JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #623

Review by: Jdudley

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Avg Rating: 4.5
 
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Story by Kieron Gillen
Art by Doug Braithwaite
Colors by Ulises Arreola
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover by Stephanie Hans, Larry Stroman, Dave Meikis & Peter Steigerwald

Size: pages
Price: 2.99

If there was ever any doubt that Thor’s supporting characters are ripe with storytelling possibilities, the simple fact that Thor himself is but one of the pantheon of Norse gods of lore should be enough to discredit such doubts. However, Gillen has proved just how richly Marvel’s version of the Asgardian mythos can be mined for high-fantasy drama with just two issues of his superlative run on Journey Into Mystery. Focusing squarely on a young Loki fighting against his own archetype, this story takes an analytical look at those archetypical roles of mythic characters which we still subscribe to today as we follow our famous 20th century superheroes, the most famous of which have all been refined to clear archetypes in their own right. In this particular story, Loki is desperately trying to resist reverting to his own status que in a deeply introspective story which moves forward through gripping action beats which never bore the reader and are always a feast for the eyes. As we root for Loki to achieve his goal of redemption, we begin to see him falling into his own mischievous trappings yet again. He cuts corners, compromises with dubious co-conspirators, and ultimately always follows HIS gut instincts—and the reader can only wince at what this all may be leading towards as we anxiously flip to the next page. What Gillen is doing here is crafting a truly classic look at Loki as the tragic villain, how Thor’s brother is destined to villainy in exactly the same way that the modern 20th century American superhero is destined for heroism. When the situation presents itself, Loki’s very instincts lead him toward chaos, it is simply who he is and thus the role he most play in any and every story in which he takes part.
What else can I say? This issue features brilliant writing by a rising talent and stellar art which conjures the imagery of the more classical elements of mythic fantasy while it still remains grounded in the more kinetic forward-moving marvel style. This Loki-centric story is really quite tragic, and surprisingly heart-wrenching to watch develop, but the first two issues of this arc have laid the groundwork for what very well may prove to be the definitive Loki story and a true testament to Loki’s deserved place among the all-time great villains in comics.

Story: 5 - Excellent
Art: 5 - Excellent

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