested and I enjoyed the additions of Hela, Leah, Mephisto and Nightmare throughout this story. I really enjoy the Young Loki stuff I've read previously and I'm glad I picked this up. I do think there was some random filler content in this story that it could have done without, but hey, not everything can be the central plot all the time, right?
April 8, 2023
So begins the heroic behind-the-scenes shenanigans of Loki revived as a child during and after the Fear Itself event.
Lil Loki is a lot less malicious than the classic, a lot less tricky, and in general, a lot less powerful. If not for the needs of the story and the machinations & ploys set in motion by the one who died & himself giving him allies, there would certainly have been no hope for success for this tiny titan.
But it's certainly good that they managed to weave such intricacies into this since you're left wondering how this will all pan out...including him inexplicably getting puppies due to him accidentally letting two dog-beasts of the Bad Places fight...
Lil Loki is a lot less malicious than the classic, a lot less tricky, and in general, a lot less powerful. If not for the needs of the story and the machinations & ploys set in motion by the one who died & himself giving him allies, there would certainly have been no hope for success for this tiny titan.
But it's certainly good that they managed to weave such intricacies into this since you're left wondering how this will all pan out...including him inexplicably getting puppies due to him accidentally letting two dog-beasts of the Bad Places fight...
January 1, 2020
Just incredible.
September 5, 2021
I'm so glad this got reprinted by Marvel for the Loki TV show. There is a dearth of Loki collections, which isn't surprising, as the character has generally been one note. The adopted brother, scorned by the family and society he lives with, playing the role of an evil villain.
Post-Siege and the "death" of the older Loki, we have Loki reborn as a youth. Again he is shunned by those around him and falls into the role of schemer. While not inherently evil, he plays the guiding hand, directing people and plots around him to ensure they reach the beneficial outcome he's after. Kid Loki is likeable, free of all the 50 years of baggage which has come before - and both his success and failures make you root for him. As he fixes each act, the personal cost to him personally increases but rather than shun this, he is looking for the next scheme to wiggle his way out of it. The addition of Leah, a sort of younger version of Hela (in simplistic storytelling terms), is great as a foil to Loki.
I like this story from Gillen a lot, it's a top 10 Marvel tale for me. Art is inconsistent between all the various artists doing the various arcs but most of the artists are still fairly competent.
Post-Siege and the "death" of the older Loki, we have Loki reborn as a youth. Again he is shunned by those around him and falls into the role of schemer. While not inherently evil, he plays the guiding hand, directing people and plots around him to ensure they reach the beneficial outcome he's after. Kid Loki is likeable, free of all the 50 years of baggage which has come before - and both his success and failures make you root for him. As he fixes each act, the personal cost to him personally increases but rather than shun this, he is looking for the next scheme to wiggle his way out of it. The addition of Leah, a sort of younger version of Hela (in simplistic storytelling terms), is great as a foil to Loki.
I like this story from Gillen a lot, it's a top 10 Marvel tale for me. Art is inconsistent between all the various artists doing the various arcs but most of the artists are still fairly competent.
March 22, 2014
Loved: all the Asgardian characters, from Loki to the Disir. And Leah (she is complicated, I know). The voices! The motivations! And don't forget the puppies or how they happened.
The meta. In general: the voice of the narrator. The aware, slightly ironic narrative. The "we fought for a chance to let Thor triumph" with all its implications. And the perfect moment of "You misunderstand, Tyr. Twilight is a sword. Twilight's shadow isn't. It is the opposite. And that's something considerably mightier ..."
Did not like (why is it always so much easier to write about things you don't like?): the story Volstagg tells his children - it made me procrastinate on the book for several evenings, even though it was only a few pages. The very Sandman-y feel of the Fear Lord's / Nightmare sequence. Mephisto (but that's my general problem with Marvel's Mephisto, I suppose). Some too obvious symbolism (as cool as the puppies are ...).
In short: "Fear Itself" is amazing, "Fear Itself: Fallout" and "The Terrorism Myth" are imho weaker. But all still fun reads.
The meta. In general: the voice of the narrator. The aware, slightly ironic narrative. The "we fought for a chance to let Thor triumph" with all its implications. And the perfect moment of "You misunderstand, Tyr. Twilight is a sword. Twilight's shadow isn't. It is the opposite. And that's something considerably mightier ..."
Did not like (why is it always so much easier to write about things you don't like?): the story Volstagg tells his children - it made me procrastinate on the book for several evenings, even though it was only a few pages. The very Sandman-y feel of the Fear Lord's / Nightmare sequence. Mephisto (but that's my general problem with Marvel's Mephisto, I suppose). Some too obvious symbolism (as cool as the puppies are ...).
In short: "Fear Itself" is amazing, "Fear Itself: Fallout" and "The Terrorism Myth" are imho weaker. But all still fun reads.
March 17, 2016
I ACTUALLY.............LOVED THIS A LOT. I really didn't know what to expect when I picked this up, I thought I was going to get a rather harrowing tale about how tragically misunderstood Loki was and have to put up with an irritating child version but what I got instead was a genuinely laugh out loud funny trip through various pantheons and a surprisingly thought provoking venture into legacy and saga. Kieron Gillen clearly poured his heart and soul into this and really loves the character of Loki and it really shows. Seriously recommend, especially for the awesome cannibal Valkyrie portions which were RAD AS HECK.
July 29, 2016
Full review pending the reading of the second (and final) collection in the run. The story is funny, smart, and does Loki in a way that is relatable rather than being a moustache twirling villain. Why 4 instead of 5 stars? One of the mores of comic book storytelling is the event comic, and Gillen's "Journey Into Mystery"story unfortunately begins tied into the event "Fear Itself," thus is not truly a stand-alone story. Nonetheless, the story does manage to work on its own and halfway through the collection moves on from the main event.
September 25, 2021
"Nunca he leído un cómic de Marvel, ¿qué me recomiendan para empezar". Con ese tweet empezó mi camino fuera del Universo Cinematográfico de Marvel. Las respuestas fueron bastante variopintas (incluso alguno sugirió el cambio a DC), pero el cómic más mencionado fue, sin dudas, "Loki: Agent of Asgard #1". Creo que mi amor por los villanos de las historias y lo mucho que escribí sobre la serie de Disney+ Loki han influenciado un poco sus recomendaciones, ¡pero yo encantada! Lo único malo es que no fui la única persona con ganas de empezar mi aventura gráfica con ese volumen ya que la lista de espera de la biblioteca era de más de dos meses (aún sigo esperando, de hecho). "Loki: Journey into Mystery" me fue sugerido como buena alternativa al ser una especie de prólogo de la historia principal. ¡Empecemos el viaje hacia el misterio!
El libro recopilatorio que disfruté está formado por los tomos #622-636 y #626.1, los cuales se dividen en dos historias principales con algunos tomos de relleno en medio. Creo que es importante mencionar esto ya que esos tomos de relleno son, en parte, los culpables de que mi puntuación no sea de 5 sobre 5 estrellas.
En general las historias están bien, aunque disfruté mucho más de la segunda parte del Señor de las Pesadillas al ser más completa por sí sola. Durante la primera historia, lo que es el grueso del cómic, me sentí demasiado perdida en todo momento. Las intervenciones de Loki como personaje fueron muy divertidas, pero el desarrollo como tal carecía de muchísima información. Tanto así que si me preguntas ahora mismo por su resumen de lo sucedido no sabría muy bien cómo explicarlo. Entiendo que esto formaba parte de un evento multi-plataforma, pero yo os doy mi opinión.
Como conclusión, creo que "Journey into Mystery" se merece 4 estrellas de 5, todas ellas colgadas en el cuello de Loki. ¡Menudo personaje! No es para nada la misma personalidad del Loki de Tom Hiddleston, pero es que es impresionante por sí solo. En serio, este cómic merece mucho la pena por ese chiquillo. ¡No puedo esperar a seguir leyéndolo en "Agent of Asgard"!
El libro recopilatorio que disfruté está formado por los tomos #622-636 y #626.1, los cuales se dividen en dos historias principales con algunos tomos de relleno en medio. Creo que es importante mencionar esto ya que esos tomos de relleno son, en parte, los culpables de que mi puntuación no sea de 5 sobre 5 estrellas.
En general las historias están bien, aunque disfruté mucho más de la segunda parte del Señor de las Pesadillas al ser más completa por sí sola. Durante la primera historia, lo que es el grueso del cómic, me sentí demasiado perdida en todo momento. Las intervenciones de Loki como personaje fueron muy divertidas, pero el desarrollo como tal carecía de muchísima información. Tanto así que si me preguntas ahora mismo por su resumen de lo sucedido no sabría muy bien cómo explicarlo. Entiendo que esto formaba parte de un evento multi-plataforma, pero yo os doy mi opinión.
Como conclusión, creo que "Journey into Mystery" se merece 4 estrellas de 5, todas ellas colgadas en el cuello de Loki. ¡Menudo personaje! No es para nada la misma personalidad del Loki de Tom Hiddleston, pero es que es impresionante por sí solo. En serio, este cómic merece mucho la pena por ese chiquillo. ¡No puedo esperar a seguir leyéndolo en "Agent of Asgard"!
February 3, 2022
For whatever reason, the comic version of Loki has never interested me. He's had his moments, of course. I enjoyed his defeat in Ragnorok, and there were times in the JMS and Gillen runs of Thor where he did something particularly devious. But what I find lacking from most incarnations is the layers of his MCU version. I prefer my Loki with some sympathetic qualities underneath his menace. Fortunately, Kieron Gillen's Journey into Mystery gives me exactly that - with a twist.
See, this isn't Loki, the god of mischief that's destroyed Asgard time and time again. This is a child Loki, one reborn with none of the memories or baggage of the old Loki. And this Loki genuinely wants to be good, despite the rest of the world understandably hating him (save for Thor) for the actions in his previous life. This setup provides great tension and stakes that permeate through the book. Gillen sets up a great cast of characters for Loki to play off of, from Hela's handmaiden Leah to a newly zombified Tyr to the returning undead Disir. It's a great companion piece to Gillen's previous Thor run, integrating all the elements I loved about it while pushing the story further. The Mephisto issue in particular was a great one-off that was still consequential to the overall narrative. While this Loki is trying to stay on the path of righteousness like his brother, his methods are still as cunning as ever, making the hard choices Thor wouldn't have considered to ensure the survival of his people.
The art of the volume was a mixed bag. I've enjoyed Elson and Braithwaite's work with these characters before, and they did pretty well here. Portacio, on the other hand, isn't my cup of tea, their work feeling a tad clunky and occasionally lacking clarity. Breitweiser and Ferry have some good one-offs though.
My only real complaint is it feels like Gillen's story is once again limited by what's going on in other books. The first nine issues of this collection tie into the Fear Itself event, and at a certain point it feels like the buildup goes way too long. Even after the event concludes, story beats of the Matt Fraction Thor run continue to heavily influence what happens in this book. I like a shared universe as much as the next guy, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to Gillen telling a more contained story with these Asgardian characters. The man's writing is brilliant, I'd just like to see him able to cut loose without an arm tied behind his back for a change.
This book is absolutely a recommend, though I'm unsure how accessible it is to those who are unfamiliar with Thor continuity before this point. You can probably go in blind and do all right, though I will say reading Gillen's Thor run definitely heightens the experience.
See, this isn't Loki, the god of mischief that's destroyed Asgard time and time again. This is a child Loki, one reborn with none of the memories or baggage of the old Loki. And this Loki genuinely wants to be good, despite the rest of the world understandably hating him (save for Thor) for the actions in his previous life. This setup provides great tension and stakes that permeate through the book. Gillen sets up a great cast of characters for Loki to play off of, from Hela's handmaiden Leah to a newly zombified Tyr to the returning undead Disir. It's a great companion piece to Gillen's previous Thor run, integrating all the elements I loved about it while pushing the story further. The Mephisto issue in particular was a great one-off that was still consequential to the overall narrative. While this Loki is trying to stay on the path of righteousness like his brother, his methods are still as cunning as ever, making the hard choices Thor wouldn't have considered to ensure the survival of his people.
The art of the volume was a mixed bag. I've enjoyed Elson and Braithwaite's work with these characters before, and they did pretty well here. Portacio, on the other hand, isn't my cup of tea, their work feeling a tad clunky and occasionally lacking clarity. Breitweiser and Ferry have some good one-offs though.
My only real complaint is it feels like Gillen's story is once again limited by what's going on in other books. The first nine issues of this collection tie into the Fear Itself event, and at a certain point it feels like the buildup goes way too long. Even after the event concludes, story beats of the Matt Fraction Thor run continue to heavily influence what happens in this book. I like a shared universe as much as the next guy, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to Gillen telling a more contained story with these Asgardian characters. The man's writing is brilliant, I'd just like to see him able to cut loose without an arm tied behind his back for a change.
This book is absolutely a recommend, though I'm unsure how accessible it is to those who are unfamiliar with Thor continuity before this point. You can probably go in blind and do all right, though I will say reading Gillen's Thor run definitely heightens the experience.
May 11, 2025
It's a lot of Loki brokering deals with otherworldly forces and a little thought bubble next to their head that says, "Haha! They have no idea my fingers were crossed!" But it never gets old because Kieron Gillen is the master.
On the other hand, the art is kind of a mixed bag. Stephanie Hans, Pasqual Ferry, Doug Braithwaite... Richard Elson (of Sonic the Comic fame!) turns in some MVP work. Then there's the Whilce Portacio issues... woof!
Can't believe there were ever two concurrently running Asgard books. Might have to brush up on my Thor lore. Was Fear Itself low-key (haha) a good event?
Maybe Journey would be best read as individual trades instead of as a Complete Collection? Because it's such a prophecy-heavy book, it drags a little when you're reading 15 issues at a time instead of five. But that might just be me?
On the other hand, the art is kind of a mixed bag. Stephanie Hans, Pasqual Ferry, Doug Braithwaite... Richard Elson (of Sonic the Comic fame!) turns in some MVP work. Then there's the Whilce Portacio issues... woof!
Can't believe there were ever two concurrently running Asgard books. Might have to brush up on my Thor lore. Was Fear Itself low-key (haha) a good event?
Maybe Journey would be best read as individual trades instead of as a Complete Collection? Because it's such a prophecy-heavy book, it drags a little when you're reading 15 issues at a time instead of five. But that might just be me?
November 24, 2023
This was a fun Loki Graphic Novel filled with humor and Loki being adorable Loki. My only challenge was since I just jumped into this graphic novel there was lots of characters and backstory I did not fully understand despite the "previously" summaries.
(It was also fun seeing a clear knock off of Dream of the Endless: Nightmare, who uses Dreams speech bubble colors, and rules Nightmares LOL Now clearly not as cool, wonderful, or amazing as Dream of the Endless but still fun to spot. Very much a Dream of The Endless is a DC character so we need to make our own version for marvel situation LOL)
(It was also fun seeing a clear knock off of Dream of the Endless: Nightmare, who uses Dreams speech bubble colors, and rules Nightmares LOL Now clearly not as cool, wonderful, or amazing as Dream of the Endless but still fun to spot. Very much a Dream of The Endless is a DC character so we need to make our own version for marvel situation LOL)
July 21, 2018
I expected to like this more than I did because I like Gillen's writing, I like Norse mythology, and I enjoy the potential of Loki's character. I really liked Loki in Gillen's run on Young Avengers, but something here failed to connect--I think because this collection is so clearly pieced together from a larger event. Marvel comics have never really been my thing, and they've become less my thing as time goes on, so I'm willing to admit a fair amount of personal bias, but I feel like I've seen this general idea done more effectively through novel form.
September 12, 2017
I usually hate the "villain becomes a hero" trope. This however delivers and seems a more pure version of the Loki from myth. Mischievous - yes, clever - yes, trickster - yes, but not the "god of evil" which was something Stan and Jack added to him which works for a Thor based comic book. This is a Loki that works on so many levels but doesn't rewrite or ret-con anything. Absolutely wonderful.
July 28, 2021
Just as good as I remembered and a perfect time to re-read. They deal with the Fear Itself storyline in a way that allows me to ignore all the bad parts and just get some of the good, and Kid Loki is perfect. Thor's death is well dealt with, and we plant all the seeds with Mephisto, Leah, Hela, Ikol and Surtur that need to be planted in order to pay off next volume. Love it.
July 31, 2023
Though slightly dense and occasionally confusing, Journey Into Mystery Vol. 1 elevates the Fear Itself storyline by filling in numerous gaps and setting the stage both for an excellent Young Avengers run and Jason Aaron’s impeccable Thor story arc. Fans of those stories and mythology should have an excellent time with this book.
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December 7, 2023placeholder voor Kieron Gillen's verhaallijnen rond Thor en (jonge) Loki
- Thor (2007) 604-614 door Kieron Gillen
- Siege (2010) event rond Dark Avengers en Asgard door Brian Michael Bendis
- Journey into Mystery (2011) 622-645 door Kieron Gillen
- Young Avengers (2014) 1-15 door Kieron Gillen
- Angela: Asgards Assassin (2014) 1-6 door Kieron Gillen
- Thor (2007) 604-614 door Kieron Gillen
- Siege (2010) event rond Dark Avengers en Asgard door Brian Michael Bendis
- Journey into Mystery (2011) 622-645 door Kieron Gillen
- Young Avengers (2014) 1-15 door Kieron Gillen
- Angela: Asgards Assassin (2014) 1-6 door Kieron Gillen
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2023
why is the second volume of this insanely expensive? In any case, I'd forgotten how much I loved this run. These were some of my favorite comics when they were coming out around 2012ish. Art is of varying quality (not the best when Portacio is drawing) but the stories are great overall. I miss Kid Loki as a character so much.
May 12, 2017
I just can't seem to get into the "Gods" and such. Thor has never been great for me and it looks like Loki's side of things share the same fate. It sucks too cause I wanna love it but it's just sooooooo borrrriiiiinnnngggggg.
June 3, 2017
Excellent comic series about a morally dubious character on a quest to do better-ish. An all around great redemption (sort of) arc - especially when paired with the second volume as well! So good I might even look into buying it!
February 18, 2022
2,5/5. I like the art and the fantasy aspects of the story. Unfortunately the way the author portrait Loki didn't please me and I never was able to like the character, which is a big problem... I couldn't enjoy this comic much!
June 30, 2022
Suffers for mostly being a companion piece to a line-wide crossover event that it doesn’t adequately explain for those who haven’t read it. I don’t think it even specifically says what event that is (Fear Itself) so god knows how anyone picking this up completely fresh is supposedly to follow it.
February 12, 2023
Not what I would call a bad collection or anything, but about half the volume were the Loki stories, without context, from a big crossover where other things were happening somewhere else. That does tend to make the volume feel incomplete no matter what happens.
October 3, 2017
Nice twist. I really enjoyed this.
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