Check Out This Exclusive Excerpt From Serial Box's Thor: Metal Gods

Serial Box, who are launching a number of geek-sphere audiobook series in the weeks and months to come, have provided ComicBook.com with a peek behind the scenes at Thor: Metal Gods, the first of several series based on Marvel Comics to debut on the premium reading and audio entertainment platform. Designed for on-the-go fans, Thor: Metal Gods will be available on mobile devices beginning December 12, and centers on the centuries-old saga of Thor and Loki, as they team up for an adventure of cosmic proportions, confronting the sins of both their pasts. While based on the Marvel versions of the characters, this first look reveals that it will be playing with some of the grand, mythic themes and characters behind the classic Thor and Loki mythology.

"Trickster god Loki has been spending time on earth in the 1980's and designed to become a heavy metal rockstar,"explained Hayley Wagreich, Head of Content at Serial Box in a statement to ComicBook.com. "But the fun and fame take a dark turn when Loki gifts his bandmate, the lead singer Sylvain, with a very special crown--one that might lead to the undoing of the universe."

You can check out the script excerpt below:

"Ten minutes!" shouted a stagehand, strolling the hall with a clipboard. The crowd was still cheering.

Loki went inside. From a stand he picked up his guitar, a pearlescent black, jagged beauty with a flying V body. He strummed lightly. It was unfair, perhaps, that he'd cast a glamour to make himself one of the greatest guitarists Earth had ever heard. But the exceptional sound of his music, well, that was worth it.

The dressing room was empty save for one person. In the corner, lit by warm light bulbs framing a mirror, a slender man sat shirtless, exposing the body of a ballet dancer. He applied makeup while admiring his own reflection.

Sylvain.

He glanced at Loki and grinned wolfishly, then went back to his primping.

"You like looking at me, don't you?" Sylvain said, eyelashes lowering.

Loki continued to strum hushed guitar chords. "Not as much as you like looking at yourself," he said.

Sylvain laughed. Loki had once found his laughter charming. Now he only heard the self-absorption behind it.

"Did I ever thank you for this gift?" Sylvain asked. He held aloft a crown, which glittered under the mirror's horde of light bulbs.

The crown's simple construction belied its sturdiness. Asgardian runes decorated it, not that Sylvain would recognize them. As Sylvain slid it ritualistically onto his scalp, making sure that it caressed his flowing hair, a dull shard of slick, oily grey metal in its center seemed to suck all the light out of the room for an instant.

As the crown settled on his head, Sylvain exhaled in pleasure. "Every time I put it on, I realize just how small you are," he said.

And here's the official synopsis for the project:

The award-winning writing team, led by screenwriter Aaron Stewart-Ahn (Mandy), and including Brian Keene (The Horror Show with Brian Keene), Jay Edidin (Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men), and Yoon Ha Lee (Ninefox Gambit), takes the sibling rivalry to new heights as Thor and Loki race across the universe to untangle a dangerous mystery and stop the return of an ancient evil.

Propelling the saga forward are a fierce Korean demi-goddess, Horangi, and Captain Zia, a charismatic, gender-ambiguous space pirate who shares history with Loki. Fans are in for a wild ride when Thor and Loki find themselves fighting on the same side.

"The story of Thor is staggeringly epic—from Asgardian myth to intergalactic quests, to the (sometimes surprising, often hilarious) depth of his relationships—he's got it all," explained Hayley Wagreich, Head of Content at Serial Box, in a statement. "But what makes this story truly exciting to us as we kick off our collaboration with Marvel is how grounded his story is in real issues of identity, humanity, and what it means to be a hero. We can't wait to bring Metal Gods to Thor fans across the globe."

Thor: Metal Gods is the first Marvel e-book series to launch on Serial Box. Additional original stories are set to launch in early 2020 and are focused on fan-favorite super hero characters including Black Panther, Black Widow, and Jessica Jones.