What If…? Dark: Loki #1: The Good Old Bad Old Days

If a What If…? issue about Loki gaining control of Mjolnir gives you déja vu, it’s probably because a What If…? comic in 1977 had the same premise (What If…? #47). Unlike that issue, What If…? Dark: Loki is penned by acclaimed Thor writer and artist Walter Simonson almost exactly 40 years after Simonson’s original Thor run began. Despite its familiar premise, Simonson writing thirty pages of Loki doing melodramatic supervillain shenanigans is still an utter delight, especially for fans of Simonson’s Thor run. Because the issue also builds on a Thor issue (#153) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and features almost every major Thor villain, it feels like a Greatest Hits album of sorts. 

While Simonson’s iconic artwork graces the comic’s cover, long-term readers may be surprised to find the interiors are drawn by Scot Eaton (and inked by Cam Smith and Scott Hanna) rather than Simonson himself. Eaton, who drew Thor for a spell in the early 2000s, redraws several panels of Kirby’s art in a way that leads naturally into this comic’s new material while retaining some of Kiby’s charm. One of the best stylistic choices is Loki’s costume change early in the comic from Silver Age scalemail to Simonson’s iconic 1980s redesign, which helps to bridge the gap between the two eras. Given Simonson’s unique voice as a writer and artist, it’s a change that feels not only natural but needed. Colorist Andrew Dalhouse uses a few digital brushes that feel at odds with the one-shot’s nostalgic and analog feel but generally makes smart choices that keep Eaton’s busiest compositions readable. While many Thor readers no doubt associate Simonson with letterer John Workman, Travis Lanham imbues his own digital lettering with a dash of vintage charm.