Journey Into Mystery #646
Sacred Words Written by Kathryn Immonen
Asgardian Art by Valerio Schiti
Epic Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Feverishly Reviewed by Steve Seigh
Verily! Loki’s time as the central character of the Journey Into Mystery series has drawn to an emotionally crippling and devilish end. And while I will miss Loki, Leah, and Ikol, the hour is upon us when we are asked to usher in a cast of new characters as well as a new creative team. Lady Sif is now our guide through the Nine Realms and she’s as battle ready as they come. She’s armed to the teeth with purpose, blood lust, and enough snarktastic quips to keep you laughing throughout the book.
If you could see me right now then you’d know that I’m currently wearing a hat. Now picture this … I just took my hat off. That’s right, my hat is off to Kathryn Imonnen and her creative team. Much like Jason Aaron’s Thor: God of Thunder #1, Journey Into Mystery #646 delivers on so many levels. I will tell you this, though. Read it twice. Often times, Journey Into Mystery is somewhat of an information dump inside of a massive world within the Marvel universe. With all of the Nine Realms and more at your disposal the Journey Into Mystery series seems to love to explore them all. It can often become a little overwhelming to new readers but I urge you all to press on and just soak it all in.
And how beautiful is that art, eh? The coupling of Valerio Schiti’s line work and Jordie Bellaire’s colors is magical. In my humble opinion, the vibrant colors and and clean lines remind me of something like a grown up Disney presentation. The art never manages to look cartoony in any way, but the ferocity of the color palate certainly harkens back to the days of old cel animation via Mulan or Sword and the Stone. It’s a fine combination and I’m excited to see what else we’ll be treated to provided that this team stays on the book for a spell.
So what exactly is going on in Journey Into Mystery #646? In a non-spoilery nutshell, Sif is sick and tired of watching everything she loves turn to ash. Routine can be a real bummer even in the Nine Realms. So when your village burns to the ground for like the eleventy-billionth time, you’d bet your best broad sword that you want that to stop. So Sif is off in search of an ancient warrior’s technique to aide her in becoming a stronger hero for Asgardia. It all sounds very straight forward, doesn’t it? But let’s not forget that this book is called Journey Into Mystery and there is bound to be some epic adventures in these pages. I hope you’re ready, because this book is going to be awesome.
VERDICT: An absolute buy! if you missed out on Loki’s adventures inside of the Journey Into Mystery series than this is the perfect time for you to jump on board. Lady Sif is hilarious as well as fiercely bad ass. She makes for a very strong focal character and the books story is already off to a page turning and mysterious start. Don’t miss out on this book!
* This review was written while listening to the album “Bastards” by Bjork.
