Hal Pictures Green Lantern Butt's FOREVER!: December 2015

Green Lantern Butt's FOREVER!

Now with Guy Gardner's Seal of Approval!

Thursday, December 31, 2015

It's New Year's Eve

Of course you all know that already.  But it puts me into a rather nostalgic frame of mind.  And I can always do reviews tomorrow.  I'll probably stay up until 10:00 tonight, because I don't really do wild partying, and I start to nod off when the news comes on. 

We live a wild and crazy existence.

So...it has been...an interesting year, to say the least for Comics.  There has been some amazingly good stuff.  There has been some seriously terrible stuff.  I have more or less, and so gradually, that I almost didn't notice, changed my pull lists, from mostly DC and a little Marvel, to mostly Marvel and a little DC.  I blame the giant mega-Crossovers for that, quite frankly. 

It...was not a good year for DC.  They had that incredibly dull and pretty much meaningless big crossover, way back when, and it was so horrible and boring, that the name of it escapes me at the moment, and I don't even want to go back and look it up.  It had Ted and Booster in it for a few seconds, which was the highlight for me, and Guy Gardner being badass.  That was it.

As you all know, I am a Green Lantern fan.  I LOVE Green Lanterns.  But...not so much lately.  They killed off Kyle, except that they didn't, and I don't even care.  They gave Hal his own book, he grew his hair and became Space Gambit in a trench coat, and I don't care.  They took the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, and killed everybody off, or exiled them into a previous Universe, and I cared a little bit, because it wasn't terrible, actually, and the art was pretty, but it had Relic, and I find Relic to be a drag.  Also, John was angsting too much. 

Red Lanterns ended, which broke my heart in more ways than one, because it was really really good.  And all the good writers jumped to Marvel.  The good version of Wonder Woman ended, and the new version just reeks. I don't even care about the Justice League anymore, and Darkseid "died", which I completely believe, and Batman, which was good, is now not so good, because Jim Gordon is running around in a giant metal Moth suit.  Batgirl started out really great,and has slacked off a bit, same for Damian, and this whole Robin War crossover that they have going on at the moment is pretty terrible. 

On the other hand, the Sandman story by Neil Gaiman was just spectacular.  The new Lucifer book is pretty good so far, and Fables was good as always.  Gotham Academy is decent, although I still have trouble keeping track of who is who.  Aquaman crashed and burned. 

And then there is Marvel. Marvel really burned its bridges with me, after the debacle with Civil War, which is why I can't understand why it is being touted as being this fabulous story, and being used in the movies, because I hated...HATED it.  But Marvel has been bringing out all kinds of slightly off-beat, quirky and FUN books, and God, I do love a little bit of light-heartedness after all the decapitations and maimings, and darkness out there at DC.  There is Ms. Marvel, which is a delight, and Squirrel Girl, and Howard the Duck, and Hellcat, and the sadly gone She-Hulk, which I loved.  Craploads of Avengers books, which I suppose is only to be expected. T

The new Iron Man book has me actually liking Tony again.  The Loki: Agent of Asgard book was simply a delight, and possibly my favorite book of the year.  The new Thor book has also been pretty damned good.  It seems as though Marvel has been pretty fearless this year, and that can only be a good thing.

And then there is Saga, which I adore, and I discovered Atomic Robo, and Action Philosophers, and the new Archie book, which stunned me, by how good it was.  It's good to venture out from the shelter of the big two once in a while, although my heart still does belong to Superheroes...but there is a whole lot of fun out there across from the aisles. 

I'm not so happy about the ridiculous price increases, but what can you do?  I'm still hooked on comics, even though I'm now a grandmother. A young grandmother to be sure, but still.  I also got a 12" Thor from Hot Toys or whatever, to go with my Loki figure, and now they keep each other company.  Absolutely gorgeous incidentally. 

Stan Lee just turned 92, and thank goodness is still with us.  There are more Marvel Movies on the horizon, and even DC movies on the horizon. I have very little interest in Superman or Batman, but Wonder Woman looks fabulous.  And the new Captain America movie looks intriguing.  So there is hope for the future as well.

Comics seem to be hanging in there. 

And that's a good thing.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Random Musings

It is Tuesday, and it is a wet sloppy mess, as we in lovely little old Connecticut experience our first snow of the season. Not much really, an inch or two, mixed with freezing rain. By March we would be sneering at this as a mere bagatelle, but in the interim we have lost all of our collective driving and coping skills.

As someone who works for a Tire Company, it never ceases to amaze me, that even in New England, people seem to be continuously caught completely by surprise by the first snow. I don't care HOW freakishly warm it has been, we are going to get snow sooner or later, and waiting until after the last minute to install your snow tires is really... shortsighted.

*sigh*

Did everyone have a nice holiday? We gave adorable little pop-up tents that look like a vintage Volkswagen bus to our two insanely adorable grandsons. We presume that they like them... we just can't get their fathers out of them long enough for the boys to play. We all had a strikingly raucous time this year.

And tomorrow is Wednesday, and the end of the month, and that's usually a good haul.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Reviews

I am trying to squeeze in the time for reviews of Wednesday's comics, as I am simultaneously making fudge, cherry-chip bread, wrapping presents and setting the table. Not a bad week, although not quite up to the heights of last week.

Batman '66 meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E #

This is just great. Of course it is! We have the Dynamic  Duo battling the Penguin, and then a breakout of practically all of Gotham's baddies from jail. In the meantime, Napoleon and Ilya battle Thrush and Olga, Queen of the Cossacks.

A mini series, so there is a lot more fun in store.


Robin, Son of Batman #7

I think this is my least favorite issue so far, but mainly because it is a Robin War tie-in, and I haven't been reading that, nor do I care to. It has the Court of Owls and a lot of Robins running around, which is okay I guess. Not as much Gleason art either.

Okay, but only okay.


Sinestro #18

Well, the Paling has come to earth, and Wonder Woman teams up with the Fear Corps, but they do seem to be having their collective heads handed to them.  Harley and the S caeecrowbshow up, as does Superman, but it all seems just a wee bit... for ex. Or I am getting jaded perhaps, but I am not really feeling all that invested in the current story line

.



Again, it's okay, but it could be better.


Angela: Queen of Hel #3

Angela has traveled to Hel to free Sera and the other angels, who have been slaves under Freya's curse. So, she wants to take over and has to fulfill some trials, aided by Sera and none other than Leah, who still seems to have some grudges to work out. Meanwhile, Tyr and Balder oppose her, although she is their sister.

Oh, those wacky Aesir!

Pretty good actually. And it is very nice not to have Angela NOT running around in that stupid bikini.


Daredevil #2

Charles Soule is doing his usual masterful job. Matt is back as a prosecutor and with the secret identity again. Not as lighthearted as previously,  but a darned good villain, and a darned compelling plot.

Very good indeed.



Hellcat #1

I have been really looking forward to the debut of this book, and I am certainly not disappointed. The plot is fun, the art is just adorable, and they keep all of Patsy's past history.  ALL of it! She's laid off by Jennifer who isn't making enough at her new law practice to be able to afford her. She runs across a young man who swipes some cash from an armored car, using his new Inhuman powers, but he's not really all that much of a bad ivy, and she convinces him to return the money, and then she becomes his new room mate, runs across an old friend from High School, and finds out that her old frenemy Hedy is making a fortune off Patsy's name.

Whew! And that's just the first issue!  I am definitely hooked.


Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #2

I just can't stay mad at that big red dinosaur's sad face. Who even knew that a dinosaur HAD a sad face?

Cute as can be.


Saga #32

In this issue we go back to the thrilling adventures of Marko ands Alana as they continue their quest to find Hazel. They rob places, make up, have great sex and find out that Klara and Hazel are still alive, and as usual, it is just a joy to read.

So... not a bad week really

And every one have a lovely Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa,Saturnalia, or Festivus. I think that covers just about everything.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Reviews

Holy crap! This turned out to be a really good week!

Batman '66, #30

Holy Matrimony, Batman! This may just be my favorite episode ever of this delightful little title. I used to watch this when I was a wee tot, and it has remained dear to my heart.

There is a lull in villainy in Gotham City, so everyone is a tad on edge. Turns out all the nefarious no-gooders are occupied in attending their version of a trade show, being held at a (naturally) abandoned movie studio. It is being hosted by the Penguin, the Joker and Catwoman. But where, you may ask is the Riddler? Not invited! They felt that his riddles made it too easy for Batman to foil their villainy.

This... turns out to be a mistake on their part, as the Riddled is quite naturally peeved, and used his riddles to lead the Dynamic Duo to the scene of their revelry. And... in what may go down in history as omen of the greatest comic book pages ever drawn... are the opening scenes from the television show, given back story and context.

It is... magnificent.

By Lee, Michael and Laura Allied, it is an homage and work of love, and you need to go out and buy it and read it.

Twelve thumbs up!!


"
Lucifer #1

I read the original Lucifer from Vertigo and always enjoyed it. I didn't even know they were bringing it back, but here it is, and I am delighted. The art by Lee Garnett is lovely, and Holly Black definitely does a bang up job of capturing the voices and characters of the protagonists.

Lucifer is back, and apparently a lot of people are actually glad to see him. Also the Angels are in a bit of a snit, and have decided to redeem poor Gabriel, and other other-wordly things are going on. It's gripping and I definitely want to see where this is going to go.

Excellent.


Ms. Marvel  #2

Poor Kampala. She's an Avenger now, but things seem to be getting a little too much for her.  Her neighborhood is being gentrified at an alarming rate, her image has been hi-jacked by the sleazy company behind it, school is a problem, and Bruno had the nerve to go out and get a girlfriend. She iß a little frazzled.

Oh, and Hydra shows up.

It is all fun and delightful as usual, although I do miss the original art a wee bit. But still worth your money!


The Mighty Thor #2

Woohoo! I am really enjoying this book!  I wasn't too sure t first about Jane Foster taking over as Thor, but they are actually making it a rich and compelling story. Odin has apparently gone bankers and locked up his own wife and put a bounty on Thor, while his evil brother, Culp the Serpent is functioning as his Hit-Man. I am reasonably sure that it is actually Culp who is pulling the strings, but I am also sure that there are surprises in store.

Meanwhile Malekith and Roxxon continue their joint villainy, while none other than my favoritcGod of Mischief shows up... apparently trying to join the new Bad Boys Club. His interactions with his newly resurrected real father, Laufey are quite... entertaining.

This is a whole lot of fun. Great art and story, interesting characters, a sprawling epic storyline and lots of hints of surprises to come... what's not to like?

And I do like it. A whole lot.



The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #3

Oh dear God, but I love this book. Doreen and a surprising number of other students, all from her college, have been thrown back in time to the sixties and forgotten. Well, fortunately Nancy still remembers. And apparently so does Doctor Doom, who received a particularly galling defeat from Doreen and her squirrels. He and Nancy also travel back in time... and... well... Time Travel and stuff.

I actually loudly giggled my way through this book, much to the consternation of my Shi Tzu, Petunia.

So incredibly delightful.


Klaus #2

Grant Morrison does it again with the continuing saga of how Santa came to be. The art is lovely, and Klaus as a medieval ninja is a hoot, and it is all improbable... but who cares? It's good crazy drama and fun, and love it.

I also picked up another Walt Simonson Thor trade, which also makes my heart happy.

I can't remember the last time I had so many truly great books all in one week. Not a clunker in the bunch! A Christmas miracle!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Oops

Well, I went to the Comic Book Store, and I bought my books, and then didn't have time to read them, so no reviews today.  I did pick up another of the Walt Simonson Thor trades however, and it looks delightful.  On the other hand, yesturday was my 38th wedding anniversary, and so we went out for barbecue, because...why not?  And yes, I was a child bride. 

The weather in New England continues to be eerily warm.  I didn't even wear a coat to work on Tuesday, and that's just bizarre for December! Heck, I think it was warmer in October! The lack of Snow Tire sales is just killing us.  I have the uneasy feeling that we will be paying for all of this come January.  It is never wise to let your guard down in the neck of the woods. 

Otherwise,

blind at the north pole photo Northpole4.jpg

Here is a picture of Hal fighting a polar bear at the North Pole. While Snow blind.  Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Batman!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Back To Basics

You know what I haven't posted in a long time?  Green Lantern stuff!  I've forgotten my roots, man!

blackest night photo green-lantern-corps-vol-2-200908060.jpg

I...I miss stuff like this.  Guy flying through space eating doughnuts, and ragging on Kyle.  The cameraderie.  The Black and Green.  The snark from Guy, the pomposity from Hal, the eye-rolling from John, the earnestness of Kyle.  The Four Musketeers. 

It just hasn't been the same in a while. 

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Reviews

I honestly thought that I would only be picking up a single book this week, according to the previews.  Fortunately, I found some that were supposed to come out last week, but couldn't find until now.  And some restocks as well, so things weren't as hopeless as I had thought.  But still...!



Fables: The Wolf Among Us #12

I honestly am starting to lose track of who killed who, and who is actually dead, and just what the hell is going on, but hey, it has Snow and Bigby, so I'm still interested.  There is a whole lot of different artists in this issue, which is a bit jarring.  So it's not bad. Not great, but not bad.


Gotham Academy #13

I was quite startled to see this actually.  Didn't one just come out about two weeks ago?  For a while there it seemed as though it only came out every other month or so. 

A new kid has moved into the school and temporarily rooms with Olive which makes Maps sad, because she thought she was Olive's BFF or something. The new kid turns out to be a "Robin". I'm not reading all the Robin books, because why should I?  They uncover a...monster thing buried in the greenhouse who somehow knows Olive, and another Robin shows up...a real one, that I...think might be Damian, but who the hell knows at this point?  Different art as well. 

Again, not fabulous, but not terrible.


Avengers #2

There are 900 Avengers books out there at the moment, but this is the one with Stark, New Cap, Vision, Ms. Marvel, Nova and Thor and Spiderman.  They seem a bit disorganized and flailing around, and Tony has sold the Avengers tower to some guy named Gabriel, who seems a bit on the fishy side. You would think that Tony would do a bit of research before selling the tower to someone who is possibly a Villain, but hey., 

They are fighting a rogue Chitauri, which surprises me.  I thought all those guys were pretty much cannon fodder, but this is a more advanced one.  Nova messes up New Jersey again, much to Kamala's displeasure.  And Thor shows up, which is always nice. I honestly thought that her splash page was the last page of the issue, but it turned out that there were several more, which was nice.

Pretty good actually.


Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #l

I think this actually came out last week, and I heard good things about it, so what the heck?  It is actually pretty charming, and I DO love that cover.  Lunella is Moon Girl, and she's incredibly bright and smart and picked on naturally.  And she finds a weird artifact with her Kree detector or something and brings Big Red into the future along with a bunch of cranky Austrailopithecines or something. 

So, it's fun and quirky, and frankly, I love that.

Scarlet Witch #l

Well Wanda is back, and she's on her own, although she does hang out with the ghost of Agatha Harkness a lot. But she's given up being an Avenger.  Something strange is going on, with perfectly nice people turning into murderers, so magic is off, and she's investigating.  It's not a bad premise at all, and I don't mind a solo Wanda book.  I do wish that the art was a little less fuzzy.  I don't know if it is the inking, or the style of it, but the anatomy is off, and I find it a bit annoying.  We will see where this goes.

Nice cover though.

Klaus #l

Something NOT from the Big Two, by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, with a retelling of the Santa Claus legend, and I am a sucker for a wolf on a cover.  This is beautifully drawn, the art is lovely. The story is interesting too, as Klaus is a hunter/trader who comes into town to sell his furs and meat, and finds out that it's a lot less...welcoming that it used to be, and that nobody can play with any toys any more and that the Count who rules the town is a nutjob, and has a mean nasty little kid. It's actually quite a bit more nuanced than that rather bald description, and there is a pet wolf and some northern lights, and dang it all...it's pretty darned good!

So, I had some unexpected books, but good books, which is always a nice thing. Sometimes I get a bit too stuck in my old comfortable rut.

Saturday, December 05, 2015

Slightly Delayed Reveiws

Sorry it took so long. I know that you all plan your weeks around my reviews.

Or not.

Anyway...


Gotham Academy #12

You know, I do like this book, it is offbeat and a little quirky and I love the art, but I have to admit that I think that all of Olive's cohorts are actually more interesting than she is.  She is rather...passive. She sits back and lets things happen to her, most of the time. I like Maps!  She goes out and gets things done! 

But all the kids go off to find Kyle who was somehow kidnapped in a really bitchin' car, and end up at Arkham, because of course they would.  They really ought to do something about the security there, if a bunch of high school kids can break in.  The "Calamity" plot is still going on, and I'm still mostly fuzzy about it because in-between issues, which can be a while, I forget what has happened before. 

So...stuff happens I guess.  It's not bad, and I'll still probably be getting it, but it seems to be in a little bit of a rut at the moment.


Daredevil #1

Woohoo!  I absolutely loved loved loved Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's former work, but this is pretty good too. We have Charles Soule, who is an excellent writer, and Ron Garney, who is an excellent artists.  Matt is back in New York working as a Prosecutor instead of a Defense Attorney.  He's back to having a secret identity and a new darker costume, and now he has something of a sidekick named Blindspot, who can be invisible and all ninja-ish. 

Foggy is back too, but he and Matt seem to be on the outs. No sign of Kirsten, which makes me sad.  But although the status quo seems to have been re-established, at least Soule didn't throw all of Waid's brilliant work out the window.  Matt is driven and a little darker, but he's still Matt.

He also gets to fight ninjas, and the new villain is a gang working for Tenfingers, a baddie, who is pretty darned creepy.  It's fast-paced, and fun and darned good.


Doctor Strange #3

Damn, I am loving this book.  Having Dr. Strange as a bit of a wise-ass is fun, and having Wong actually have a personality is also fun.  Really really weird stuff is going on all around all the time apparently, we just don't see it...thank God!  But Doctor Strange sees it, and he's actually getting a little worried, since the influx of Magical beings who shouldn't even be here, is increasing. Something is driving them out of their home worlds.  The art by Chris Bachalo is mind-boggling, and perfect for this kind of book. 

Something...someone is trying to wipe out all the Sorcerer's Supreme, and Stephen is finally beginning to realize just how big a mess he is in. 

Really really fabulous.

Howard the Duck #2

I never thought that a Howard the Duck book would make me practically tear up, but this one does.  Genetic samples were taken from Rocket and Howard, and grown into female clones.  A lowly stooge of the Collector, is assigned to take care of them, and against his will, he ends up caring FOR them, and protects and raises them, even going so far as to jump into the past to try and save them.  He ends up getting killed as they near the present, and...and...I've got something in my eye!

This is a whole lot of fun.  And slightly wistful.

The Totally Awesome Hulk #l

And speaking of a whole lot of fun!  I'm not completely certain how, but Amadeus Cho is now the Hulk.  I don't know what happened to Banner, but he's Hulking out, assisted by his sister Maddie. He's also a bit of a wise-ass nineteen year old kid, who can't resist flirting while he's out saving. 

The art is by  Frank Cho, whom I adore, so I am a happy happy clam. 

Good silly fun.  So much fun.


Invincible Iron Man#4

I've never been a huge Iron Man fan, but dang I am enjoying the heck out of this.  Tony Stark will always be something of a jerk, that's just his personality, but at least he's not evil anymore.  He's still chasing Madame Masque and trying to figure out just what she is up to. Doctor Doom keeps popping up and is all handsome again, not to mention helpful.  He also gets to fight armored ninjas.  That's always fun.

He also ends up going to St. Jude's to cheer up some sick kids, which is nice.  There is a miniature Tony, in a smart ass kid, and he ends up bringing ALL of his suits, which makes the kids just giddy with delight.

I couldn't figure out why Maryjane was on the cover, but she does show up at the end,where she is opening the newest swingingest new club in New York, called Jackpot...which is promptly attacked by Madame Masque...because of course it would be. 

Good art, good story, what's not to like? 

Oh, Marvel, you are just killing it lately, and in a good way. 

Thursday, December 03, 2015

Ruminations on Marvel Movies

I know that Thursday is normally the day that I do my reviews, but hey, I worked late yesturday, it was raining, and I just didn't make it to the comical book store.  I'll go today, I swear!  Besides, I hear that Howard the Duck is out. 

But anyway. 

My beloved and very talented son-in-law, managed to clean up the mess of sphagetti also known as various wires for some purpose, that were sprouting from the back of my television.  It's a fairly new television, and for some reason or another, we hadn't quite figured out how to hook up the DVD player.  For those of you who "stream" or do netflix or whatever, I have indeed heard of these things, but have no idea on earth of how to actually..."do" them.  So I'll stick to my beloved DVD's.  And CD's for those carmakers among you who are leaving them out of new vehicles.  Harumph!

So, I have been indulging in a veritable orgy of Marvel Movie Madness.  I watched Thor, Avengers and Thor II, or...as I like to call them...the Loki trilogy.  I've seen them before of course, but it is nice to be able to watch them in a more casual atmosphere, and snark about them to my companions in crime, and something has come to my attention.

I love Thor. I've had a crush on him since I was fifteen and started buying his comics at the drug store.  (yes, I am indeed old). And Chris Hemsworth is the perfect embodiment of Comic Book Thor on the Silver Screen.  Needless to say I was delighted.  On the other hand, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Loki in the comics.  Then a few years back when they killed him off and brought him back as Kid Loki, and all the wonderful wonderful stories that we've had in Journey into Mystery, and Thor and Loki: Agent of Asgard, not to mention Young Avengers...well...Loki has become one of my favorite Marvel characters. 

Having Tom Hiddleston portray him in the movies doesn't hurt either.

(Excuse me while I wipe up my drool.)

But in a weird way...it actually seems as though Loki is the hero in these movies as opposed to Thor.  An Anti-hero if you will, but still. 

When we first meet Thor in the first movie, he is brash, hot-headed, arrogant and a bit of a jerk.  He's about to be crowned as the new King of Asgard, because apparently Odin is old and cranky and wants to move to Forida or something.  The ceremony is interrupted by the incursion of a couple of Frost Giants into the Vault, where Odin keeps all of his goodies.  Thor goes berserk, because he didn't get his fancy party and decides to haul all of his friends and brother off to Jotunheim and teach those mean old Frost Giants a lesson. 

Now, granted, we learn that it was actually Loki who smuggled the Jotun into the Vault in order to prove to Odin that Thor was a loud-mouthed oaf, but he really doesn't want to go to Jotunheim, and neither do the rest of Thor's buddies, who are sweet-talked into it, and fall for it because who can stand up to Thor's blue puppy dog eyes?  So off they go, in express defiance of Odin's ruling, and get their asses handed to them, because Thor would rather beat up giants than look after his own brother and friends, and then Odin has to come and rescue them, and oh, it is ON!

Then Thor starts having a tantrum, and insults his father, and gets banished.  And...Loki finds out that he's actually a Frost Giant himself, stolen as a baby when Odin was defeating them in the big war.  Needless to say...he's a bit taken aback.  Especially because Asgard regards the Jotun as boogey-men, who eat naughty Asgardian children for dinner.  He...doesn't take it well, and who can blame him?  Odin mouths a few excuses and conveniently falls into the Odin-Sleep, leaving his mother Frigga, to hand him Gungnir and rule Asgard as Odin's regent. 

There are a few scenes that have been deleted from the final cut of the movie, and one of them is the scene where Frigga appoints Loki as King. He didn't just swipe the power, as is intimated by the movie, when Sif and the Warriors Three go stomping in looking for their playmate.  So...he is legally the rightful ruler of Asgard, and of course, they start to plot treason, because they all think Thor is just the ginchiest. Heimdall abets them in this treason, as they all go running off to Midgard.

Thor is "unworthy" for sassing Odin, basically.  So he gets a time-out on Earth.  He gets run over by Jane Foster, a hot scientist, because that is the way it is in movies.  He beats up a lot of doctors and interns at the hospital, he is taken back by Jane and her cronies, and makes an ass of himself with the coffee mugs, and is rude, and condescending and...incredibly manly.  He finds out that Mjolnir has been tossed into a crater about fifty miles away and immediately stomps off to find it.  When he does get there, and beats up an entire squad of SHIELD agents, he finds that he actually CAN'T lift it, and finally...finally calms down and gets depressed. Also Loki shows up and tells him that Odin has died, and he can't come home, which gets the first real reaction from Thor yet...the realization that he can't punch his way out of this problem, and that perhaps he should actually think once in a while. 

Then the Warriors Three show up the next day, while Thor...who has just found out that his father is apparently dead...is cheerfully serving breakfast to Eric and Darcy and Jane.  He'd gotten drunk with Eric the night before and was busy flirting with Jane, because that is how a Thunder God mourns the death of a beloved parent. 

At this point Loki is getting more pissy, because nobody is listening to him much, and running a kingdom is more trouble than it looks, and he's in a state of some panic and terror since he has just discovered that his entire life up until now has been a lie, and worse, he's been lied to by the very people whom he loves and who claim to love him.  He's had a rough few days...certainly a lot rougher than Thor, who gets to hang around and make googoo eyes at Jane.  He's had enough of Sif and the Warrior's Three defiance, and sends the Destroyer after them, which isn't the smartest thing he can do, but hey...he's new at this whole king thing.

Thor does the manly heroic thing, and saves his friends, and for some reason, this is enough to make him worthy again, so a burst of lightning, and he's back to being Godly again.  The first thing he does is smooch Jane, and then go back to Asgard to kick Loki's butt. 

Loki in the meantime has lured Laufey, King of the Jotun (and his actual father) into Asgard, and sets him up to kill Odin, except that Loki kills him instead, which is more than Odin ever managed, and then goes off to the Bifrost so that he can use its power to lay waste to the Frost Giants.  All without shedding a single drop of Asgardian blood, incidentally, and removing them as bitter adversaries.  The same adversaries that Thor was gleefully pounding into blue mush a couple of days before.  Now Thor is all self-righteous and angry, that Loki is doing a better job of genocide than he did, and they fight, and Thor beats up Loki, and breaks the Bifrost, thus saving the Frost Giants, and they both fall off the edge of the bridge, only to be saved by Odin, who has miraculously woken up. 

Loki is trying to explain what he's been doing, but Odin is too mad or asleep or just a crummy Dad to listen, and tells him no...so Loki gets this sad expression on his face and lets go of the spear, while Thor yells a lot, and falls into the Void. 

Then, after the death of their former King and Prince, all the Asgardians go back and party till the cows come home, because that is apparently what they do. Maybe Thor getting drunk after thinking Odin was dead, is the natural thing to do after all. 

Am I the only one who thinks that Odin and Thor are kinda...obnoxious?  I'm not saying that Loki is an angel in all of this, he's manipulative, and sly and pulls a few fast ones, but heck, there are some really huge extenuating circumstances.  He's been thrust into a horrible situation and is doing the best that he can to cope...using all the teachings of his own so-called Father, to deal with it.  Thor is no help at all.  But he's the Hero? 

Then in Avengers, Loki is the Big Bad Villain, who brings the Avengers together in order to save the earth from an invasion by Thanos.  Except...Loki fell into the Void, and was found by Thanos and his minions and tortured for quite a while.  Heimdall and Odin apparently didn't feel the need to look for him.  Thor was too busy mooning over Jane to ask if Loki was anywhere. 

Thanos wants Loki to use his army of Chitauri to find the Tesseract, a relic of Asgard, that Odin seemed to have left on Midgard for some reason, and bring it to him., as one of the Infinity Stones, and to incidentally kill off everyone on Earth as a present for Death. Thanos has a thing for Death, and thinks that she is his girlfriend.  He offers Earth to Loki to rule, but Loki isn't stupid. 

He's obviously in terrible shape when he shows up and uses his sceptre, aka the Glow Stick of Destiny to enslave Hawkeye and Eric,and steal the Tesseract.  He then goes out of his way, to show up and terrify a few mortals in Stuttgart and to bring together as many of Earth's heroes as he can, all the while being big and scary.  The scene where Iron Man and Captain America have captured him and are bringing him back to New York is interesting. He's given up way too easily, and then their Quinjet is attacked by none other than Thor, who hauls Loki out of there, and proceeds to yell at him a lot.  Iron Man is pissed, and goes off to yell at Thor, with Cap following them.  So naturally, the first thing that Thor does, is start...fighting. He doesn't know who Iron Man or Cap are, or why they have Loki, or anything, he just does what he has ALWAYS done, and start swinging his hammer. 

Thus proving that he hasn't learned a thing from his banishment.  He could have killed Captain America, and they are all damned lucky he didn't.  They all end up on the Helicarrier,and seem to calm down, but still...Loki is thrown into a Hulk-proof cell while Fury sneers at him for a while. 

It's pretty obvious at this point that...as Fury himself points out...that Loki is perfectly happy to be there. He could have escaped a dozen times.  I found it particularly amusing that he just sat on the cliff and watched as Thor, Stark and Cap all fought over him, instead of escaping.  Heck, he probably conjured up some popcorn. 

The end result, or so it seems to me, is that Loki has been manipulating all of them...which is his thing after all, in order to make his invasion a complete and utter failure, thus ensuring that Thanos doesn't get the Tesseract, and that he gets both it and himself back to Asgard. Yes, he gets tossed into a cell, but it's probably the safest place for him, after all the threats about what will happen to him if he fails.  Plus, I'm pretty sure that he's under the influence of the sceptre too, although not to the same extent as Hawkeye and Eric. He had Hawkeye only wound Fury, and Eric built in a fail-safe into the Sceptre, which he probably wouldn't have done if Loki hadn't had him do it.

And he gets to beat up Thor a bit, which is a bonus.

Thor II, The Dark World, is the one that really starts to get my blood flowing however.  Odin tosses Loki into jail immediately, after telling him that his destiny was to die as a child, and that he'll never see his mother again...whom he still adores...and that he's really really pissed.  You would think that Odin would be happy that his son wasn't dead.  Yes, he killed some Frost Giants and some Midgardians, but compared to Odin and Thor's murder lists, Loki's is pretty feeble. 

Odin is a bit of a dick.

Then Jane Foster comes back into the picture. Thor is supposed to be madly in love with her, but never made any sort of effort to see her when he was in New York defeating Loki's army.  She manages to stumble upon the "Aether" which is this deadly force used by the Dark Elves eons ago, and hidden away by Odin's Father Bor...after wiping the Dark Elves from the cosmos. Apparently Genocide is an old family tradition among the Aesir...but not when Loki tries it. I think that the Aether is also supposed to be one of the Infinity stones as well.   So obviously eventually Thanos will be after it.  But Malekith is the big baddie in this movie, and he's one of the few Dark Elves who escaped and wants to use the Aether to bring back...darkness or something. 

Now that Jane is full of Aether, Thor decides to go and find her, and she slaps his face a couple of times.  Then he brings her back to Asgard, where they discover what it is, and Odin calls her a goat, and is just as rude as heck.  Naturally Malekith is able to trace the location of the Aether and attacks Asgard.  He has smuggled in some of his minions, all of the prisoners that are filling up the dungeons...courtesy of Thor of course.  It's a ruse to get his own men into the palace, and Loki is smart enough to figure it out.  Frigga is killed protecting Jane, Thor is too late, and Odin is too late, and they have a really fabulous funeral for the Queen. 

Which Loki is not allowed to attend.  They could have put him in chains, or something, but no...Jane can come, but not her own son.  Then Thor and Odin fight some more, and Thor decides to cheerfully commit some more treason with his old treasonous buddies.  He even sends poor Sif...who has been in love with him for years, to break his new girlfriend out of jail.  Nothing like rubbing it in, Thor.  Then he decides that for skullduggery, he needs...Loki.

So he goes to Loki's cell, and finds out that his brother is pretty broken up about the death of their mother.  Loki asks him if she suffered, and he doesn't even answer him. Instead, he insults him, and tells him that he can come help him and get vengeance, but then he has to trot obediently right back into his cell for the rest of eternity.

Wow.  That's some really great incentive!  Then most of Thor's buddies do their part, threatening to kill him if he betrays Thor.  Finally when he gets to Volstagg, and Volstagg does the usual blustering, he replies that if they want to kill him, that evidently there will be a line. I love good snark.  And instead of using Loki's magic and sneakiness, such as disguising them, and getting them out of the palace unseen...which Loki SHOWS to him in the sequence where he changes into a Guard, Sif and Captain America, Thor decides to steal the remaining Dark Elf Ship, and bust up the rest of the palace, and half of Asgard, before being chased by the Guards, and finally thowing his brother out of the door and jumping after him into a boat piloted by Fandral.

Wow again. Thor threw his brother into space...after falling through the void for ages again.  What a guy.  But Loki does what Thor asks him to do, finds the hidden gateways and paths into Svartalheim, and they attack the Dark Elves, and Jane gets the Aether taken out of her, and using Loki's tricks, they fool Malekith and so on and so forth.  Then when Thor is being beaten to death by Algrim, Loki is the one who saves him...as he had saved Jane earlier...and gets run through by the spear he used to stab Algrim.

There is a lovely death scene where Thor cradles Loki in his arms, as his evil brother repents and dies.  Then Thor dusts off his hands, grabs Jane, and goes back to Midgard, leaving his brother's body to rot.  Thor and Malekith  fight, Thor defeats him, blah, blah, blah.  Thor goes back to Asgard, where Odin should be pretty pissed that once again, Thor disobeyed him.  You would think that he'd be banished again...but no, Odin is pretty understanding and calm and even fatherly, which is a lot different from the way he's been acting up until now.  Thor gets all misty-eyed and says that he'd rather be a good man than a good king, and says that Loki's death was honorable...now that Loki isn't around, they can all cry over him and say what a great guy he really was.

Except that it isn't Odin at all, it is Loki disguised as Odin.  Odin probably fell into the Odin sleep when Loki showed up, that is usually what he does when there is a situation that he doesn't want to have to deal with. So nice, understanding good king Odin is actually....Loki. 

Again, Thor is right back to being an idiot in this movie. Any humility he may have learned from the first one is obviously gone, he runs around beating people up with his hammer with glee.  He treats his brother like crap, with no effort to talk to him or find out his side of the story. None of them try to find out his side of the story. He gets no trial, no chance to explain, just gets tossed in jail.  Then Thor tells him that he needs his magic, and that then has has to go right back to jail again.  Is he insane?  Thor has just given Loki every incentive there is to make sure that Thor and his friends no longer draw breath.  Loki doesn't kill them, he doesn't even hurt them...he just finally does the smart thing, and goes undercover.  I always wondered how he felt when he realized that Thor had just left his body there in Svartalheim, and made no attempt to retrieve it or give him a nice viking funeral. 

So...again...Loki is the villain?  He's the one who saves their collective bacon! 

I'm looking forward to Thor III: Ragnarok, but my expectations aren't really too high.  It would be nice if they used this as a way to prove that Loki is the smart one, but that hasn't been their modus operandi so far.  And I still love Thor...I just wish that he would actually use his brains instead of his brawn for a change.