LOKI

The Norse god of trickery gets another lesson in ethics when Thor’s hammer is stolen.

Confined to Midgard (Earth) in the form of 11-year-old Liam Smith by (as he puts it) “Poo-Poo Head Odin” until he can learn better behavior, the god of pranks continues the schooling begun in Loki: A Bad God’s Guide To Being Good (2022). This time, he not only gets past major jealousy when Valerie, his one human friend, bonds with newly met fellow horse lover Georgina, but overcomes his deeply ingrained sense of self-righteousness to help save more than just this world from Frost Giants. Actually, along with folding in frequent glancing references to Norse myths, the author has salutary messages for much of the immortal supporting cast (and readers, too). Loki, his protestations of innocence ignored, is not only automatically accused of stealing the hammer of Thor, but turns out to have been framed by one of his Asgardian victims. A multitude of cartoon scenes, pages of sequential panels, and spot-art sight gags like a bag of dog poop labeled “MY LIFE” mingle with the boastful, self-absorbed preteen’s records of his misadventures, including exchanges with his developing conscience and an admonitory magic journal that displays his wildly variable virtue score. Georgina and a teacher present as Black, the rest of the cast as White.

More life lessons abob in poop jokes, boasts, and mythological references on the way to a bit of world-saving.