LOKI EPISODE 5 SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN EPISODE 5 DO NOT READ THIS

Journey Into Mystery isn’t just the name of Loki episode 5 – it’s also the name of some pretty famous Marvel comics, which encompass several of the variants we saw today!

What Is Journey Into Mystery?

Journey Into Mystery started out as a horror/fantasy anthology by Marvel’s predecessor – Atlas Comics – in the 1950’s. But, in August 1962, Marvel Comics released issue 83, which introduced Thor as a main character.

The series proved so popular, it ended up with it’s on spin off called Tales Of Asgard, and the title changed from ‘Journey Into Mystery’ to ‘Journey Into Mystery With The Mighty Thor’ to simply ‘The Mighty Thor.’

Journey Into Mystery as a title was then dropped until the 70’s, when Marvel relaunched it as a horror anthology again. It ran for three years, before being dropped for the second time.

After the original ‘Heroes Reborn’ event in the 90’s, Thor was back in comics titled ‘Journey Into Mystery’ until 1998.

Journey Into Mystery was then brought back again in the early 2010’s, this time featuring Loki, who had been reincarnated as a child after the Siege event (guide coming in the next few weeks). This series also tied into the Fear Itself event, focusing on Loki’s side of the action. The series garnered praised from fans and critics alike, and ends with a letter from Tom Hiddleston himself, who praised writer Kieron Gillen on his take on Loki.

The series then transformed from a Loki-focused run to a Lady Sif-focused run, which was sadly cancelled in October 2013.

The latest resurrection for Journey Into Mystery has been in 2019, where the McElroy brothers wrote a limited five issue run, which tied into the War Of The Realms event.

Why Is It Relevant To Loki?

Loki made his first appearance in issue 85 in October 1962, where he was introduced as Thor’s evil adoptive brother. Since then, Loki has appeared multiple times in Journey Into Mystery, including, famously, the Kieron Gillen run as I mentioned above.

Which Loki’s Are Involved?

Classic Loki (Richard E Grant’s character) is the original to turn up, hence the name ‘classic Loki’, and yes, he does genuinely look like that! The character has been changed up a little for the TV show, as the comic version is truly evil, instead of morally grey.

There’s also kid Loki, who is essentially a reincarnated Loki, trying to do good after so many years of bad. Also, in his run, he is actually semi-responsible for Thor’s death, in the sense that he helps the prophecy along, so the brother’s can save Asgard and Earth from destruction. So, really, his line in the TV show is comic accurate, he did kill Thor in the comics!

Do I Have To Read Anything Else To Read These?

In short, yes, but it depends on which Loki you want to read about as to how much you’ll have to read.

Classic Loki will be the easiest, as he turns up two issues after Thor does, so you’ll be able to find the whole story in one bind up reasonably easily.

For kid Loki, there’s a bit more to be dealing with. With him, you’ll need to read three big events: Secret Invasion, Siege and Fear Itself. Luckily for you, they’re all reasonably well contained events where you can just read the main event bind up and move on! It seems like a lot of reading, but, honestly, they’re all worth it, they’re all fantastic runs, and Siege and Fear Itself feature versions Loki heavily.

If you are confused and want more information on these events, then keep an eye on the Sanctum – I’ve got a Siege and Fear Itself guide coming soon, and I’ll be bringing you all the information on Secret Invasion when the TV show comes out next year!

And with that, that’s the end of my guide to Journey Into Mystery! I hope it helped, and, as always, if you have any questions, please drop them in the comments below!