The 5 Best Comics to Read Before Watching 'Loki' on Disney+

Image via Disney+

Out of the many villains populating the Marvel Cinematic Universe, few burn brighter than Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. The perfect marriage of performer and character, Hiddleston’s portrayal of the Norse god of mischief irritates and delights in equal measure, as only the famous trickster could. So as Marvel and Disney considered characters worthy of their own Disney+ spinoff series, Loki seemed like an easy bet.

Picking up in the moments right after Loki stole the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame, the Loki series will see the fan-favorite captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and forced to work with them in exchange for his freedom. Based on the trailers, Loki looks to feature a new, episodic adventure each week—all anchored by Hiddleston’s electric charm.

Much like we did with WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we’re recommending five Loki comic book series to read if you’re looking to get a sense of what titles may have inspired the show. The popularity of Hiddleston’s performance made the publication of these comics much easier, so there’s a beautiful bit of symbiosis happening as various forms of media influence one another. There’s so much joy to be found in these titles, so we hope you’ll dig in accordingly.

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• 
  'Thor' (Vol. 1)
  

  Where to read: Marvel Unlimited | Amazon
  What you see: The debut of Lady Loki

  Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski wrote a handful of Marvel titles during the early aughts, but his 2007-2011 tenure on Thor would serve as a template for the eventual MCU version of the character. Hell, he even landed a writing credit on the movie as a result. The JMS Thor series focuses on the God of Thunder’s quest to rebuild Asgard and restore the Asgardians in the wake of tragedy.

  The first volume of the JMS Thor run is notable for the introduction of Lady Loki. As is revealed in Thor: Ragnarok, Loki is a shapeshifter and often changes forms. Considering the TVA makes a specific note of Hiddleston’s Loki as one of several Loki “variants,” it’s likely we’ll see Lady Loki—and other versions of the character—in the upcoming show. Reading the JMS series is a great place to get some context on this specific version of Loki, should our hypothesis come true.

• 
  ‘Journey Into Mystery' Vol. 1: Fear Itself
  

  Where to read: Marvel Unlimited | Amazon
  What you see: A defining character run featuring Kid Loki

  In the early 1960s, the original Journey Into Mystery series served as the home place for the initial run of Thor stories published by Marvel. The title resurfaced a few different times throughout Marvel’s publishing history, most notably in 2011 under the guidance of writer Kieron Gillen, artist Doug Braithwaite, colorist Ulises Arreola, and letterer Clayton Cowles. Set amongst the massive “Fear Itself” event, Loki returns after a few years of being off the chessboard, albeit as a child version of himself.

  Much like all Loki tales, the central focus of Journey Into Mystery hinges on Loki’s trustworthiness, a concept the Disney+ series will also explore. Without giving too much of the, well, mystery away, Loki’s motivations are decidedly more complex this specific go-round. The resulting tale lets Gillen play with Loki’s complicated morality while the art team of Braithwaite, Arreola, and Cowles craft a visual spectacle worthy of Norse legend. The result is one of the definitive Loki stories published at Marvel—and an essential read for fans of the character.

• 
  ‘Young Avengers: The Complete Collection’
  

  Where to read: Marvel Unlimited | Amazon
  What you see: Gillen’s Second Act with Loki

  The ending of Journey Into Mystery leads directly into Kieron Gillen’s run on the Young Avengers title, as the writer joins his longtime art collaborator Jamie McKelvie, colorist Mike Norton, and letterer Clayton Cowles. Young Avengers initially released in 2013 during a particularly fertile creative period at Marvel and pairs alongside Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye series as one of the most purely entertaining titles ever published.

  While Young Avengers is a team-up book, Loki serves as the driving force behind the plot. He’s responsible for bringing everyone together, and the central hook behind the series once again focuses on the character’s true motivations. Gillen’s take on soon-to-be-introduced MCU characters like Kate Bishop and Miss America is incredibly fresh, authentic, and true. Once those factors meet the kinetic art from McKelvie, Norton, and Cowles, the book explodes off the page. While Young Avengers only lasted 15 issues, it certainly burned bright and hot and is another must-read book for fans of Loki and Marvel alike.

• 
  ‘Loki: Agent of Asgard’
  

  Where to read: Marvel Unlimited | Amazon
  What you see: Loki’s caper of the week

  It seems the Loki Disney+ series may owe its central premise to Loki: Agent of Asgard. Written by Al Ewing, with art by Lee Garbett, colors by Nolan Woodard, and letters by Clayton Cowles, the trickster becomes a secret agent for Asgard. With a premise that’s like the Suicide Squad meets James Bond, Loki carries out secret missions on behalf of Asgard in exchange for the atonement of his previous misdeeds. Ewing also established the character as canonically bisexual while also exploring Loki’s fluid gender identity.

  We know from the trailers of the Loki series that the TVA will recruit the Hiddleston version of Loki to restore the flow of time. Agent of Asgard has an episodic feel—one issue occurs in a Monte Carlo casino, for example—reading the Ewing series will likely provide a good sense of the show’s structure.

• 
  ‘Vote Loki’
  

  Where to read: Marvel Unlimited | Amazon
  What you see: A surprising character study into Loki

  Released to correspond with the 2016 presidential election, the Christopher Hastings-penned Vote Loki book saw the trickster toss his hat into the ring as a presidential candidate in the Marvel Universe. With art from Langdon Foss, colors by Chris Chuckry & Rachelle Rosenberg, and letters by Travis Lanham, the four-issue mini-series uses Loki as a lens to explore the threat of demagogues. While Vote Loki felt a little close to home during its initial publication, revisiting Hastings’ story now is a fascinating surprise, offering a deep and rewarding character study into Loki.

  One of the notable moments of the first Loki trailer included the character in his Vote Loki garb, indicating the series has, at the very least, made a visual impact on the show. Considering Loki is prone to all kinds of shenanigans, it’s probably not too far afield to think the character might stage a political run in the TV series as well.