Loki: Agent of Asgard #15 (Marvel)

Title: The Old Army Game
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Lee Garbett
Colour Artist: Antonio Fabela
Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles
A while ago when I read 2000AD, Al Ewing started to appear to great praise from many of the readers. There was a sense of humour at the heart of his work that made him stand out, and this has happily transitioned over to his work on Loki.

The Ewing/Garbett Loki: Agent of Asgard is fifteen issues old and, despite a slight wobble during the tie in with the last big Marvel crossover event (the curse of modern day super-hero comics), it has shone brightly as a beacon of entertainment that doesn't take itself too seriously. This issue has two main narratives that could be titled “The Origin of Verity Willis” and “The Battle of Asgard”. Both are tales are told completely differently.

Verity's tale is told mainly as a flashback, with muted hues delineating it from the more vibrant colours used in the Asgardian battle narrative, which takes place at the present time. This is nicely executed by Antonio Fabela on colours, and the almost pastel shades seem tom suit Verity's personality. This is a more understated story than the battle, more grounded in reality and the regular panel layout adds to this, only breaking out into a full page splash for the climax showing the result of the actions of the female Orlando type Loki.

On the other hand the battle between the forces of Asgard and old Loki is completely over-the-top and ridiculous in the best possible way. It recalls Walt Simonson's acclaimed run on the title, and has big, energetic panel layouts which really bring out the atmosphere of Odin with a huge machine gun, Loki riding a dragon creature Freyja facing down Loki and Odin blowing some impossibly gigantic horn, the Gjallahorn. Everything leaps off the page  into the readers mind, really bringing the whole spectacle thrillingly alive. The lettering also helps here as the Asgardians have suitably over the top text bursting out of the speech bubbles, and the sound effects are big and bold. It's all completely ludicrous but enormous fun.

I don't know how long this team will stay on this title, but that's a worry for the future. For now we just need to sit back and enjoy the most fun super-hero comics can be.