Christopher Hastings – Writer

Langdon Foss – Artist

I was sorting through comic books once again last weekend and I came across Vote Loki #1. I put it away but I decided to give it a read through on the eve of Election Night 2020 to ease my mind and have a few laughs.

Journalist Nisa Contreras is waiting for the 2016 Presidential candidates to finish their debate and hits it off with a fellow journalist named Lucas. Agents of HYDRA, in disguise and hidden among others in the spin room, unholster their weapons and try to pick off the candidates. Their rampage is stopped by Lucas, who reveals his true form as Loki. Loki is cheered by everyone for his quick action. When asked which candidate he favors, he likes neither because they are both liars. The media is quick to call out Loki for his ironic comment. He feels that if he was President, he’d have the guts to lie right to everyone’s faces and America would love it.

Soon, Loki becomes the toast of the town for his recent heroics and fervor for him to run for President reaches fever pitch across New York City. Loki keeps teasing his decision but won’t announce if he is running just yet. He wants to win over Nisa before he reveals his answer. Nisa spends the day with Loki and gets to know the God of Mischief and where he stands on the current issues. Nisa finishes her article and it doesn’t paint Loki in a good light. She sends the article to her publisher for the next morning’s edition. Nisa wakes up the next morning as her article makes the morning news shows. The front page reads, “Loki’s Campaign – Something to Get Excited About.” Nisa is outraged because this wasn’t the article she wrote. Shortly thereafter, Loki announces his bid for President. The issue ends with a knock on Nisa’s apartment door. The door opens with Jane Foster, the Mighty Thor, shoving the newspaper in Nisa’s face asking, “What is THIS?”

Loki’s popularity has soared to the stratosphere in recent years thanks to Tom Hiddleston’s depiction of Thor’s adopted brother in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This comic was the perfect satire for the run up to the 2016 Presidential Election and I believe that it should be revisited today. Nisa Contreras and Loki have a connection that is brought to light over the course of the first issue. You will learn just why she won’t ever trust Loki, even though he gave up his villainous ways and is trying to become the hero he knows he can be.

Langdon Foss’ art is a bit too cartoony for my taste and I didn’t like it at first but it grew on me over the course of reading the issue. Foss’ facial expressions are laugh out loud in some spots, especially when you see Nisa go from calm to outraged from one panel to the next. Foss does a great job of mixing up Loki’s looks and I loved the horned helmet Loki adorns on top his head. Angela and Jane Foster are drawn big, muscular, and Amazonian compared to Nisa’s short stature. Gods meant to loom larger than life with a sense of majesty and grandeur compared to the rest of us normal folk.

Does Loki have what it takes to win it all or will Nisa put a stop to Loki’s dreams and aspirations? How can Nisa reveal the misgivings she has about Loki after that front-page headline? Which Marvel Super Heroes will side with Loki and who will oppose him?

Next Issue – Presidential candidate Loki Laufeyson is finding it hard to roll with the punches of the campaign trail. As if proving his eligibility isn’t hard enough, the media has started the HORRIBLE rumor that his Super P.A.C. is actually a cult under Loki’s control! Plus, the Marvel heroes finally figured out how to successfully fight Loki in his new role: attack ads. God bless (Captain) America, eh?