This is one of those comic oddities that I thought was weird when I was 10; and is disturbing even today: why is Loki chained to his wife in bed? OK, you can probably think of a reason, but why? Why why why? Those aren't exactly "fun-cuffs" either, that's a fucking manacle. See, I would never do anything like that. I usually have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and my wife is not waking her ass up for that...
And Loki rocking the pointed ears, for some reason...
All right: Last time, a semi-concussed Thor was the only one in Asgard who noticed weird lights and new, demonic guards. After stomping a few guards, he goes to get his dad, All-Father Odin, to nip that in the bud.
Odin, however, is busy playing chess, like all old, crazily bearded coots. His opponent is long-time Dr. Strange (and Smokey the Bear) enemy the dread Dormammu, which isn't really a big surprise since it's on the cover. So, the art crew foregoes an establishing shot of him, to focus on the weird giant floating heads of Lord Chaos and Master Order over Dormammu and Odin, respectively. As Dormammu takes another of Odin's pieces, Thor realizes that Chaos grows and Order shrinks. Too bad this was 1981, otherwise ESPN 2 would be all over that.
No one else can see the chess match, just like the rest of the weirdness, so Thor jumps to the conclusion that this is Loki's doing. Admittedly, not a huge stretch. He shows up at Loki's, kicks down the door, and drags around Mr. and Mrs. Loki; who, based on this page, sleep handcuffed in their living room. Wrong, just wrong. Loki denies having anything to do with anything, and Thor grudgingly believes him. Mrs. Loki is concerned for her hubby, who wishes "Fell Damnation!" upon his brother. Maybe with reason that time, gotta admit.
But, I don't remember seeing Mrs. Loki--OK, her name's Sigyn--through Simonson's run on Thor, so I'm mildly curious what happened to her. Although, it's certainly possible that if you're sleeping chained to your wife, and your psycho brother busts in with a hammer and starts accusing you of insane gibberish, then leaves, and you don't kick his ass? Yeah, Asgardian Divorce Court. Probably involves some crazy hats and a quest for a Golden Grapefruit or some damn thing.
Meanwhile, back in the comic, Thor goes to Mimir, the Well of Wisdom; who's a big flaming face on a plate, and has a syndicated radio call-in show in 37 national markets. Even though Mimir admits hating Odin, he's still able to put Thor up to single-handedly invading Dormammu's Dark Dimension.
Odin's ravens tell him that Thor has left, and Odin sends the ravens to get Sif to head Thor off. Dormammu, however, has his head in the game, and has put Odin in check again. Which makes a lot more sense to me now, then it did to 1981-me that had never played chess, and could only assume: "Check=Bad." Which is why I don't spell-check to this day...
Tomorrow: Fun in the Dark Dimension! Now with 38% More Ditko!
I have a strong suspicion that someone over at Marvel had actually opened the "Prose Edda," noticed the "binding of Loki" section, and how his wife stayed by him, and and thought "cool, we can use that!" ("The Deluding of Gylfi," chapter 50).
ReplyDeleteAnd either failed to notice, or didn't think it worth mentioning, that the fetters are the entrails of Narfi, one of his sons, that Loki was bound where a serpent's venom continually dripped onto him, and that Sigyn spent her time thereafter catching the acidic poison in a cup.
Or that Loki's writhing in pain when the cup overflows produces what are known as "earthquakes."
This is after Loki staged the death the of Balder, and he is, apparently, in full GIANT mode -- not that shape-changing seems to have been much help when Odin sent Thor and the rest of the Aesir after him.
Now THAT is a story I wish Marvel had taken on!
Either Loki, Namor, and Black Adam are all the same guy in various disguises...Or pointy ears are just comic book shorthand for pissy magical dude.
ReplyDeleteGad, I miss Thor.
ReplyDeleteSigyn would never leave Loki as she is the Goddess of Fidelity. Loki pretty much tricked her into marrying him in the first place, but she stood by him and loved him.
ReplyDeleteAt some point in the comic books, Odin punished Loki by binding him to Sigyn.
IIRC, in the comic books they did actually punish Loki by having him bound to rocks with snake venom dripping-- only in the comic book version he wasn't bound with the entrails of his son.
I think they may have killed Sigyn off in the comics. The last I remember hearing of her being in the comics was around 1994.
It would be cool if they brought her back for the movies though.