Page 9 of 48 FirstFirst ... 567891011121319 ... LastLast
Results 121 to 135 of 714
  1. #121
    Spectacular Member Yoruno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    A cursed place
    Posts
    202

    Default

    Loki by Zdarsky? What am I missing here?
    I saw the art for this "bonkers" thing, it doesn’t look too optimistic, unless it turns out to be Samurai Jack or something like this.
    donny-cates-dylan-burnett-new-project-tease.jpg

  2. #122
    Extraordinary Member Raye's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,095

    Default

    Zdarsky is just someone i think could be interesting as a writer on a Loki series. He's also friends with Cates (tho they kinda RP as bitter enemies/rivals online in a funny sort of way. but they could have fun with that, if they were writing Thor and Loki's books) I've liked a lot of what he's done, but it was Daredevil that sold me. It's REALLY good. Way more serious than most of his stuff, but definitely showed he can totally handle stories with a lot of emotional weight and morally gray situations. But I'd like to see him go a bit lighter than Daredevil, somewhere in between that and his Howard the Duck, which was also really good but in a completely different way.

    And that page is from a creator owned book called The One You Feed, it's already out: http://panelsyndicate.com/comics/theoneyoufeed what he's talking about right now is specifically a Marvel book. He's done with Venom, so he's moving on to some other Marvel book to take it's place in his schedule.

  3. #123
    Spectacular Member Yoruno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    A cursed place
    Posts
    202

    Default

    Ah, OK, let's hope for the best.

  4. #124
    Spectacular Member Yoruno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    A cursed place
    Posts
    202

  5. #125
    Spectacular Member Yoruno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    A cursed place
    Posts
    202

    Default

    ... And one page of Thor preview
    THOR2020014-Preview-4.jpg

  6. #126
    Extraordinary Member Raye's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,095

    Default

    nice! Double Trouble remains adorable, as expected.

    And good to see Loki with the others now, though it makes his absence in the big group shot lat issue more confusing. Maybe it was just an art oversight. But at least it seems like he should have a part to play throughout the issue!

  7. #127

  8. #128
    Extraordinary Member Raye's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,095

    Default

    your link didn't paste right, so i went looking, is this what you were posting? https://www.empire***********/tv/new...ro-exclusive//

    *edit - huh! it it to mine too. ok, so will cheat: https://bit.ly/3uNcpKG

    if so, sounds interesting! an the cover looks great

    Last edited by Raye; 04-12-2021 at 01:25 PM.

  9. #129
    Spectacular Member Yoruno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    A cursed place
    Posts
    202

  10. #130
    Astonishing Member Albert1981's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Posts
    3,623

    Default

    So Loki has more powers than just illusion manipulation, presence concealment, shapeshifting, mental manipulation, conjuration, and telekinesis? Interesting!:

    https://screenrant.com/loki-series-p...s-problem-fix/

    I do there should be limits to them, however.

  11. #131
    Extraordinary Member Raye's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,095

    Default

    I mean in the comics it's just like....


    And that's on top of being super strong and durable due to being a god and all, even if not AS strong as Thor, it's still way above human level, and he could mess someone up real good with a punch. So he can do pretty much anything the plot demands, most of the time. Tho he does tend to favor illusions and shapeshifting most of the time, and some of his best stories, they actually depowered him almost completely. Even when he got all his powers back after Young Avengers ended, he intentionally held back to make the story more interesting during Agent of Asgard, cus a character who can just kinda do whatever is needed doesn't tend to create a lot of suspense. But now he's back to being as strong (or as weak) as the plot needs him go be. Tho yeah, it is weird, he's this character who is defined by tricking and manipulating his way thouugh things, yet he has the raw power to just blast his way through most of the time, he just prefers not to, i guess.

    But yeah, in the MCU he got nerfed pretty bad. like half the time, his abilities came from artifacts (Casket, scepter) rather than anything he could do inherently, cus the film makers were allergic to magic in the beginning of the MCU. I mean, the trailer had him doing a magic blast from his hands for i think for the first time in the MCU, which is a fairly mundane thing for him to do in the comics.
    Last edited by Raye; 04-13-2021 at 06:28 PM.

  12. #132
    Astonishing Member Albert1981's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Posts
    3,623

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Raye View Post
    I mean in the comics it's just like....


    And that's on top of being super strong and durable due to being a god and all, even if not AS strong as Thor, it's still way above human level, and he could mess someone up real good with a punch. So he can do pretty much anything the plot demands, most of the time. Tho he does tend to favor illusions and shapeshifting most of the time, and some of his best stories, they actually depowered him almost completely. Even when he got all his powers back after Young Avengers ended, he intentionally held back to make the story more interesting during Agent of Asgard, cus a character who can just kinda do whatever is needed doesn't tend to create a lot of suspense. But now he's back to being as strong (or as weak) as the plot needs him go be. Tho yeah, it is weird, he's this character who is defined by tricking and manipulating his way thouugh things, yet he has the raw power to just blast his way through most of the time, he just prefers not to, i guess.

    But yeah, in the MCU he got nerfed pretty bad. like half the time, his abilities came from artifacts (Casket, scepter) rather than anything he could do inherently, cus the film makers were allergic to magic in the beginning of the MCU. I mean, the trailer had him doing a magic blast from his hands for i think for the first time in the MCU, which is a fairly mundane thing for him to do in the comics.
    LOL! Of course. That's why I for the LONGEST time could NOT get into fantasy stories in any substantial way. I sort of agree with the MCU being VERY careful in how they are using magic in their stories. Because it's not easy to write. Often times it's inconsistent and can't be explained. And it solves way too many problems in ways that are far too convenient (and contrived) because of LAZY WRITING. Just out of curiosity, have you been lurking on the Doctor Strange thread? Because we've been talking about this very issue for weeks!
    Last edited by Albert1981; 04-13-2021 at 07:32 PM.

  13. #133
    Extraordinary Member Raye's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,095

    Default

    I actually wouldn't mind if he wasn't as powerful in the comics as he is, sometimes he does basically just act as a plot device because he can do whatever is needed with a snap of his fingers. Forcefield strong enough to withstand the center of the sun? sure, why not. teleport (without Bifrost) to another dimension? ok. etc. and I am personally not a fan of story resolutions where the solution ends up being just piling on more and more raw power and/or new abilities until they overwhelm whatever it is they are facing, so his raw power levels aren't that important to me. I realize this raw power focus is EXTREMELY common in comics, and a lot of fans love that sort of thing, and Cates is actually kinda fond of utilizing this, but I prefer more creative solutions, which is part of what appeals to me about Loki.

    But it's hard to control magic users power levels because magic is kinda ill defined by it's nature. Magic is a way of doing things, and knowledge that can be used in different ways, rather than inherent abilities, and there really is no reason a magic user could not learn a new spell. So just like Tony Stark can pull a new machine out his ass, or otherwise engineer away a problem he is facing, because he's just really smart and has a lot of knowledge and skill in that area, Loki can magic his way out of things with his knowledge and skill in magic. But Loki (and Strange etc) has it easier because he can do it on the fly a lot of the time, and magic tends to have more raw power and can do more things. They've tried to have rules in place for how magic works, or what they can do, but they usually end up making a loophole here, an exception there, because magic, why not? and it's tricky in the MU because different characters use magic in different ways, so there is no one ruleset that can really cover all of them. And how do you define power level? how far is too far to teleport? how powerful is that magic blast, forcefield, restraint etc? how do you measure that? it's a headache. And every time someone tries to lay out rules, they are usually ignored or undone by the next person. Though to be fair, the same thing happens with a lot of other sources of power in comics. But yes, Loki is stupid powerful in the comics, but that's not why I like him, I prefer he use more creative solutions. I haven't read the Strange thread recently, mostly just been checking the Loki thread when i get a notification from it, but can go check it out!

    Anyway, I read Thor and Double Trouble today. Thor, well, let's just say it's full steam ahead with the whole game of roles musical chairs i keep going on about. Because Thor reasserted his position as king, indicating he has no intention of handing that role back to Odin or to anyone else, and the new God of Lies has been officially crowned. And in Double Trouble, things went from bad to worse with Loki and Thor trying to weasel out of their punishment from Odin for unleashing that serpent last issue.. But i will get into details in the spoilers.

    spoilers:
    So Double Trouble, still super cute, but not a lot to explain, it's mostly just about having fun interactions between them, which it does well. But anyway, Thor and Loki are fighting the serpent they summoned last issue, and it's not going so hot, Thor's hammer just ticks it off, then Loki tries to charm it, but that doesn't work either, so Loki turns into a snake, to try and distract it, while Thor lows that horn again, summoning her mother, who then takes her daughter away. But then Odin is like storming up to them all mad and demands they clean up their mess. So they begin picking up, and Loki's like 'hey i stole this orb thing from Odin's vault' and says he can use it to instantly fix the mess. So he begins using it... but it opens a portal beneath their feet, which both Thor and Loki get sucked into. whoops!

    Thor is much more complicated, especially when it comes to Loki's role in things. literally and figuratively. So they are facing off against Blake, and as we saw last issue, Thor has arrived on the scene in the Destroyer armor, when Blake summons Mjolnir to himself, and seems ready to use it to kick some ass, but Thor just clocks him, knocking it out of his hands, Blake is about to try to draw the power out of the Destroyer armor, but Bill calls Mjolnir to himself, (tho Odin was about to) and throws it at him, hitting him in the back. Strange then binds him with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, and that's when the meat of things really start, as far as actions that will have lasting consequences. Also the Loki stuff.

    Odin steps up to Blake and points Gungnir at him, and is set to basically un-make him, and there is a very deliberate panel of Loki's face here, looking sad, as he watches, and right as Odin is about to deliver the killing blow, Loki's like 'no.' and Thor also tries to stop Odin, but Odin's not listening to them. So Loki magics Blake's cane together, and throws it to Thor, who bangs it on the ground, and steps out of the Destroyer, telling Odin 'I am the king, not you' this also knocks Odin to the ground. Thor tells Odin to step down, and that he and Odin will 'have a reckoning' but not today, and basically tells him to get lost, so he leaves. Blake asks why Thor would spare him, to which Thor responds 'because you are my brother' and that he will not kill him, but he is not above harming his brothers when they step out of line. and then there is a big bolt of lightning, engulfing them both, leaving Blake on the ground, and i presume Thor took all the power he had stolen back. Loki approaches Thor, and Thor asks Loki what he should do with Blake. Loki tells Thor that Blake did evil things, but he did them because of how he was made, and the 'path that was chosen for him' i think empathizing with Blake's situation... or maybe just telling Thor what he needs to hear. Because then things get a bit murky as far as Loki's motivations go. Loki says to Thor he will deal with Blake, and Thor asks what he will do, and Loki says to Thor that he asked him to 'lie for you once... tell me, do you want me to lie to you now?' but we never see Thor's answer. So it is unclear if he knows or not that Loki has chained Blake up in a deep cave/dungeon, with a snake above his face, dripping with venom. Yeah, he's recreated his imprisonment for Balder's death, with Blake as the prisoner. Loki says that Blake wanted to be real, and to be a god, so he's granted his wish. He says he's renouncing his title, that it is Blake's now, he is the new God of Lies. then he leaves. closing the door behind him.

    So while i was hoping for Loki to have a bit more of an active role, and I thought the ending was a bit on the nose, but I also think the 'roles' stuff if is flying over a lot of people's heads, so maybe they do need to be completely explicit here. I was actually expecting Blake to be un-made or sent back to his pocket realm, so i hadn't really considered him for God of Lies, especially with Tyr in the running still. But it appears Cates is not using the setup Aaron did for Tyr, and is instead going his own way, so I think anything set up in Valkyrie should be taken with a grain of salt from now on. He used Sif taking over for Heimdall, but not the Tyr setup.

    And back to some earlier discussion, Loki's motives here are unclear, which is a bit frustrating, even if i get why they may want it that way. It's just that we've been through this whole 'is he good or bad?' thing over and over recently, is all. Not to mention this is not the first time Loki's renounced his role. Earlier, you got the impression he did empathize with Blake and feel bad for him. But Loki consciously pawning his role off onto Blake does put his motives into question, and kind of goes against that sadness earlier, maybe? Like the panel earlier seemed quite pointed, Loki saw himself in Blake, and felt bad for him. But then he turned around and did this to him. It can come across as him doing something cruel, something he full well knows how painful it will be, (even more painful for Blake, he has no Sigyn to give him respite) to escape his fate, which could taint his motivations. But on the other hand, it could be just that Loki saw that Blake had stepped into his role, all on his own, so created a punishment to fit that. And they can't just let Blake roam free after what he's done, and he certainly can't be rewarded for it by being given what he wanted (a life of his own separate from Thor in the real world) without a monkey's paw twist like this. He earned this fate the same way Loki did when he killed Balder. But as with Balder, the punishment seems kind of disproportionate, though i guess a bit more proportionate considering what he was trying to do, but was stopped before he could do too much lasting damage. (and i am disappointed his only confirmed kill happened off panel, as an aside) and other people contributed to the situation who are walking away scott free. though he does deserve punishment, he chose to do all this, he's also a scapegoat, to an extent, just like Loki was, and he's going to resent that, just like Loki did. He's being punished so they can all say to themselves the villain behind the problems is paying the price for his actions, and it allows them to ignore the part they played in creating and contributing to that situation. At least Odin took responsibility for the part he played, but he still wanted to deal with it by killing Blake, not anything for himself. We also do not know if Loki told Thor about this or not, because we never got the answer to Loki's question. Thor might (or might not) know exactly what is happening and approves of it.

    And this is like the third or fourth time Loki's 'escaped' his old role, hopefully it finally sticks this time. And the question of Loki's NEW role remains open.
    end of spoilers
    Last edited by Raye; 04-14-2021 at 06:27 AM.

  14. #134
    Astonishing Member Albert1981's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Posts
    3,623

    Default

    My knowledge of the Thor franchise is very limited. Don't get me wrong, I always loved his Avengers stories and think he's an AMAZING character, but I'm not a huge fan of characters using Shakespearean English. In the 21st century , it feels so WEIRD to me. But I definitely get its appeal. Loki has always been a fascinating person to me. And like you said, it's because of his motives for doing the things that he does that arouses my curiosity. I sort of compare Thor, Loki and Odin to Boromir, Faramir and Denethor. That family dynamic is so cool.

    You're right on the money when it comes to the misuse of magic in fantasy. Often times, its application in those tales is really protean and inconsistent. And that really DAMAGES them in my opinion. I think Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Wonder Woman 1984 failed because they broke their own "rules" about magic WAY too many times and audiences could totally see through that. Science fiction has an advantage over fantasy because it's based on science (which exists). Fantasy is based on magic and since magic doesn't exist, a lot of people don't take the genre seriously. I think one way this problem could be fixed is the adoption of magic systems. Fantasy novels and RPGS have used them more and more with time, but I don't think the comic books have. I agree with you, though. I like it when Loki solves problems using his creativity and intelligence as opposed to brute magical strength. On the Doctor Strange thread, they also share a lot of your opinions about magic as well.

  15. #135
    Spectacular Member Yoruno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    A cursed place
    Posts
    202

    Default

    I've just finished reading issue 14 and I don’t know what to think. I understand it with my brain, but on the emotional side I still fail to understand. It was made clear through several panels that Loki shows empathy for Blake and relates to him, but in the dungeons he almost gloats. Maybe the idea to replace himself with Blake sparked in his mind the moment he saw the similarities between them, but... IDK, such ruthlessness makes him a very fitting sibling to this ferocious Thor. Sorry, I'm really confused. Well, I realise it's a paradigm shift taking place here, with characters becoming elements rather than personalities... yet we readers need them as personalities, not as semi-abstract representations of ideas... I guess.
    What Loki did was done not out of character but rather "above the character"... but when he steps into archetypes he loses his complex development...
    Last edited by Yoruno; 04-15-2021 at 07:49 AM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •