Journey into Mystery - issue 639
Writer - Kieron Gillen

I swear that comicbook writers, or at least Marvel writers, are lurking on this site. Hello. *waves to them* What's my proof, you ask. Read the recent issue of Journey into Mystery and tell me that isn't the American Gods premise. The old Gods of a tradition find themselves fighting for their very existences against encroaching progress - the old ways are being usurped and people in a land formed by the subconscious are shifting into something new. Sound familiar? I know, it wasn't exactly an original idea when we did it either, but still.... However, if Ruby pops up anywhere, Heather Kenealy better get the credit for it.

However, Gillen sets the story with an Arthurian backdrop, not the old West. A new mechanized "god" metal call Manchester (why Manchester? I have no idea, I think it's an English inside joke) has arisen in the lands of Otherworld, a magical place of Camelot and fairies and trolls. The new god Manchester is unstoppable, and it's up to Loki to find a better way to deal with Manchester than having the armies bash in each other's faces. With special guest, Captain Britain.

Journey into Mystery, with kid Loki, is my favorite Marvel title. It's entertaining and witty, and doesn't rely on the spectacle of a fight scene to make it interesting.