Loki’s mischievous ways goes full force in this edition of What If?… Dark Loki, which explores what would have happened if the god of mischief and chaos was worthy of Mjolnir instead of Thor.
While it delivered on the promise of “Asgard’s worst day” it did so at the sake of storytelling and the result was a rushed story that had very little substance. If this wasn’t a What If story, I would have been under the impression that I was reading Loki’s wet dream because until the end, everything went along perfectly. Too perfect.
The roles of supporting characters, especially Thor and Odin, were small and dismissed. They may have been the intended targets of Loki’s madness but they felt insignificant— almost non-existent to the bigger picture Loki planned. It was hard to suspend belief that Loki’s plans would have gone as well as it did against all-seeing beings that have been known to be as powerful as celestials.
The art feels like a throwback to simpler times, but redefined to meet modern standards so I give it points for nostalgia but I’ll admit, if this was done in another art style, I don’t think I would have enjoyed the rest of the issue.
Did I like reading this issue? Yes I liked the art and seeing Loki prevail through was a nice change of pace, but I did not enjoy it. I felt that there was a lot left to be desired and while there was a story, it wasn’t fleshed out enough to help me believe in it. I look forward to the other What If Dark series, but while this issue ended with a bang (pun intended), the series started off with a whimper.
Newsdesk