A Laudable Retelling
Plot Summary:
Most of the issue is spent retelling a couple Norse myths about Loki and his relationship with Thor, with the miniseries' plot beginning to unfold in the last couple of panels. You could skip straight to the second issue and not miss much, but I'd advise against it if you're a mythology buff.
Good Stuff:
TLDR:
This is a great retelling of Loki's backstory for anyone interested in the character, or in Norse mythology in general.
Most of the issue is spent retelling a couple Norse myths about Loki and his relationship with Thor, with the miniseries' plot beginning to unfold in the last couple of panels. You could skip straight to the second issue and not miss much, but I'd advise against it if you're a mythology buff.
Good Stuff:
- Although the plot is basically taken straight from the myths on which the characters are based (with a number of Marvel-specific twists), it's great to see them realized with excellent art. If you're already familiar with the story of Sif's hair, you'll appreciate the little nods we're given to both continuities.
- I love that Aguirre-Sacasa subtly addresses the disparities between Marvel continuity and the actual Norse myths. Many differences between the comic book characters and their inspirations are explained realistically, and towards the end of the issue Thor and Loki actually discuss the fact that many of the old stories occurred so long ago that there are multiple plausible interpretations.
- Since the tale-within-a-tale is told from Loki's perspective, we get to see Thor acting less like an exemplar and more like the self-righteous bully he tends to be in the original stories. The nuances brought to their relationship by revisiting the source material as (debatable) history is very intriguing, and Loki's pliant personality really comes to the fore.
TLDR:
This is a great retelling of Loki's backstory for anyone interested in the character, or in Norse mythology in general.
