For good or ill, the staggering success of The Avengers at the box office has changed the 50-year-old franchise. The team’s comic counterparts have increasingly been brought in line with Marvel’s cinematic vision, with characters like Captain America and Hawkeye given “real world” makeovers to match their movie appearances. That said, its not always a movie that’s at fault for changing a character’s look. Sometimes a single story is responsible for wiping decades of style under the rug…
Loki came to us in the Marvel Legends Onslaught wave, but it wasn’t the Loki anyone was expecting. Ever since the scheming Asgardian appeared in Journey Into Mystery #85, he’d been wearing the same basic outfit: a gold chain-mail tunic over green bodysuit. Wave 13’s Loki, on the other hand, was based on Loki’s appearance in the 2004’s Loki miniseries by by Robert Rodi and Esad Ribic. The sophisticated storytelling and breathtaking art hit a chord with readers, who responded to the book’s darker tone and focus on one of Marvel’s oldest recurring characters. That said, was this version really the best choice for Loki’s Marvel Legends debut? The story was set in an alternate reality, so it wasn’t exactly canon. In fact, this is what Loki was wearing in comics at the time:
Pretty much his classic look, right? So why did Toy Biz choose to go the route they did? Was Marvel planning on making this Loki’s go-to look? I tried to friend sculptor Sam Greenwell on Facebook to ask him, but I guess he’s too busy playing Candy Crush Saga to get back to me.
I have to give it up for Greenwell’s sculpt. From the nubbled leather of his cuffed boots to the impressive 2-inch horns that jut from his ornate helmet, Loki is packed with detail. Especially impressive is the cape. What could have been an ugly hunk of featureless rubber ends up with a surprising amount of texture, with “fur” on the outside, and stitched hide within. Little details like the rivets the knee and shoulder pads really sell the idea of armor. Even the cloth sections of the costume feature some nice wrinkles. Speaking of wrinkles…
Yikes! It’s not that it’s bad sculpt — it’s brilliant. But why produce such an uncharacteristic look in the first place? With the sunken cheekbones, deep-set eyes and hawk-like nose, this looks more like the Vulture than Loki. His upper lip is even drooping and creased, suggesting he’s toothless. It’s an amazing sculpt, it’s true to the art, but I hate it. If this figure had just been a variant packed alongside a a more classic version I’d be fine with it — it’s the fact this was the only figure of Loki we had to display for years that gets to me. But Manthill, you may be saying, there was a variant. Oh, don’t get me started…
Someone at Toy Biz was smokin’ their sister’s panties when they approved this ridiculous head sculpt. What the Hell, man? I buy a Loki figure and I end up with freakin’ Madame…
This version of the Trickster God is sporting the Crown of Lies, as seen in Thor #175. The sculpt is really stellar here, and is impressively true to the source art. It’s Kirby-riffic!
The inclusion of this variant may have been a concession to fans who would (naturally) take issue with Loki’s waterlogged scroat-face. The problem is, Loki wore a completely different outfit during the Crown of Lies saga, so we end up with two Loki figures that don’t fit anywhere. Thanks, Toy Biz.
Articulation-wise, Loki is a typical Marvel Legends with no real surprises other than his odd hinged wrists. Loki was originally going to have a spear, so the extra articulation was included to help him hold it. Without the spear it seems a little goofy. Speaking of goofy, the double joint at the elbow makes the arms track a little long. It’s not so bad when the elbow is bent but when his arms are down at his sides he looks a bit ape-like.
Compare Loki to series 3 Thor. The Thunder God’s height is 6’6″, and Loki is slightly smaller 6’4″, so the scale is good. The problem is, Loki is just as wide as Thor in the torso and that won’t do. Yes, Loki is often drawn as muscular, but still lean. He’s not a brick skita-house like his step-brother. Furthermore, this incarnation of Loki is meant to be old. He must be pounding the protein shakes to keep all that mass on.
Paint-wise, Loki is just okay. His dull, unpainted green plastic of the body is suggestive of the HYDRA Agent, and the yellow used for contrast is just a little too flat to make for a good accent. The variant appears slightly brighter, but I can’t tell if there’s an actual difference on the manufacturing level or if my Loki has just lost his luster.
The silver used for the armor is flat and toy-like, but the bronze and gold on the helmets look nice enough. The variant has a bit more paint on his face, but both figures seem under-detailed in that area. All in all, it’s serviceable but unexciting, preventing this figure from exceeding mediocrity.
Displaying Loki is a bit of a problem. Unlike the other figures in wave 13, Loki is an artist-specific take on a character that had remained more or less the same for 40-odd years. Since we never received any other Esad Ribic-inspired figures, Loki ends up the odd man out in villain displays. Standing next to Red Skull, Doctor Doom and Kang he just looks weird — and that includes the Bea Arthur variant. I appreciate the fact Toy Biz tried something different, I just wish the experiment had been done on another character. Yes, Hasbro eventually delivered a more classic version of Loki, but it was a Walmart exclusive that few collectors actually saw. Many fans are still waiting for a decent Loki for their displays. Toy Biz, what were you thinking?
TMITAH/ Jason R Mink