Loki and the Language of Sexual Violence

[Trigger warning: discussion of sexual violence, consent issues, and rape. NSFW language]

All this talk of Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World (2013) inspired me to break out my Blu-ray edition of Marvel’s Thor (2011) last night. By all accounts, it’s my favorite film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since it taught me to love Thor and Marvel, which then inspired me to apply for an internship there and the rest is geeky history. So I love this movie. I love Thor. And like most in the Marvel fandom, I love Loki.

But there’s a moment in Thor that I always found troubling and I often try to forget it happens. When it does occur, I find myself incredibly uncomfortable, especially for a movie that I thoroughly enjoy as both a feminist and a geek.

Frigga, Loki, and Magic in Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World

I recently wrote an essay exploring Loki and Frigga’s relationship and the use of magic and the feminine in Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World. Please check it out here at The Discriminating Fangirl! Beware, SPOILERS.  

 

Deadpool #55

Cover by Dave Johnson

Deadpool #55 (May 23, 2012)

Writer: Daniel Way

Penciller: Shawn Crystal

Colorist: John Rauch

Letterer: Joe Sabino

As a huge Deadpool fan, I was confused and anxious about the recent changes that the Merc with a Mouth had undergone. The majority of what makes Deadpool Deadpool had essentially disappeared. I was worried.

Deadpool #55, however, did alleviate some of my fears; Deadpool is still crazy, he still has the fun yellow boxes, and he still has a profound love for murder and being really, really good at it.

Journey Into Mystery: Fear Itself #626

Cover by Stephanie Hans

Journey Into Mystery: Fear Itself #626(August 17, 2011)

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Penciller: Doug Braithwaite

Colorist: Ulises Arreola, Andy Troy

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

So if I can just fangirl here for a minute (and based on my blog’s title I obviously have every right to), I just want to say that Kid Loki is one of my absolute favorite things about comic books right now.

What could have been an over-the-top gimmick turned into one of the best and freshest characters in the Marvel Universe and managed to breathe new life into an old villain. Kid Loki is a funny, clever, occasionally dangerous, in over his head, desperate to please and manipulative smartass. And I love him. In fact, I have yet to meet any Marvel fan that also didn’t love Kid Loki.

Spider-Island: Cloak and Dagger #1

Cover by Mike Choi

Spider-Island: Cloak and Dagger #1 (August 10, 2011)

Writer: Nick Spencer

Penciller: Emma Ríos

Colorist: Javier Rodriguez

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

In an effort to reacquaint myself with my beloved comic books and force myself to write on a regular basis, I’ve decided to restart my review-a-comic-a-day summer project. I’m terribly excited.

This will also give me a clear reason to finally sit down and read my increasing pile of comic books that I have been accumulating on my bookshelf for the last year. I have a very bad habit of buying comic book issues in a fury and then not reading all of them. I therefore have unread comics that are at least a year old, such as this one, Spider-Island: Cloak and Dagger #1. Rather than ignore these and move on, I’ve decided to sit down and read and review them, regardless of how old they may be. I refuse to give up on them.

Deadpool #54

Cover by Dave Johnson

Deadpool #54 (May 9, 2012)

Writer: Daniel Way

Penciller: Alé Garza

Inker: Sean Parson

Colorist: Dommo Sanchez Amara

Letterer: Joe Sabino

I’m really torn about this issue.

For one thing, I am impressed with Way’s handling of what seemed to be a dead-end arc. While I had no idea how Way was going to conclude the Dead arc, I certainly wasn’t expecting this. Way managed to imbue new life into Deadpool so as to begin a new chapter in this character’s chaotic career. From this perspective, this is the perfect way to conclude a story arc and still pique the reader’s interest to see where Deadpool will be going after this.

On the other hand… I WANT MY OLD DEADPOOL BACK.

Okay, if you haven’t read Deadpool #54, I highly suggest you stop reading because I am about to totally spoil it for you; I need to get this off my chest.

Marvel's The Avengers

The only poster that matters.

Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

Director: Joss Whedon

Writer: Joss Whedon, Zak Penn

Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johanson, Samuel L. Jackson

Here’s the thing, the first time I saw Marvel’s The Avengers, I declared to some skeptical friends that it was the greatest super hero movie I’ve ever seen. They, who did not see the film yet, argued for The Dark Knight, which I still maintain is not a super hero movie but a crime movie that happens to star comic book characters. Said friends saw Marvel’s The Avengers and relented, saying it was extremely good.

After a second and careful viewing, I have to say it is a nearly perfect movie: solid storyline, great pacing, awesome and not overbearing action sequences, fantastic chemistry between the many larger-than-life characters, plenty of Joss Whedon humor and a beloved character’s death. Also, everyone in this movie is gorgeous.

Seriously, this may be the best looking cast I have ever seen and if I can be superficial here for a moment: that is awesome.

Avengers Academy #27

Cover by David Lafuente, Christina Strain

Avengers Academy #27 (March 7, 2012)

Writer: Christos Gage

Penciller: Karl Moline, Jim Fern

Colorist: Chris Sotomayor

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

It’s been a very long time since I last reviewed any Avengers Academy so I admittedly have a lot of catching up to do. I am especially a little in over my head as this issue features the Runaways in a crossover between the two Marvel teen teams. I have never read any Runaways issues and only know the fundamentals of the characters and their backstories.

Nonetheless, I was able to pick up the basic tension between the teams and the central plot fairly quickly. Gage isn’t too bad at exposition via characters’ dialogue though I occasionally found the teens’ voices a little false.

Deadpool #52

Cover by Dave Johnson

Deadpool #52 (March 21, 2012)

Writer: Daniel Way

Penciller: Ale Garza

Inker: Sean Parsons

Colorist: Dommo Sanchez Amara

Letterer: Joe Sabino

My God, where have I been? Can someone volunteer to finish up my graduate work so I can get back to reading comics and writing about them? I need my own intern, damn it.

Anyway, real life has been hectic so I have been neglecting my blog/personal happy place. Oh, how I’ve missed you. In order to get back into the swing of comic book reading, I decided to return to someone as all over the place mentally as I have been lately: Deadpool.

In case you haven’t been keeping up with Deadpool’s latest run, he wants to kill himself. That isn’t particularly new but he’s getting progressively closer to actually offing himself. There’s a serum out there that can negate his healing factor and make him susceptible to death’s cold embrace, which he craves.

Daken: Dark Wolverine #21

Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Frank Martin

Daken: Dark Wolverine #21 (February 8, 2012)

Writer: Rob Williams

Penciller: Matteo Buffagni, Andrea Mutti, Riley Rossmo

Colorist: Guru-eFX, Rachelle Rosenberg, Riley Rossmo

Letterer: Cory Petit

I’ve been avoiding reading Daken: Dark Wolverine for very vague and ridiculous reasons:

• I had no idea who he was
• I don’t much like Wolverine

I know these are completely nonsensical reasons for not picking up a single issue of a unfamiliar character so finally, I took a chance on Daken: Dark Wolverine #21 (right after a quick trip to Wikipedia to see just who this guy is).

Red Skull: Incarnate #5

Cover by David Aja

Red Skull: Incarnate #5 (November 30, 2011)

Writer: Greg Pak

Penciller: Mirko Colak

Colorist: Matthew Wilson

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Finally!

Six months after I first picked up Red Skull #1, I have finally read the last of the Red Skull: Incarnate series, one of my absolute favorite comic runs in the last year.

Pak delivered an engrossing and very realistic-feeling origin story for Red Skull, a character that I originally thought of as rather over-the-top. Pak’s characterization of Johann Schmidt as dynamic but ultimately having extreme antisocial personality disorder made the character seem fresh and also engaging. While I didn’t like Schmidt as a character (which I doubt Pak wanted from the reader anyway), I cared about what he did and what happened to him because I knew that he would carry every experience towards his darker end as Red Skull.

The Punisher #5

Cover by Marco Checchetto

The Punisher #5 (November 16, 2011)

Writer: Greg Rucka

Penciller: Marco Checchetto

Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Whoa, where have I been?

I somehow managed to miss three Punisher issues and not collapse in a state of mourning at the absence of Frank Castle in my life. I guess I’m just an incredibly strong person.

Anyway, I still love this run though The Punisher #5 was definitely more of an interlude than an actual action-packed storyline continuation. At first that threw me but after I finished it, I genuinely appreciated this issue and the exposition it gave.

Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers

Cover by Esad Ribic

Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers (March 2011)
Writer: Robert Rodi
Artist: Esad Ribic
Letterer: Cory Petit, Randy Gentile

I’ve been anxious to read more Thor comics, especially those that focus on Loki and draw from traditional Norse mythology, for a while now.  The graphic novel of Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers is very new (along with the motion comic of the same name that is residing in my Netflix queue, though I heard it wasn’t that good) and I know the repackaging of this series into a graphic novel was timed to correlate to the release of the motion picture Thor. I see what you did there, Marvel. And I’m okay with it.

Let’s be real here. I love Loki. I know that makes me appear even more fangirlish than normal but man, he’s fun. Of course, it doesn’t help that in the film, he looked like this:

Tom Hiddleston, I blame you for all my fangirlishness.

The Amazing Spider-Man #675

Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli

The Amazing Spider-Man #675 (December 7, 2011)

Writer: Dan Slott

Penciller: Giuseppe Camuncoli

Inker: Klaus Janson

Colorist: Frank D’Armata

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

I don’t know why but there is something so off-putting about Peter Parker to me.

And if pop culture is telling me anything, everyone else seems to love him. I don’t find him relatable or charming or likable or even particularly funny. He seems like this guy who tries so hard to give off an “aw shucks” boyish charm that it appears bogus. I just don’t like him, all right?

Nonetheless, I wanted to read another Spider-Man comic because, well, he’s Spider-Man and he’s kind of a big deal. Don’t ask me why but he is.

The Ultimates #4

Cover by Kaare Andrews, Christ Stevens

The Ultimates #4 (November 30, 2011)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: Esad Ribic

Colorist: Dean White

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

I think something happened either to me or the creators of this series between the last issue and this one because The Ultimates #4 took a serous nosedive.

I’m just not feeling this one: the plot wasn’t terribly exciting, the pacing felt awkward and I especially did not care for the artwork. And I loved it in the last issue! Maybe I’m just easily bored, I don’t know.

I think the trouble lies in the fact that since series has segued from a Ragnarök-esque tale to a very angry, very bloated action comic with little heart. I enjoyed the earlier issues because the characters were dynamic and emotional against the backdrop of epic fight scenes, debilitating battles and creepy villains. Plus, I’m still mourning the loss of all my Norse gods. Now everyone just feels like caricatures: Nick Fury wasn’t very interesting, Hawkeye and Iron Man were thrown to the sidelines, the villains weren’t gripping and Thor was kind of silly.

The Ultimates #3

Cover by Kaare Andrews

The Ultimates #3 (October 26, 2011)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: Esad Ribic

Colorist: Dean White

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

I’m still really enjoying this series though I am completely unfamiliar with the Ultimates universe. That is most likely a failing on my end but so far, Hickman hasn’t lost or totally confused me.

Rather, he has spun a very exciting story arc. The Ultimates #3, in particularly, feels very cinematic. It could easily be translated to the screen as an action-packed, epic, explosion-filled thriller; yet it still has a great storyline and well-drawn character depths. I cared about all the central figures in this issue, Thor, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and Iron Man, in particular. They were very dynamic and rather atypical. For example, Nick Fury had an intense moment of defeat and even Thor suffered from resigned, embittered vengeance. There was very much a sense of a team effort, which I greatly enjoyed, in the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier; based, however, on the frenetic assault on our agents and Europe, this isn’t always enough.

Daredevil #5

Cover by Marcos Martin

Daredevil #5 (October 26, 2011)

Writer: Mark Waid

Penciller: Marcos Martin

Colorist: Javier Rodriguez

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

So somehow I missed Daredevil #4 and didn’t even realize it right away. This should’ve upset me but instead, I shrugged and figured I would continue on from Daredevil #5.

This implies that Waid’s Daredevil series can be read at random and individual issues are weak. That is not true. If anything, my complete engrossment in Daredevil #5 without even knowing I had missed #4 signifies Waid’s strength as a writer. He gave me a coherent, gripping new storyline that could’ve been enjoyable to a completely new reader but still drew just the right amount from its immediate predecessors for those who have been with the series from the beginning.

Legion of Monsters #1

Cover by Juan Doe

Legion of Monsters #1 (October 12, 2011)

Writer: Dennis Hopeless

Penciller: Juan Doe

Colorist: Wil Quintana

Letterer: Dave Lanphear

I’m always on the lookout for unfamiliar and new series, especially ones that I can start fresh with as a reader. So I was excited to see Legion of Monsters #1 on the newsstand and, as a big classic monster movie fan, was terribly intrigued. Once again, I have no background with these characters but I assumed that this Legion of Monsters is a sort of contemporary throwback to the pulpy horror comics of the 1950s and 1960s. It definitely had the feel of those comics but with some very modern concepts, as well.

Legion of Monsters #1 starts rather forebodingly, with an unnamed narrator explaining that a serial killer is targeting teenage girls in suburban England. The police are baffled, however, because they are erroneously looking for a human serial killer rather than a supernatural one. Luckily, Elsa Bloodstone, our teenage monster hunter and narrator, is on to this villain and decides to lure him her own way.

Red Skull: Incarnate #4

Cover by David Aja

Red Skull: Incarnate #4 (October 27, 2011)

Writer: Greg Pak

Penciller: Mirko Colak

Colorist: Matthew Wilson

Inker: Mirko Colak

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

This has been the weakest thus far in the Red Skull: Incarnate series. That is particularly disappointing as this is the penultimate issue and should’ve whetted my appetite for the insane upcoming conclusion.

Don’t get me wrong; the last panel promised an exciting last issue with a crazy-sounding plan that I shan’t give away here. I only wish that the build-up to this final panel had been more exciting and had more plot to it than simply waiting around for Johann Schmidt to drop the crazy-plan-bomb.

The Ultimates #2

Cover by Kaare Andrews

The Ultimates #2 (September 28, 2011)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: Esad Ribic

Colorist: Dean White

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

In another review of this comic, it was called “high concept.” That was exactly the term I was looking for after reading The Ultimates #2. It was bothering me for a while.

“High concept” can be analogous with “gimmicky” which in turn, can be viewed as “weak.” The Ultimates #2 was definitely out there with its gimmick but Hickman managed to craft a thoroughly strong and compelling storyline. I was confused by some of the backstory and just where within this universe the totally neutral villains spring from and what they plan to do; however, I was intrigued by these villains, the Tomorrow People, simply because they are some of the most unique and compelling bad guys I’ve encountered in a long time.