Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters #4

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Tricksters #4

Archaia 2021

Written by Robin Kaplan

Illustrated by A.L. Kaplan

Lettered by Jim Campbell

* Can the Norse trickster god, Loki, get the legendary god of thunder, Thor, to embrace his feminine side?

* When Thor's hammer ends up in the possession of the King of the Giants, only his clever brother will be able to aid him in retrieving it, but only if Thor can use his brains rather than his brawn.

What a delightful issue this is. Loki is the epitome of the Trickster thanks to his portrayal in comics having brought him to life for a modern audience. Still this is a version as seen by Kaplan and it’s a delightful one at that. I do have to admit that I like seeing Loki as this effeminate in nature as it fits with his whole persona. I would’ve like to see a lesser known trickster perhaps from the Tuatha Dé Danann but this version of Loki is a delightful surprise. The opening is utterly fantastic as we see the dog getting scared by a sudden summer thunderstorm which is he perfect segue into the god of thunder and his brother.

I am rather enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceedingly well. The character development is sensational thanks to how we see the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the sory, the characters and their world we find ourselves lost in the fantasy.

I am very much liking how we see this structured and how the layers within the story emerge, grow and strengthen. It is within these layers that we see the pieces of the larger picture take place as well as how they add this great depth and complexity the story. The characterisation is wonderful through these parts as well as it really fleshes them out as both fresh yet familiar. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceptionally well.

The interiors are absolutely beautiful. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this gorgeous detail work is mind numbing. There is this delicacy to the work that when combined with other lines creates this strength and beauty and it really is mesmerising. I do wish we’d see more backgrounds in use but it’s all good because the composition within the panels bring us great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is amazing! It really has the right effect on the reader thanks to how we see it being laid down through various techniques. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is exceptional stuff.

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This is a sensational story about the power of siblings and the tricks they play on one another. It really is that at its core and though Loki is known as the Trickster God this is less a focus on his legend as it is about him and his family and it is one of the most creative and interesting takes on them that I’ve actually seen. This is so smartly written and beautifully written which makes it relatable to just about everyone out there and when you add in the artwork the story takes on a whole new perspective.