By Ed Fortune
Jeffrey Brown has cornered the market in adorable takes on Disney-owned characters. His Darth Vader and Son series was a whimsical look at a world where the infamous Star Wars villain would play catch with his children. Thor And Loki Midgard Family Mayhem is similar, but for two beloved Marvel characters.
The book is filled with full-colour illustrations, each one normally containing a single-panel gag based on the idea that Thor and Loki are naughty children, running about causing mischief and the occasional thunderstorm. They are assisted in their adorable nonsense by their parents, Odin and Frigga, and we also get some cameos from the rest of the Avengers. Strangely, it also feels like the sort of thing Loki or Thor would own in-universe. It’s pure whimsy.
Brown’s art style is crisp and cute; each page is carefully designed to remind the reader of colour pencil doodles and other simple pleasures. It’s the sort of thing you pick up, browse, grin at, and then put down again, and it’s perfect for those tiny moments in life when you just need a brief distraction.
This small, robust, hardcover book is often called a stocking-filler book; it’s a petite but beautifully put-together thing. There’s nothing radical about the humour itself, it’s all very familiar friendly fare designed to put a smile on the faces of parents and children and be a fun addition to any geek’s shelf. This is a great little gift for the Marvel fan in your life and a lovely cheer for anyone having a bad day.
THOR AND LOKI MIDGARD FAMILY MAYHEM is published by Chronicle Books on April 18th.
