The Norse god of mischief in his own series at last!

(Panini Books)

Watch your backs, the trickster has returned, and he’s more slippery than ever.

The last few years have seen a renaissance for Thor’s adopted brother following his original incarnation’s death in the Siege crossover event. Resurrected with a clean slate as a young boy, he strived to prove he had changed throughout the course of the epic Journey into Mystery series, before his original personality reasserted control over his body and destroyed his “Kid Loki” incarnation.

Joining the ranks of the most recent version of the Young Avengers, a newly inspired Loki found himself continuing to battle for redemption, desperate to challenge his perceived destiny as the Norse god of evil and harbinger of Ragnarok.

Now working as a secret agent on behalf of the Asgardian ruling triumvirate, and having aged into a stylish twenty-something, Loki balances his own agenda with fulfilling their missions, and rarely cares who he treads over in the process. But lurking in the background is a version of Loki who bears an uncanny resemblance to his former, older self, and he has his own schemes in the pipeline…

There’s a lot of continuity baggage which comes before this new series, both in terms of Loki’s recent adventures and the wider scope of Norse mythology as a whole, but it’s tantamount to Al Ewing’s skills as a writer that he doesn’t allow this to be a problem, as he feeds vital information through the course of the story to bring new readers up to speed.

Ewing’s use of Loki as a potentially unreliable narrator is a great way of propelling the narrative forwards while also ensuring nobody gets lost amidst the backstabbing, intrigue and plotting which characterises this series.

As well as established guest starts like Thor, the demon Mephisto, Norse hero Sigurd and the seductive Lorelei, Ewing introduces techie Verity Willis, who cannot be lied to, as Loki pulls together a team of special operatives necessary to pull off an elaborate heist which strikes at the very heart of Asgardia.

Marvel has faced accusations of regenerating Loki in order to take advantage of Tom Hiddleston’s version in their blockbuster movies, but if the alternative is the tedious old schemer from years of Thor comics then that’s no bad thing.

The characterisation, post-modernism and wit which made “new” Loki a hit in JiM and YA has not been lost, and if anything he has more of a chance to shine in this latest series, particularly helped by some quality artwork from Lee Garbett.

If you’re looking for a fresh and fun fusion of ancient myths and modern legends, then this is the book for you. Trust me…