It feels like it has been forever since I bought an issue of this series. Thanks, in part, to having a tie-in with a series I could care less about I decided to skip it until the next story arc came about. With barely any mention to the New Mutants crossover in this issue it looks like I did a good job on skipping it. But while reading this new arc I had myself an epiphany:

I don’t like this series anymore.

That’s crazy talk coming from me considering I have been a huge supporter of Kieron Gillen and his run even when the series used to be called ‘Thor’. But now I find this series really tedious to read and the magic just doesn’t seem to be there anymore. With this issue we have Loki and Leah going to the U.K. to help Captain Britain in a war with his people. That sounds nothing but exciting doesn’t it? I mean Gillen writing Captain Britain or ANYTHING British sounds fun. While there are some chuckles here and there I found myself flipping through this issue just not caring. The narration boxes were a delight to read but not they are a chore and I think Gillen is purposely making them convoluted for his own benefit. Quite frankly there is nothing here I really enjoyed about this issue.

The art doesn’t help either. Richard Elson seemed to improve a lot on his style on the previous arc. (Not the New Mutants arc, the arc BEFORE that.) Every single panel in this is very stiff to the point where characters pose in ridiculous angles. Twice I see Elson draw Loki in a pose that seems impossible to do with your body. Entendres aside it is not a pleasant issue to look at on any level.

This is a really depressing moment for me because I thought the series wouldn’t dip that much in quality so soon. But now I find myself struggling to enjoy an issue of this and to be honest I’ve been feeling like this for a while. The magic that Kieron Gillen brought originally to this series way back when is gone. In its place is just a series full of unnecessary crossovers, tie-ins, and ultimately boring stories. You add in some pretty mediocre art and there is only one solution to this:

Drop the series and just remember the good old days.