Comics THORsday: Loki Agent of Asgard #13 to #17, the art of being oneself

Welcome to another Comics Thorsday! This time, I’m catching up with Loki Agent of Asgard, issues 13 to 17. I’ve been off for a while, and instead of creating one post for each issue, I decided to create a long post from issue 13 to 17. One of the reasons is because these issues wrap up what we’ve talked about in the previous ones, the explain the art of being oneself through Loki.

We start with issue #13, choosing one’s path. Loki is trapped by his old future self and given a choice. So, he sends his spirit to another place where he faces two previous incarnations of Loki, who give him an ultimatum: to disappear, like Kid Loki; or to assume his role. None of this solutions fits our beloved young Loki, who still struggles with his inner demons. Let’s put it on the table with a different set of terms: who do you want to be: the one society wants you to be, the one you want to be, or do you want to disappear forever? In the case of Loki, taking responsibility and be who he wants to be is a magical act. But, what about us?

I consider issue #13 quite dramatic: we see here what growing up means facing all your demons and taking responsibility for yourself. Loki has been failing this test over and over again with all his previous incarnations, but the cover already gives us some clues of what his choice will be: to hell with what others think about me or what society asks of me, I just want to be me!

Because talking about Loki means talking about magic, we discover that he can speak with his friend Verity while confronting his past failure selves. His smartphone has magic power, and so he can talk with her. How many times have we been in this same situation? I bet that tons of them! We have doubts, here represented by the ghosts of the already gone Lokis that are present always with us when talking to a good friend. Of course, we don’t do it in such funky ways.

And so, he makes his choice: not going to be the evil that society wants, nor the one disappearing again, like Kid Loki. See? Childhood is gone, so Kid Loki can’t be anymore, and the adult that other adults want him to be is not really appealing since it’s not what young Loki wants to be. So, he chooses himself.

And so, after eight months of the event, Young Loki knocks on Verity’s door, and he appears, transformed! Who is this guy? Is he Loki? Is he Verity’s friend?

By the way, remember that during the first issues I told you to pay a lot of attention to the captions that seem scrolls? We’re going to discover who is narrating the story soon!

In issue #14 Loki basically explains to Verity that he has chosen to be himself, and the rest of the world can rot. In fact, the rest of the world is going to disappear because it’s Ragnarok time! The Marvel Universe is coming to an end, and so everything is disappearing. But, is it?

Asgardians are already freaking out: Odin has a dream in which he has to face his Gods. Wait a minute? Gods have… Gods? It’s a good metaphor for parents and society, isn’t it? In the same way, children are expected to behave in a way, so were adults, and are still within society. So, in the end, everyone is playing a game: to do a role expected from everybody else!

Mirroring issue #1, this scene presents us Loki in the loo. He is not singing anymore, nor taking a shower, but he is contemplating his new self in the mirror. Yup, that’s me. And, boy! I am hairy!

When confronted with his friend, he replies that, whatever changes he might go through, he is going to be always himself. And, isn’t that what happens when we grow up and do stuff that others haven’t imagined we would do because they already have an image about us? True friends will accept you as you are, your true self, regardless. And so, this is what happens here with Verity.

So, who is Loki? He is the God of Lies no more, but the God of Stories. It’s a fine line to walk, however, since stories could also be Lies. But, in essence, he has found his own way, a way that he likes better than what others told him he was. He has chosen. This time, the others didn’t choose for him!

In issue #15 we can find two important events: Verity’s story and Ragnarok. We’re going to discover how Verity can always know the truth, and how nasty the battle for survival is going to be during Ragnarok.

If we focus on Verity’s story, we’ll discover that she ate a truth ring when she was a baby. We are most vulnerable when we are kids. Events during our childhood will shape us forever. If we happen to have a trauma at a young age, this can have a huge impact during our adulthood. As we can see here, Verity will end up loving sciences because there can’t be lies there. And it all began with a magic ring.

And while Loki explains Verity’s story, magic happens: he traps her soul so that he can save her. But why? Very simple: because she is his friend! Loki has finally found friendship, true friendship, and he intends to safe friendship from Ragnarok.

In other words, when we grow up we all try to keep our friends. We might change, but it will always be us, and we’ll try to keep our friends. Only those who are okay with our changes, our evolution, will be there for us forever. So, it’s just natural that Loki tries to save his friendship from oblivion.

Issue #16 goes in depth with the central topics of this comic: growing up, being oneself regardless of what others think, and friendship. The world could change or even end, and we’ll be there for those who loves us, truly love us.

Loki wants to save the only friend he has, the only one who has ever had faith in him. And he will do it with his unique style (with magic, tricks and without asking permission). Haven’t you ever tried to do something good for a friend who really believed in you when no one else would?

Loki’s word here are very powerful: I am who I am, you are who you are, you can see me how you want, but this is me now. Take it or leave it. He is giving us the recipe of what friendship should be, to take people as they are and not try to change them! In the same way, we ask others to accept us as we are, we also have to do the same for them.

And then, Loki confronts society and his Older Loki. He stands in the middle of the battle they’re engaged in, and simply states: this is me. He and Old Loki are different. But, what is the thing that makes them different? Simple: Old Loki follows society rules, their expectations. And in doing so, he is miserable (if he weren’t, he wouldn’t have traveled back in time!)

So, there’s no surprise of his behavior when he finds out he is powerless: he disappears. What do kids do when they are found out? They hide, they cry, they try to tell others it wasn’t them. Thus, Old Loki goes into hiding!

And as soon as Old Loki disappears, Asgardians ask our Young Loki to choose sides! See, Ragnarok asks of Loki to fulfill a role, in one of the two sides. And of course, he refuses. It’s like when you’re in the middle of a stupid quarrel people around you are having, and they ask from you to say that one of them was right. Both sides want you to do what they want from you: to say that one is right (infuriating the other). And so Loki refuses: you play your game. I’m off it! In essence, he is saying: when are you going to grow up?

And here comes the last issue with a powerful message: do your stuff, create your path, and to hell to people who feed on your stories. Not only we discover that it was Loki the one narrating his story from issue #1 [yes, it’s him the one talking in those scroll captions, the God of Stories!], we also get to know what happens to Gods of Gods when they’re not fed enough stories.

When all things die, Loki is in a different place along with Verity, and they end up facing Gods of Gods who feed on stories, without which they cannot exist. We all had those type of people around who feed on gossip. They feed on gossip and the miseries of others so that they can feel alive. But, if they have nothing to gossip about, they are pretty dead, aren’t they?

People use gossip (or stories if you will) not to be afraid of their environment. Hey, do you know what happen to this guy, or the neighbor, or at work? While gossip centers itself in stuff that happens to others, those who feed on it aren’t afraid anymore. They can go on with their lives with a nice sense of control. Facing the fact of taking responsibility for their own lives, spooks the hell out of them!

And so, Loki confronts the Gods of Gods (the ones who feed on gossip and only feel alive when it happens), and he simply makes them go. But he also does something very powerful here. He states that man created its Gods in times of need so they could feel in control and secure. It poses a question of faith! If we create stories in times of need that makes us feel good, isn’t it a little bit like lying to ourselves? Aren’t we exchanging the sense of control for a lie of it?

In one of the strongest pages ever, Loki explains his transformation, his growth. He goes from teen to young adult, and he accepts it. But this page also reads so Buddhist: “ego-death.” When we leave behind fear, negative emotions, struggles for power and everything that makes us want to control everything, what’s left? We are, our essence is! Our true selves!

We have to be able to forgive ourselves of whatever bad we might have done in the past, take responsibility and start a new path where we know we are not in control of everything, but only our actions.

And in doing so, we are the authors of our own story!

Loki Agent of Asgard might look like a comic to read and have fun with. However, it poses great questions, and it asks us what we would do when confronted with a similar situation. Of course, our environment isn’t that magical, but the issues that Loki faces are very human: being oneself and having the guts to be oneself regardless of what society tells us. To take control of our actions and being strong enough to be the authors of our stories.

Did you think Loki Agent of Asgard could have such deep questions hidden within? What do you think of the stereotypes it touches? Has reading this comic changed your view on Superhero comics? Let me know in comments.

—

Join us!

Find us in Good Reads!

Need more help? Read some more:

• Loki Agent of Asgard #1, we start reading!
• Introduction to Comics
• Maybe also, some History of Comics?
• Loki is a little bit of a Geek. Some info about Issue #2 before reading it. The cheating sheet is here!
• Loki goes speed dating in Issue #2. Read it here.
• Loki explains legends in a different light in Issue #3. Read it here.
• Loki Geeks out in Issue #4. Read it here.
• Loki shows off in Issue #5. Read it here.
• Is Loki of Asgard really loved by Odin? Discovering an important page in Original Sin, Thor & Loki The Tenth Realm. Read it here.
• Loki gets in trouble in issue #6 + The Tenth Realm. Read it here.
• Loki gets upside down in Loki AoA issue #7! Read it here.
• Loki is too good to be true in issue #8! Read it here.
• Loki and Thor Swap roles in issue #9! Read it here.
• Loki cannot forgieve himself in issue #10! Read it here.
• Loki’s world is falling apart in issue #11! Read it here.
• Loki will be always seen as the God of lies in issue #12. Read it here.