2. Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett (Marvel)
One of the most eagerly anticipated comics of the year is finally here and it doesn't disappoint: it's Loki: Agent of Asgard! In an effort to make up for the sins of his past, new young adult Loki takes on missions given to him by the All-Mother. In the first issue, Loki must face maybe his greatest foe his brother, Thor! This issue has a great opening page with Loki stabbing Thor in the back with a magical sword and saying "Trust me"! It instantly defines the two characters' relationship while drawing the reader immediately into the story, which of course isn't as simple as Loki betraying Thor again. Like other secret agents, Loki's got his share of gadgets with magical shoes enabling him to run up the side of Avengers Tower and a cloak of... cloaking for, well, duh. The series direction looks to be more than just done-in-one missions as Al Ewing addresses classic Loki, the crazy, snarling old man from the Silver Age juxtaposed with the continued rehabilitation of the character today, thanks to his growing popularity with readers. It's an interesting meta-angle to take that's surprisingly more cerebral than I expected when I first heard about this series and which looks to develop into a great storyline. Lee Garbett's art is wonderful and his time spent drawing Aric on Valiant's XO Manowar has paid dividends here as he draws a mean Thor, but he also does a fantastic job with the rest of the Avengers and of course his Loki design is absolutely brilliant. Al Ewing's writing is first class and it's great to see this top British talent flourishing at the biggest comics publisher in the world. I'm sure this series will deservedly earn him more recognition and plaudits if the following issues are as excellent as this first one was. I really loved the dialogue between Hawkeye and Black Widow as she watches Clint playing a computer game: "Clint", "I know", "You have the army after you and no health and you're falling out of a crashing plane...", "I know, Nat", "It's a bass fishing simulator, Clint", "I know! It just... it just happens!". Great stuff, Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 is a must-read!