3 comics to read before watching Loki on Disney+
If you know anything about me at all, it’s that Loki is one of my all time favorite characters. Ok, he’s my absolute favorite. Of course I first became obsessed after being introduced to him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but then I started digging into the comics and honestly those made me love this trickster even more.
I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the Disney+ series (I’m seriously still in shock that he’s getting his own tv series!!!) and while we wait I wanted to recommend my favorite Loki comics that not only are extremely good, but also I think will be referenced in one way or another in the show!
1. “Vote Loki” (2016)
“Vote Loki” had honestly flown under my radar until recently but it’s a delightful little series (only 4 issues!) that was released in the summer of 2016 before that American election. It’s a satirical commentary on the whole mess, and basically the premise is that Loki decides he wants to run for President because the other candidates are awful and he would do better. While many Americans think the idea is completely ridiculous and no one would ever vote for him, he ends up gaining a tremendous amount of support and is the most popular of all the candidates even though he’s very transparent about always lying (see what I mean).
There’s some great jokes throughout and the overall moral is cute. Plus, it seems MCU Loki is possibly going to pull the same scheme in the show so it’s worth reading so you understand the references.
Yes I own that Vote Loki button already, why do you ask?
2. “Loki: Agent of Asgard” (2014)
Ok, “Agent of Asgard” is my absolute favorite comic EVER. Like, the last dozen pages always make me cry. It’s probably considered the most popular Loki comic series, and it’s been speculated for a while that elements of Agent of Asgard will be in the show in some way. We’ve already seen Loki wielding a sword in the promos that looks exactly like the one he has in this comic!
So, Agent of Asgard is a 17 issue series that was essentially Marvel’s attempt at soft rebooting the character after MCU Loki became incredibly popular. Loki is reborn (again) after dying (again) and is recruited by the All-Mother to go on secret missions for them, except along the way he ends up having to confront his own demons. This Loki is not the old mustache twirling evildoer from the old school comics, and he’s no longer Kid Loki. Now he’s a young adult punk that sings in the shower and reads fanfic. It’s a blast.
But the real reason I’m completely in love with this series is because it’s a powerful story about self discovery and identity, confronting your past mistakes, and the power of storytelling. It’s deep, it’s meta, and it’s a fun and emotional ride. Also, this series is the debut of Verity Willis, who is one of my absolutely favorite Marvel characters. I love her so much.
I think about this panel at least once a week.
3. “Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth” (2019)
Another short one (just 5 issues!) “The God Who Fell To Earth” actually isn’t a complete series but the start of Marvel’s ongoing Loki series in 2019. It was unfortunately cancelled after these first 5 issues, which is so disappointing because this series was off to such a solid start.
Anyway, here we have Loki after actually being eaten (no really and yes it’s a long story) and coming back to life for the millionth time. He decides to hang out on Earth for a bit and try being a hero this time around. He has a friendly chat with Tony Stark, a not so friendly chat with Nightmare, and he’s also a cowboy now! Also, please read Agent of Asgard first because with that context, issue #5 is chef’s kiss. It’s definitely worth a read before the show since it’s so recent. Comics Loki has finally gotten to the point where he’s just as comfortable being a hero as he is a villain, and I suspect Disney+ Loki is going to get him caught up to that point too.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just the top 3 I would recommend for anyone new to comics or Loki specific ones and want to get their feet wet before the show. There’s also a couple new series that are ongoing or coming out this summer which I need to get caught up on and will report back when I do!
Happy reading!
