2023/162: Loki: Journey Into Mystery — Katherine Locke

'... back then, you could hide your heart under your guile. You've got more heart and less guile this time.' [loc. 724]

A novelisation -- or 'prose novel', a term which respects the original's literary credentials -- of Kieron Gillen's Loki: Journey Into Mystery, which began in 2011. The Loki of Journey Into Mystery is not (any of) the current Marvel Cinematic Universe Loki(s). He's a kid: literally, an adolescent, resurrected by Thor after sacrificing himself to save Asgard. Asgard itself was not destroyed, but has crash-landed near Broxton, Oklahoma. Loki has a Starkphone (the first thing he says is 'even people online think I'm lying. Why do people always assume that?') and, though we don't encounter them directly, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are still ... around. Loki is not super-popular with the Asgardians, who all think that despite death and resurrection he's incapable of change. This Loki is determined to change. He intends to escape his story, his fate, and be a hero. With the aid of a magpie named Ikol, a (hellhound) puppy named Thori, and a romantic interest named Leah, he faces down Asgard's enemies and tries to outwit his former self's machinations. Much more mythological material here than in the MCU, and some really poignant moments as Loki -- who is, after all, still a kid, even if he's also the resurrected age-old god of chaos and mischief -- fights, flees, dissembles and makes sacrifices of his own.

Katherine Locke takes no liberties: she sticks to the original story and dialogue, and her creative input focusses on description and character exposition. Reading this novel was quite a different experience to reading the comics, which I devoured avidly some years ago. I do generally prefer prose to graphics, but while reading Locke's novel I was very aware that I was missing a dimension of pacing and tension that had been provided by the artwork. Perhaps, too, the prose format pins down some of the story in ways that were left ambiguous in the original. Still, Locke's style is engaging and the story's well-paced: I enjoyed this, and think some readers will find it more accessible than the graphic novel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review: UK Publication Date is 19th December 2023.