Journey Into Mystery #633

Children all over the world are haunted by their nightmares.  Some are being haunted to the point of spiritual possession.  Enter Daimon Hellstrom and his searches to help those possessed have led him to Loki.

Journey Into Mystery #633

The Fear Lords have assembled to discuss the recent activities of the now defeated Serpent.  Absent from this tribunal of ancient entities is Nightmare, the dream demon.  In Broxton, Loki and Leah (while possibly on a date?) run into some local trouble to which Leah handles by tossing a thug out the window of the diner.  In Poland, a poor girl is dreaming of the Serpent’s doings.  When Daimon Hellstrom arrives, he’s too late to save the girl.  He looks for the source of the issues and is pointed toward Broxton where Loki is also being attacked by his dreams.

One of the main reasons why I absolutely love Kieron Gillen’s work on this series is his incredible use of humor.  It almost evokes some of what the rip roaring 60s and 70s were at Marvel.  Captions and Editor’s Notes often used space to crack a joke or give some additional commentary on what’s going on in the book.  Gillen has typically used the first page of the last several issues of Journey Into Mystery to set the tongue in cheek tone, but he’s also let it spill over into the issue itself.

Most of the time it comes through in his depiction of the new Loki.  That’s certainly on display here, but even in the expansive descriptions of the Fear Lords, there’s much to chuckle at.  Each one of the Lords have physical and personality quirks that perfectly suit Gillen’s sensibilities in this series.  Even then, as Gillen brings Hellstrom into the story, he gives a much more serious and darker tone to the character without letting it diminish that golden sense of humor he is better known for in the series.  It’s a really nice combination and adds a cool new level using a character (Hellstrom) I’ve always appreciated.

Richard Elson’s art in this book is a slight departure from what the series has typically used in the past.  Earlier issues in this run have featured artists whose work comes out looking a little more like folk art depicting tales of the ancient gods and the like.  Elson, on the other hand gives this issue a little more of the expected comic book art.  He did similarly with issue #627, but I’m not at all saying his art in this series is run of the mill.  It actually fits the story nicely since a majority of the issue is away from Asgardia and has a fair chunk devoted to Hellstrom, a character separate from the Norse gods.  It might not be what we’ve come to expect visually in this series, but still definitely delivers.

This series starts the new year with a great first part to a new arc bringing Loki into direct confrontation with an unexpected guest star that nicely sets up part two.

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Tags: Journey Into Mystery Kieron Gillen Thor