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LOKI: GOD OF STORIES OMNIBUS
God of mischief, lies...and stories! Loki, adopted brother of Thor, is constantly reinventing himself - and this volumes shows the 21st-century trickster in all his glorious forms! Whether he's thirsting for power, scheming to claim Asgard's throne or acting as its devious agent - and greatest hope for survival - you just can't take your eyes off Loki! As a one-man secret service, Loki Laufeyson is ready to lie, cheat and steal his way through treacherous missions - including a heart-stopping heist at Avengers Tower and locking horns with Doctor Doom! But will the American people vote Loki for president? And when death claims him in the War of the Realms, what will be his next trick?
Written by ROB RODI, ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA, AL EWING, JASON AARON, CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS, DANIEL KIBBLESMITH & ROGER STERN
Penciled by ESAD RIBIC, SEBASTIAN FIUMARA, LEE GARBETT, JORGE COELHO, SIMONE BIANCHI, LANGDON FOSS, PAUL MCCAFFREY, JAN BAZALDUA, ANDY MACDONALD, RON LIM & MORE
Cover by OZGUR YILDIRIM
LOKI (2004) #1-4, LOKI (2010) #1-4, AGENT OF ASGARD #1-17, ORIGINAL SIN #5.1-5.5, VOTE LOKI #1-4, LOKI (2019) #1-5, LOKI UNLEASHED, and material from ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE and WAR OF THE OMEGA.
Written by ROB RODI, ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA, AL EWING, JASON AARON, CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS, DANIEL KIBBLESMITH & ROGER STERN
Penciled by ESAD RIBIC, SEBASTIAN FIUMARA, LEE GARBETT, JORGE COELHO, SIMONE BIANCHI, LANGDON FOSS, PAUL MCCAFFREY, JAN BAZALDUA, ANDY MACDONALD, RON LIM & MORE
Cover by OZGUR YILDIRIM
LOKI (2004) #1-4, LOKI (2010) #1-4, AGENT OF ASGARD #1-17, ORIGINAL SIN #5.1-5.5, VOTE LOKI #1-4, LOKI (2019) #1-5, LOKI UNLEASHED, and material from ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE and WAR OF THE OMEGA.
976 pages, Hardcover
Published June 13, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 24, 2023
The vast majority of this volume is great stories, primarily the Agent of Asgard and 2019 runs. There are some much worse bits amidst those, but at least we get the full story, mainly of Loki after the Gillen run.
Loki (2004). I'm not even sure what I read here. It's a muddy, stalled-out story with muddy art that tries to get inside the head of one Loki, God of Evil, and villain. It's at least somewhat successful in that, but there is about 1 issue worth of story in four muddy issues, and so it's a somewhat dull read. And it's really not part of the Marvel universe [2+/5].
Loki (2010). The second volume of Loki has much the same intent as the first: retell some of the stories and myths of Loki. Except this one is great. It tells important stories and it does so in a way that makes them circular and unending and definitely stories, not necessarily what happened. As with the previous volume, I wonder if this is the Marvel universe, but whatever universe, it's an interesting one [5/5].
Agent 1: Trust Me (1-5). I didn't think that anyone could match Gillen's definitive Loki run in Journey into Mystery, but yowza, Ewing does it. This is brilliant! The off-kilter storytelling and unusual plot structures are excellent; I liked what Ewing was doing in Mighty Avengers, and that's cranked up to 11 here. His Loki is also terrific — not quite the same as Gillen's Kid Loki, but clearly walking down the same path (while staying paying homage and respect to Gillen's great work). The use of mythology is also terrific, with issue #3 (which is all Sigurd) being one of the best (and another nice link to Gillen's run).
The only downside is that the capture-the-Asgardian plot is a lit repetitive. Still, this is one of the best things Marvel is publishing right now, and part of the great Renaissance of Asgard that's been going on since JMS reinvented the franchise. [5/5]
The Tenth Realm. This story has the possibility to be epic. A missing realm? A missing daughter? It could have been the stuff of legend! Unfortunately, the story is too drawn out, especially because the shock ending is very clearly telegraphed. Still, it offers some exciting status changes for the Asgardian comics. [3+/5].
Agent of Asgard 2: I Cannot Tell a Lie (6-11). When I first read this volume, the AXIS crossover felt to me like an anoying derailment. On rereading, it became obvious that not only did Ewing put AXIS to the best use possible, but he absolutely advanced the main plot of the comic, which was Loki's change, and in doing so dovetailed the ending of Gillen's story in a way that I wouldn't have thought possible. Magnificent!
The last two issues are also golden. I wish there was a bit more of the narrative-bending and side-storying of the first volume, but the plotting and characterization are still brilliant, as Ewing pulls out all the stops, and brings the story that began in the final pages of Journey into Mystery to its conclusion. [5/5]
Agent of Asgard 3: Last Days (12-17). A fine volume of a Loki comic that was (shockingly) every bit as good as Gillen's Journey into Mystery.
The comic is funny and very human, and that continues on, but the most amazing thing is that Ewing looks seriously at the "rebirth" that underlay Journey into Mystery and totally turns it into a "thing" — a way to thoughtfully explore Loki's story. Then, after that, we get another Ragnarok, but Ewing manages to make it intriguing when (just like Gillen did for Fear Itself) he turns Loki into the great unsung hero.
Overall, not just a great volume, but a great closure for the Agent of Asgard series, and also a great closure for the sequence running back through Gillen's Journey into Mystery. [5/5]
Here's the problem: this might have been a perfectly light and funny Loki story in early 2016. I mean heck, it does a good job of respecting who Loki has become, touches upon the Asgardian supporting cast, has a unique art style, and is written engagingly.
The problem is that reality caught up with this satire, and there's nothing worse for a work of humorous fiction than discovering that the if-this-went-on world that it's been mocking is actually ... what's outside our window.
Stop me if you've heard this one before. A con man walks into a bar. He kills a bunch of Hydra agents, then says he's running for president. He constantly lies and everyone knows he constantly lies. He's constantly caught in more and more morally improper situations, but every time his supporters make up new excuses for him, declaring that his moral turpitude is actually strength.
A year ago, in the innocent days of 2016, Hastings imagines a happy ending. A reporter reveals that the inveterate liar has no policies, that he stands for nothing. And he loses.
A year later, in the dark days of 2017, we know that voters don't actually care what the inveterate liar stands for. He talks less, he smiles more, he doesn't let them know what he's against or what he's for. And he's elected.
Not Hastings' fault, but this funny book isn't funny any more. (And it's impossible to judge if it ever was.)
Still, even aside from that, it's not a particularly good continuation of the magnificent Loki series by Gillen and Ewing. Even though it respects the new Loki by positioning him as the God of Stories, it doesn't *feeling* like that character [2/5].
Loki (2019). Wow, it's another author with a great interpretation of Loki! True to the character, nicely integrating his past appearances by a variety of authors. Oh hey, a great new focus on being a hero, with fun guest appearances from other Marvel Heroes.
Woah! There's some interesting timey-wimeyness. Is Loki really rewriting his own backstory!? This is amazing, Loki has just gone from strength to strength since the Gillen run. Oh, it's cancelled already after just five issues. Thanks, Marvel. [5/5]
Avengers: Loki Unleashed. This story from the past is an embarrassing finish to a great volume. Oh, there's some good follow-up to the classic Siege storyline, but the characterization of Loki is so flat and so four-color that I have no idea why it's in this volume [1+/5].
Loki (2004). I'm not even sure what I read here. It's a muddy, stalled-out story with muddy art that tries to get inside the head of one Loki, God of Evil, and villain. It's at least somewhat successful in that, but there is about 1 issue worth of story in four muddy issues, and so it's a somewhat dull read. And it's really not part of the Marvel universe [2+/5].
Loki (2010). The second volume of Loki has much the same intent as the first: retell some of the stories and myths of Loki. Except this one is great. It tells important stories and it does so in a way that makes them circular and unending and definitely stories, not necessarily what happened. As with the previous volume, I wonder if this is the Marvel universe, but whatever universe, it's an interesting one [5/5].
Agent 1: Trust Me (1-5). I didn't think that anyone could match Gillen's definitive Loki run in Journey into Mystery, but yowza, Ewing does it. This is brilliant! The off-kilter storytelling and unusual plot structures are excellent; I liked what Ewing was doing in Mighty Avengers, and that's cranked up to 11 here. His Loki is also terrific — not quite the same as Gillen's Kid Loki, but clearly walking down the same path (while staying paying homage and respect to Gillen's great work). The use of mythology is also terrific, with issue #3 (which is all Sigurd) being one of the best (and another nice link to Gillen's run).
The only downside is that the capture-the-Asgardian plot is a lit repetitive. Still, this is one of the best things Marvel is publishing right now, and part of the great Renaissance of Asgard that's been going on since JMS reinvented the franchise. [5/5]
The Tenth Realm. This story has the possibility to be epic. A missing realm? A missing daughter? It could have been the stuff of legend! Unfortunately, the story is too drawn out, especially because the shock ending is very clearly telegraphed. Still, it offers some exciting status changes for the Asgardian comics. [3+/5].
Agent of Asgard 2: I Cannot Tell a Lie (6-11). When I first read this volume, the AXIS crossover felt to me like an anoying derailment. On rereading, it became obvious that not only did Ewing put AXIS to the best use possible, but he absolutely advanced the main plot of the comic, which was Loki's change, and in doing so dovetailed the ending of Gillen's story in a way that I wouldn't have thought possible. Magnificent!
The last two issues are also golden. I wish there was a bit more of the narrative-bending and side-storying of the first volume, but the plotting and characterization are still brilliant, as Ewing pulls out all the stops, and brings the story that began in the final pages of Journey into Mystery to its conclusion. [5/5]
Agent of Asgard 3: Last Days (12-17). A fine volume of a Loki comic that was (shockingly) every bit as good as Gillen's Journey into Mystery.
The comic is funny and very human, and that continues on, but the most amazing thing is that Ewing looks seriously at the "rebirth" that underlay Journey into Mystery and totally turns it into a "thing" — a way to thoughtfully explore Loki's story. Then, after that, we get another Ragnarok, but Ewing manages to make it intriguing when (just like Gillen did for Fear Itself) he turns Loki into the great unsung hero.
Overall, not just a great volume, but a great closure for the Agent of Asgard series, and also a great closure for the sequence running back through Gillen's Journey into Mystery. [5/5]
Here's the problem: this might have been a perfectly light and funny Loki story in early 2016. I mean heck, it does a good job of respecting who Loki has become, touches upon the Asgardian supporting cast, has a unique art style, and is written engagingly.
The problem is that reality caught up with this satire, and there's nothing worse for a work of humorous fiction than discovering that the if-this-went-on world that it's been mocking is actually ... what's outside our window.
Stop me if you've heard this one before. A con man walks into a bar. He kills a bunch of Hydra agents, then says he's running for president. He constantly lies and everyone knows he constantly lies. He's constantly caught in more and more morally improper situations, but every time his supporters make up new excuses for him, declaring that his moral turpitude is actually strength.
A year ago, in the innocent days of 2016, Hastings imagines a happy ending. A reporter reveals that the inveterate liar has no policies, that he stands for nothing. And he loses.
A year later, in the dark days of 2017, we know that voters don't actually care what the inveterate liar stands for. He talks less, he smiles more, he doesn't let them know what he's against or what he's for. And he's elected.
Not Hastings' fault, but this funny book isn't funny any more. (And it's impossible to judge if it ever was.)
Still, even aside from that, it's not a particularly good continuation of the magnificent Loki series by Gillen and Ewing. Even though it respects the new Loki by positioning him as the God of Stories, it doesn't *feeling* like that character [2/5].
Loki (2019). Wow, it's another author with a great interpretation of Loki! True to the character, nicely integrating his past appearances by a variety of authors. Oh hey, a great new focus on being a hero, with fun guest appearances from other Marvel Heroes.
Woah! There's some interesting timey-wimeyness. Is Loki really rewriting his own backstory!? This is amazing, Loki has just gone from strength to strength since the Gillen run. Oh, it's cancelled already after just five issues. Thanks, Marvel. [5/5]
Avengers: Loki Unleashed. This story from the past is an embarrassing finish to a great volume. Oh, there's some good follow-up to the classic Siege storyline, but the characterization of Loki is so flat and so four-color that I have no idea why it's in this volume [1+/5].
June 19, 2023
This is an uneven volume, as it consists of multiple stories of Loki told at different times by wildly varying creative teams. As such, it makes sense to look at each individually:
* Robert Rodi's Loki miniseries from 2004. One of the earliest explorations of the idea that Loki (and the rest of the gods) are trapped in the roles they play in their stories. Not set in the main continuity, but an interesting precursor.
* Roberto Aguirre-Sarcasa's 2010 Trials of Loki series, which adds a small twist to his tale, but otherwise not much. It is entirely unclear how canonical this story is.
* Fully in canon, Al Ewing's Loki: Agent of Asgard series is reprinted in its entirety, taking up about half the book on its own. The best exploration of Loki's relationship with fiction and metafiction, and a continuation of the post-Siege reinvention of the character (Kieron Gillen, who wrote Loki in both Journey into Mystery and Young Avengers, has described it as the third volume of a Loki trilogy, along with those two volumes). Worth the price of admission all by itself.
* Christopher Hastings' Vote Loki miniseries from 2016 is a lighter work, although not without its charms, and its political satire has aged better than might be expected.
* Daniel Kibblesmith's short-lived Loki ongoing series had some interesting ideas, but alas, was cancelled before it really did much with them.
* Finally, Roger Stern's Loki Unleashed oneshot is an Avengers story that features a more classic version of Loki, set around the time of his Under Siege storyline in the Avengers series, and is the weakest story by a large margin.
On balance though, there's enough here to justify the purchase - the Rodi and Hastings stories are very good, and the Aguirre-Sarcasa and Kibblesmith stories are enjoyable enough. The Ewing story is the star of the show, simply excellent. (The Stern story is for completists only.)
* Robert Rodi's Loki miniseries from 2004. One of the earliest explorations of the idea that Loki (and the rest of the gods) are trapped in the roles they play in their stories. Not set in the main continuity, but an interesting precursor.
* Roberto Aguirre-Sarcasa's 2010 Trials of Loki series, which adds a small twist to his tale, but otherwise not much. It is entirely unclear how canonical this story is.
* Fully in canon, Al Ewing's Loki: Agent of Asgard series is reprinted in its entirety, taking up about half the book on its own. The best exploration of Loki's relationship with fiction and metafiction, and a continuation of the post-Siege reinvention of the character (Kieron Gillen, who wrote Loki in both Journey into Mystery and Young Avengers, has described it as the third volume of a Loki trilogy, along with those two volumes). Worth the price of admission all by itself.
* Christopher Hastings' Vote Loki miniseries from 2016 is a lighter work, although not without its charms, and its political satire has aged better than might be expected.
* Daniel Kibblesmith's short-lived Loki ongoing series had some interesting ideas, but alas, was cancelled before it really did much with them.
* Finally, Roger Stern's Loki Unleashed oneshot is an Avengers story that features a more classic version of Loki, set around the time of his Under Siege storyline in the Avengers series, and is the weakest story by a large margin.
On balance though, there's enough here to justify the purchase - the Rodi and Hastings stories are very good, and the Aguirre-Sarcasa and Kibblesmith stories are enjoyable enough. The Ewing story is the star of the show, simply excellent. (The Stern story is for completists only.)
September 13, 2024
2.5
Przekonałam się, że to nie jest ten rodzaj komiksów, które chce czytać.
Przekonałam się, że to nie jest ten rodzaj komiksów, które chce czytać.
August 17, 2024
A bit inconsistent, because we have this great story that is Loki: Agent of Asgard, that deserves ALL THE POSSIBLE STARS 'cause HOLY SHIT that was gooood, but then we have worse ones such as Loki (2004). But either way, I don't think any of these deserves less that 3 stars (well, maybe a bit rounded up, but who cares honestly), so I'm giving it 4 stars. Generally speaking, I enjoyed it, especially Agent of Asgard. Verity is my new favorite character honestly...
May 27, 2024
My wrists may be a little sore but I've finished this 80lb beast haha. Most of the stories in this one were fantastic and really spoke to me, and even the ones that weren't were still interesting and worth reading at least once.
November 16, 2023
no fav character unlocked: verity
September 15, 2024
One of my favorite books of all time gimme more
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews