In the glory days of Asgard, there was a prince named Thor, beloved by the people for his strength, valor and compassion. And there was a prince named Loki, beloved for his whimsy and pranks on his brother. But when Loki’s pranks go too far, Thor and his brother wind up in some hot water in Thor & Loki: Double Trouble #1 written by Mariko Tamaki, art by Gurihiru and letters by VC’s Ariana Maher.
Mariko Tamaki and Gurihiru’s 2019-2020 Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble mini-series was a surprise hit for me. Not because I was shocked that any of the creators involved could put out good comics; they’re all quality creators. But Marvel has not done a lot of all-ages comics in recent years, having farmed most of them out to IDW. So when I saw what was clearly not a book aimed at Marvel’s target demo, and as a fan of well done all ages comics, I had to pick it up. And the weird mix of Spider-Man and Venom as Odd Couple-esque roommates mixed with Freaky Friday was a hilarious and unexpected winner. So the same creators doing a Thor & Loki brother buddy comedy seems a natural fit. And it is.
Tamaki starts the series by establishing exactly who our two leads are. I doubt there are a lot of people who will pick this up not knowing who the Marvel versions of Thor and Loki are, but the opening scene of Thor showing off for the people and Loki pranking the big oaf does a great job of establishing who these teen (or some value thereof; they’re clearly younger than 616 but who knows how Asgardians age) versions are to each other.
The story breezes on to set the stakes for the mini-series. Loki is a jerk who keeps daring Thor to do stuff, and this time, the dare goes a bit too far. The action is contained nearly entirely to Loki doing something to Thor and Thor reacting in a comically outraged way, a reaction anyone with a little brother who is a pain would know. It’s brothers being brothers, if the brothers happen to be gods. The story also does a great job of balancing both its leads. It would be easy for Loki at his most mischievous to completely steal the show from Thor at his most genuine and dumbly heroic, but Thor’s frustration allows him to hit back blow for rhetorical blow on Loki.
The book finds a way to keep the stakes high while never dragging it into a depth I wouldn’t feel comfortable having a kid of any age read. All ages comics are a tightrope; go one way and you wind up with a kids comic with no subtlety; go the other and it stops being something kids can understand. This threads the needle perfectly, allowing readers to take what they want from it, and including some gags that the adult audience will pick up on. Loki shapeshifting into a horse is a great moment, and a neat visual that kids would love; if you know your Norse mythology, it has another level that, well, probably doesn’t exist in the more sanitized version of the stories in the Marvel Universe but… yikes. Let me just say, Loki should probably stay out of horse form. Look it up.
The story is definitely fun, but Gurihiru’s art really sells the book. The style here is closer to what they have done on their Avatar: The Last Airbender tie-ins or Superman Smashes the Klan than the slightly more cartoony style from the previous Double Trouble. Their style is so expressive, it’s perfectly suited to the big personalities that Tamaki gives the brothers. Loki’s conniving little smirk is spot on, and Thor just reads as this joyful ball of energy and bravado; these would come through perfectly even without the words. The quality isn’t reserved just or these personal character moments either. There’s a double page spread at the end of the issue with a sense of grandeur, and a touch of menace, that is a THOR image, the kind of thing you’d expect from Kirby or Simonson, if done in Gurihiru’s distinct style. Also of note is the coloring in the book; Gurihiru gives Loki a somewhat paler tone than Thor, both adding to his indoor kid vibe and hinting at his frost giant lineage. It’s little touches like that which make a book stand out.
While this is a series that won’t rock the foundations of the Marvel Universe, if a fun comic that frames classic Marvel heroes in an all ages light is something you’re into, Thor & Loki: Double Trouble is exactly what you’re looking for.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of five. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the creator interview podcast WMQ&A with Dan Grote.
