Loki Appreciation 2018

[AlmightyJellyfish]

So another new loki? His dialogue before putting on the headdress and "apparently we're friends" suggest it is. *sigh* I’ll wait before judging, hell I might like this Loki more but I was kinda hoping for character development and growth that didn't require literally destroying and remaking himself...again.

[Rosebunse]

I know, it's weird, but Al Ewing himself said "that's not Loki from the future" so.... *shrugs*



Hm... yes... but how is this particular skald special? why show him, and his little heart in the shell?

He's really not. He's wearing a hat that's sort of like Loki's horns to show that he's related to Loki in the sense that he's a story-teller too. And the little trinkets in the shell? They're just little trinkets, but because of the story the Skald tells the people, they're magical. They're special because of the story that goes with them.

So another new loki? His dialogue before putting on the headdress and "apparently we're friends" suggest it is. *sigh* I’ll wait before judging, hell I might like this Loki more but I was kinda hoping for character development and growth that didn't require literally destroying and remaking himself...again.

But at least AoA Loki is safe, and this isn't exactly the tragedy of kidLoki.

And it's still too early to tell how this is going to go. Though, I have a feeling...my crack theory is that this Loki-what are we calling him?-is going to be the new One Above All in some sense. He's going to tell everything back into existence or something.

[Post Monster]

Attachment 20762

Here's the concept art. It looks better than on that panel, we'll just have to wait and see.

So, this God of Stories is a new version of Loki (so in a way, AoA Loki did cease to exist just like the Original Loki and Kid Loki). The things he kept from his past were the knowledge that Verity is his friend, that he loves his brother and that he is his own and will not be placed on any box. So, the rest... is all brand new? Like with the doctor on Doctor Who?

He also didn't seem to know much about Verity aside that they were supposed to be friends and Verity didn't even recognize him. Hmm... I hope didn't lose his memory entirely.

PS: He was the Skald (viking poet) wasn't he? He was missing a tooth in the last panel.

1. Capris and overly short sleeves need to go. Unless they want him to look like he outgrew his clothes.
2. Not enough fur. Stop skimping! More fur!
3. No shoes? That's gonna hurt.
4. Comb! Now! And eyebrows. Eyebrows are expressive.

Still trying to decide if he's a wreck from the explosion, which would make sense with the missing tooth. But Loki is turning into Dr. Who here, endlessly regenerating himself. He looks a little like a stray, honestly.

[Post Monster]

He does look pretty disheveled. I liked Stylish Loki.

As someone put it, we now have PeterPan Loki

Does that mean pirate Loki is next? Right in time to sail Naglfar into Ragnarok.

[calyx]

I was a bit jarred by Verity not being at least, hey you look an awful lot like the version of Loki I knew, but with a different face, did you shape shift? But "who the hell are you?" is more dramatic.

Re stray/Peter Pan, Loki does have a feral look so I assume that will be part of his story/character. Had to double check that new Loki's arms weren't literally meant to be ape length.

Danger in *primarily* liking a character for hotness is that you could become more invested in yer particular ideal of attractiveness (incl. personality/actions) rather than where character is *actually* going in canon... minefield with a morally ambiguous, changing character like Loki. Have to say I left movie Loki fandom on tumblr for this reason, too much discussion for me where canon was an obstacle.

Does that mean pirate Loki is next? Right in time to sail Naglfar into Ragnarok.

Heh. Tho I think that ship has already sailed with King Loki salting the earth.

Can I just say, King Loki's reactions on the last couple of pages were horribly hilarious. He's such a git but utterly priceless and I don't want him to leave.

[Rosebunse]

1. Capris and overly short sleeves need to go. Unless they want him to look like he outgrew his clothes.
2. Not enough fur. Stop skimping! More fur!
3. No shoes? That's gonna hurt.
4. Comb! Now! And eyebrows. Eyebrows are expressive.

Still trying to decide if he's a wreck from the explosion, which would make sense with the missing tooth. But Loki is turning into Dr. Who here, endlessly regenerating himself. He looks a little like a stray, honestly.

Are we sure about the eyebrows? It kind of looks like he may have those. I hope he does...

So, can he be Stray Loki? Like a stray puppy

I was a bit jarred by Verity not being at least, hey you look an awful lot like the version of Loki I knew, but with a different face, did you shape shift? But "who the hell are you?" is more dramatic.

Re stray/Peter Pan, Loki does have a feral look so I assume that will be part of his story/character. Had to double check that new Loki's arms weren't literally meant to be ape length.

Danger in *primarily* liking a character for hotness is that you could become more invested in yer particular ideal of attractiveness (incl. personality/actions) rather than where character is *actually* going in canon... minefield with a morally ambiguous, changing character like Loki. Have to say I left movie Loki fandom on tumblr for this reason, too much discussion for me where canon was an obstacle.


Heh. Tho I think that ship has already sailed with King Loki salting the earth.

Can I just say, King Loki's reactions on the last couple of pages were horribly hilarious. He's such a git but utterly priceless and I don't want him to leave.

Die King Loki! LOL but I imagine Verity's reaction came from him being missing for the better part of a year and him looking like he is. Plus, maybe she doesn't really want to believe that her friend has turned into this? He does look a bit crazy.

And yes, this is an interesting example of what happens when you like a characters mostly for their looks. Looks fade, or change. I think part of the Loki's fandom is that it is mostly comprised of girls and women, and it's not like we're a group with a ton of fanservice characters to begin with. But I like the new look. I think it's sexy

[AlmightyJellyfish]

He's really not. He's wearing a hat that's sort of like Loki's horns to show that he's related to Loki in the sense that he's a story-teller too. And the little trinkets in the shell? They're just little trinkets, but because of the story the Skald tells the people, they're magical. They're special because of the story that goes with them.

But at least AoA Loki is safe, and this isn't exactly the tragedy of kidLoki.

And it's still too early to tell how this is going to go. Though, I have a feeling...my crack theory is that this Loki-what are we calling him?-is going to be the new One Above All in some sense. He's going to tell everything back into existence or something.

Safe as in what? the same way KidLoki was "safe"? I would prefer the risk that someone at some point down the line is going to make him a badguy again than wiping him from existence. I wasn't overly fond of it when they did that with kid Loki either but at least it was nicely tragic and made a meta point. Kid Loki got a story that was his, felt relativity complete and like if you had read it as graphic novel not an ongoing comic issue 30 would have been the end. This isn't so with AoA Loki.

All right, this is all based on one issue and who knows? I could have misinterpreted this and maybe its not as bad as it seems but...

This time it's not so much tragic as it is annoying. It feels they are getting rid him just as he was getting going and it seems completely unnecessary. It's not because King Loki was inevitable because he was already significantly different in his way of thinking than King Loki was. He could have proven King Loki wrong and shown that he (as in this Loki) could be different. All the realisations he came to in this issue (which King Loki never had) would have been a great place to continue the character from. That on its own that could significantly change his perspective and the way he behaves. They could have had him head in the direction of being the god of stories with new spin on things through organic character development. Instead he wiped most of it out again to create a new Loki. Loki doesn't seem to grow as a character so much as he hits the reset button until he lands on something he can live with.

[Raye]

I really don't think this is the final stage, he's still got the Last Days arc to get through, and I think some of his old self will leak back in, probably with Verity's help.

He's really not. He's wearing a hat that's sort of like Loki's horns to show that he's related to Loki in the sense that he's a story-teller too. And the little trinkets in the shell? They're just little trinkets, but because of the story the Skald tells the people, they're magical. They're special because of the story that goes with them.

While I get what you're saying, I just feel there's a bit more to it than just that. Loki did *something* to change his OWN fate.

But at least AoA Loki is safe, and this isn't exactly the tragedy of kidLoki.

And it's still too early to tell how this is going to go. Though, I have a feeling...my crack theory is that this Loki-what are we calling him?-is going to be the new One Above All in some sense. He's going to tell everything back into existence or something.

I think he will have a hand in re-writing the new MU, but I don't think he will end up in the same sort of position as the One Above All. To do so kinda removes him from characters they can use on a regular basis, he'd be too powerful to do anything with except as a supporting character. I think this is the reason they always hint at his POTENTIAL for being a strong reality warper, but it never really goes much beyond that. Maybe if he manages to go beyond what he can normally do as a one time act of desperation thing, but there is a reason the Norse gods in the MU are not omnipotent with the (sometimes) exception of Odin.

I was a bit jarred by Verity not being at least, hey you look an awful lot like the version of Loki I knew, but with a different face, did you shape shift? But "who the hell are you?" is more dramatic.

Re stray/Peter Pan, Loki does have a feral look so I assume that will be part of his story/character. Had to double check that new Loki's arms weren't literally meant to be ape length.

Danger in *primarily* liking a character for hotness is that you could become more invested in yer particular ideal of attractiveness (incl. personality/actions) rather than where character is *actually* going in canon... minefield with a morally ambiguous, changing character like Loki. Have to say I left movie Loki fandom on tumblr for this reason, too much discussion for me where canon was an obstacle.

I think, though we will need to see him stand side by side with Verity without any sort of perspective mucking it up, what's going on with his sleeves and pants is that he IS physically larger, but his clothes aren't. the giant in him is coming to the surface a bit.

but yeah, pretty much this. Sometimes some fans create an idealized version of a physically attractive but not very nice character in their heads, there's a trope for it, Draco in Leather Pants. Loki falls victim to this a lot. A lot of the time they can kiiiinda make that interpretation work, but if a change is unworkable with their idealized version, they lose their shit. I do realize that Loki recently is not a perfect fit for this because he really did have a desire to be a better person, but still.

I liked the old design a lot. I am thinking I will do a sort of memorial drawing of it. It was a great look for him. But he needed to change for his story to advance. I'm not saying the scruffy look is one that ought to stick around forever, but as a transitional stage, I think it works fine. I also don't think he's 'ugly' now, though the particular drawing at the end of the issue probably wasn't doing him any favors, was an odd expression and all... but I think once he's settled down a bit, it can work for him.

Heh. Tho I think that ship has already sailed with King Loki salting the earth.

Can I just say, King Loki's reactions on the last couple of pages were horribly hilarious. He's such a git but utterly priceless and I don't want him to leave.

heh, yeah he's such a drama queen. But... if he stays things will never be good for Loki, so as enjoyable as he can be, I hope he bites the dust.

you know how sometimes we put songs to issues, these two just came on right after one another on my mp3 player, they seemed fitting:



^^ Kinda more the issues before this one, but still. This was like my favorite song ever in the 90's, and i was in high school and all songs seemed so deep and meaningful. I don't know why it never popped into my head before.

[Raye]

The second song:



^^ technically a breakup song, but still fits.

[Riimi]

Safe as in what? the same way KidLoki was "safe"? I would prefer the risk that someone at some point down the line is going to make him a badguy again than wiping him from existence. I wasn't overly fond of it when they did that with kid Loki either but at least it was nicely tragic and made a meta point. Kid Loki got a story that was his, felt relativity complete and like if you had read it as graphic novel not an ongoing comic issue 30 would have been the end. This isn't so with AoA Loki.

All right, this is all based on one issue and who knows? I could have misinterpreted this and maybe its not as bad as it seems but...

This time it's not so much tragic as it is annoying. It feels they are getting rid him just as he was getting going and it seems completely unnecessary. It's not because King Loki was inevitable because he was already significantly different in his way of thinking than King Loki was. He could have proven King Loki wrong and shown that he (as in this Loki) could be different. All the realisations he came to in this issue (which King Loki never had) would have been a great place to continue the character from. That on its own that could significantly change his perspective and the way he behaves. They could have had him head in the direction of being the god of stories with new spin on things through organic character development. Instead he wiped most of it out again to create a new Loki. Loki doesn't seem to grow as a character so much as he hits the reset button until he lands on something he can live with.

Yeah, at first I was happy because he was able to change, but the more I think about it, the more upset I get that he had to "reset" himself to do so. Really, by choosing to change himself in such a self-immolating way, aoa loki proved that he already had changed.

I'm much more upset at this than the costume change, both emotionally and in principle.

[Raye]

Yeah, at first I was happy because he was able to change, but the more I think about it, the more upset I get that he had to "reset" himself to do so. Really, by choosing to change himself in such a self-immolating change, aoa loki proved that he already had changed.

I'm much more upset at this than the costume change, both emotionally and in principle.

As I just said, I don't think this is the final stage, I think he took drastic action that probably wasn't entirely necessary, and Verity will help him see that and bring at least part of his old self back. She hasn't played her hand yet, and we're running out of issues, (well, for the Last Days arc, but I do get the feeling that the Last Days arc is the end of Agent of Asgard, even if there is still a Loki book after Secret Wars, and they are going to tie up their big plots) it has to be that, or something similar.

Are we sure about the eyebrows? It kind of looks like he may have those. I hope he does...

Lee Garbett said on Tumblr that he does still have eyebrows, the drawing on the final page is just a bit... weird, i guess.

[Riimi]

As I just said, I don't think this is the final stage, I think he took drastic action that probably wasn't entirely necessary, and Verity will help him see that and bring at least part of his old self back. She hasn't played her hand yet, and we're running out of issues, (well, for the Last Days arc, but I do get the feeling that the Last Days arc is the end of Agent of Asgard, even if there is still a Loki book after Secret Wars, and they are going to tie up their big plots) it has to be that, or something similar.

I totally missed the first line of your earlier comment where you said that, my bad. I hope you're right. Lee said that this was his final form, which might mean it's permanent; on the other hand, saying "form" instead of "incarnation" does seem to denote a physical change more than anything else. Having him retain the broken horn and chipped tooth does also seem to indicate some sort of continuity between them.

On the plus side, we now know who Verity tells her story to! Especially important because King!Loki mentioned how AoA Loki never even knew it.

Lee Garbett said on Tumblr that he does still have eyebrows, the drawing on the final page is just a bit... weird, i guess.

I think that his face didn't actually change that much, it's just the particular expression.

Edit: I suck at breaking up quotes.

[cosmicjoke21]

I thought this was freakin' fantastic! And I don't know what anyone's getting upset over. I think this new Loki IS the same Loki, he's just gone through a transformation by owning himself, so to speak. By embracing the fact that "lies" in and of themselves aren't necessarily bad things, that a lie is just a story, and stories are massively powerful. If gods are stories, or made up of stories, than Loki is the god of gods, in a way. In that sense, that makes him one of the most powerful gods out there, and I think he's just realized that, and realized that he can be whatever the heck he wants to be, and nobody, not his parents, not his brother, none of the "hero's", and not the part of himself that hates himself, can tell him or make him be anything else. This is Loki finally gaining confidence and respect in himself, and that's freakin' BEAUTIFUL. I think this is a huge, huge thing, and a wonderful thing, and people should be happy.

This is Loki winning, and not allowing himself to be forced into anyone's "fate". The way Loki just told off his original and child self, the way he stuck it to King Loki, the way he overcame all of the odds here, despite everything being seemingly stacked against him, was a huge moment of triumph. And just like I thought, Verity was the one who helped inspire him to the realization that he could be whatever the heck he wanted to be, and that he wasn't bound to any fate or path. Verity and Odin both, actually. Odin told Loki to remember what a lie is, and to embrace his own power. Odin knows how powerful Loki actually always was, he understood it better than Loki himself. And now Loki's realized it for himself, and embraced it, as his father told him to. Seriously, I couldn't be happier with the direction this is going. I'm just damn proud of Loki, to be honest.

[Rosebunse]

Now remember everyone, we're in mourning and we're all a bit confused. Anger, resentment, and crying is normal.

Just remember, it's all OK. It's all OK.

But I'm with Raye on this. It's too early to tell. We have a few key issues to get through, and who knows? Plenty of time for things to go to hell in a hand basket.

[AlmightyJellyfish]

Yeah, at first I was happy because he was able to change, but the more I think about it, the more upset I get that he had to "reset" himself to do so. Really, by choosing to change himself in such a self-immolating way, aoa loki proved that he already had changed.

I'm much more upset at this than the costume change, both emotionally and in principle.

I don't particularly care about the appearance, I'm not even sure it actually has changed very much other than being very worn and scruffy because until we see him some more it could just be that page with the angle and expression.