Loki: Agent of Asgard #3

The Good

LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD is very different, to say the least, and that's meant in the best way possible. What this issue really does well is firmly establish the fact this series just isn't about the young Loki on Midgard. It's also just as much about the older Loki, who is also, in a sense, an Agent of Asgard. That's a really cool way to split this series up.

Old Loki is a bit of trickster. The character goes back to his trickster roots here, which is a far cry from what we've seen with younger Loki. He's all about playing other people to ultimately claim his prize. This story really emphasizes that.

Writer Al Ewing is crafting something pretty dang fun. He's taking each issue and establishing smaller elements of this larger story. With this issue, it comes off more as a fairy tale or piece of lore, which just happens to feature Loki and Odin. Everything here is building to something bigger as well.

Lee Garbett (art) and Nolan Woodard (colors) craft a visually appealing book. Garbett is phenomenal at setting up a scene and showing time and movement in his panels. The few splash pages we see here are incredibly epic as well.

The Bad

A lot of my problems with this issue were personal problems with just not being too interested in Asgardian lore. This issue heavily revolves around Loki in Asgard and people from his past. I don't have a great knowledge of this character's past, like many people who picked this up just because they love Loki, so I was very lost in the story. There's quite a few characters that some readers will be unfamiliar with, but they're written in a way where you may feel a bit dumb for not being in the loop.

What's really going on here? According to the opening, there are gaps in Loki's story and because of this, it can be completely rewritten? It may be because of my lack of knowledge of everything Asgard, but this idea of rewriting history just because you can is not only foreign to me, but very hard to accept.

Tone-wise, it's another issue that changes everything up. The last issue was comedy-heavy, but this one goes back to being a more serious story with a comedic edge. There's way too much bouncing around with this and it's hard for the reader to find a good grove within the story.

Printing problems? There were actually a few times I noticed word bubbles getting cut off at the end of the page, and it wasn't just my copy of the comic.

The Verdict

LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD #3 isn't a bad issue by any means, but it's a bit of a lull in the series. Those who picked up this issue, who aren't well-versed in everything Asgard may feel a bit lost in the shuffle, and Loki's history being rewritten is a bit tough to swallow. However, the overall series shows a ton of promise, so while this issue wasn't one of my favorite reads because I'm one of those people that isn't a huge Asgardian fan, this is still an incredibly intriguing book and one to keep on your pull list.

@inferiorego I think pepole who have read Kieron Gillen's run on Journey into Mystery will have a much greater appreciation for this story as there was a lot of call backs and direct references to it.

I'm sure; however, I haven't felt so lost reading an issue in such a long time.

I thought the running theme of this comic so far was that gods are beings of story, and they can become trapped in the roles they create for themselves. That'd be why Loki's story is in flux, because there's two of them running around. It didn't really seem confusing, and I know next to nothing about Asgardian lore in Marvel.

Try reading the new Moon Knight issue, I had to read it twice before I understood what was happening.

@jonny_anonymous: Were you too confused as to how water got under that guy's foot?

@drellassassin: huh?

WHAT!? An Al Ewing comic getting 3 stars? He has written the best thing I ever read during his run on Jennifer Blood.

@drellassassin: That was issue 1. Sort of confusing but not that bad.

I'm looking forward to this issue. I picked up Loki because I got to know Thor more as a character and his world from the movies. I'm not the biggest fan of Thor, but I was fascinated with Loki's character. I'm looking forward to discovering the Asgard world. I felt like the last 2 issues didn't really talk to much on the subject. Just hope I can follow the story.

@inferiorego: The bad just isn't bold enough to justify three stars man.

This issue was very weak to me, but I expect this book to quickly bounce back.

I'm having trouble justifying buying this series anymore; wasn't a fan of this issue or the last, despite how much I enjoyed the first issue, and the topic and overall time constantly changes, which, for me, leaves me without enough of a consistency. Also, I get why there is such a focus on Asgardians, but I think I liked the first issue so much more not just because it was character development and a nice balance of action and comedy, bit that the other characters here were non-Asgardian, as silly or dumb that may sound to you. I just really have an interest in Loki, but Sigrund and the rest don't really hold my attention

Completely agree with this review. I was so lost during this issue. I went from trying really hard to concentrate while reading it to skimming and looking at the pretty art.

This is based on a well known saga in Norse mythology/Edda. Personally, I enjoyed it a lot

I know all this backstory, and it was still sort of confusing. I am still hoping this will find a tone that I can enjoy; I like Loki a lot but it has been bouncing around a lot and doesn't live up to either the best evil adult Lokis or the best hilarious young Lokis of previous series--yet. Still, it was an interesting attempt and honestly I preferred it to the previous issues.