While everyone is obsessing over Gaiman’s ‘Sandman’ on Netflix (I am too, extensive knock and sock ‘em review forthcoming) his recent comic book offering has pretty much been swept under the rug which is a shame because it was a really entertaining series that just wrapped up. I’ve just read the final installment of the Norse Mythology run and I have to say I really enjoyed all of them.
Not sure if these are on anyone’s radar but they should be. Basically it’s illustrating the original Norse myths without censoring the material. There’s a lot murder, brutality, torture, backstabbing and revenge and no I’m not talking about what’s going on in our government right now, although I would love to hire Loki to pick off the nitwits in charge one by one.
Loki: Hi Nancy, I’m Loki, fancy some Mead?
Nancy: Does it have a kick?
Loki: Oh it kicks.
Nancy: Ooh, me mead some drinky drinky -
[she gulps down from a red plastic cup that will soon turn into a dragon]
Nancy (cont.): Don’t you work for The Mouse?
Loki: I did but now I work for a kvetchy Jew comic in LA who spoils his terrier more than you spoil your stock portfolio with insider tips.
Anyway, you get a look into the origins of such Norse Gods such as Odin, Loki and Thor. Add in the fact that you can get variant covers by the inimitable David Mack without having to chop your left nut off to get them and it’s a win win here. It’s more a fable comic than a superhero comic and with great artists such as Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell the art is impeccable. In a way I feel like I’m getting the most entertaining history lesson as it pertains to these iconic beings. I’ve actually learned a few things along the way, go figure! Apparently Loki turned into a Salmon a lot to manage his escape. Is that where we get the word Lox? Was that his gangster nickname? Was it ever Bagel and Loks. Was his hip hop name Tone Loks? The kids are all saying ‘Low Key’ these days do they really mean Loki? Are they invoking his name for mischief and shenanigans? Low key, you know I’m right.
This was the third installment of six books for the series. Not sure why they just couldn’t number them 1-18? I guess a marketing guy rushed into a Dark Horse Monday Morning meeting frothing at the mouth and begged for three #1 issues instead of just one “Market Share, Collectibles, TPBs galore! Fresh New Run, Cocaine in my Portland Granola, pleaaaase”
You can knock one of these puppies out in about 7-10 minutes, a great little read to start your day with your coffee. It’s not earth shattering entertainment (well, it is in the story lines) but it’s solid enough and the creative team knocks it out of the park. The final issues detail the Ragnarok epic which is way different than the bubblegum tripe that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had the nerve to poop out recently. Go pick some up of these bad boys and enjoy!
Rating: 8.5
Verdict: Pull
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