Loki Series Coming From BOOM! Studios

Loki, the Norse God of Mischief, will be appearing in a new series from BOOM! Studios.In February, [...]

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Loki, the Norse God of Mischief, will be appearing in a new series from BOOM! Studios. In February, writer Eric Esquivel and artist Jerry Gaylord show what happens when you take the classic Norse god Loki and throw him into a rock and roll band in the underground goth clubs of Los Angeles. And yeah, he's skinny and with long, kinky hair, a bit like you'd expect from a rocker. Or Tom Hiddleston.

"Loki: Ragnarok and Roll is one of those crazy mash-up ideas that, when you see them put together, is immensely entertaining," said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. "Combine that with the talents of Eric and Jerry—two of BOOM!'s home-grown talents—and it makes for the perfect recipe for a rockin' good time!"

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That is, we suppose, the risk Marvel takes in using public domain characters in such high-profile roles. It isn't the first time Marvel has faced  off-brand versions of the Norse gods. Since they are not copyrightable as historical, literary figures, Marvel's Mighty Thor has occasionally been joined in the comics marketplaces by Norse gods from DC, and a memorable (although seldom used) version of the Thunder God himself appears in Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon. Not long ago, before Robert Kirkman and his deep pockets decided that they were going to make a comic book called Outcast whether Valiant Entertainment (who have an existing trademark from a years-old one-shot) liked it or not, BOOM! changed the name of their Outcast series to Valen the Outcast to appease Valiant. Ironically, the comic's subtitle--"Ragnarok and Roll"--has also been used in popular culture already, as the title of an episode of The Real Ghostbusters.