Loki: Agent of Asgard #2
Loki: Agent of Asgard #2 (cover-dated May 2014, released March 5, 2014) carries its key status above all on a single debut: Verity Willis, a tattooed, red-haired human woman who possesses the unbreakable ability to see through every lie, illusion, and disguise in the Marvel Universe — a power that would make her Loki's most consequential mortal companion across the entire run and into Secret Wars. The issue simultaneously restores Lorelei to active continuity after more than a decade of near-absence from the books, re-establishing her as a recurring player in the Asgardian corner of the Marvel Universe and setting up the ensemble that would drive Al Ewing's thematic exploration of identity, storytelling, and the possibility of self-reinvention. Structurally, the issue is also notable for its clever heist-within-a-speed-date framing, an early signal that Ewing was writing a Loki book with a distinctly literary, character-driven sensibility rather than a conventional superhero punch-fest.
In "Loki and Lorelei, Sitting in a Tree...", Loki is sent on a mission to retrieve the elusive Lorelei, but his usual tricks take a surprising turn when he goes deep undercover. Along the way, he encounters Verity, a mortal woman with an uncanny ability to see through deception—leaving his plans dangerously exposed. Written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Lee Garbett, with colors by Nolan Woodard and letters by VC's Clayton Cowles, the cover by Jenny Frison captures the issue's playful yet tense mood.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series launched as part of Marvel's All-New Marvel NOW! initiative in early 2014, picking up the morally ambiguous young-adult version of Loki that had evolved through Kieron Gillen's Journey Into Mystery and Jamie McKelvie and Gillen's Young Avengers. Writer Al Ewing — then known primarily for Mighty Avengers and his 2000 AD work — was paired with penciler/inker Lee Garbett, colorist Nolan Woodard, and letterer Clayton Cowles, with editors Lauren Sankovitch and Wil Moss shepherding the book under editor-in-chief Axel Alonso. Issue #2 was the second chapter of what became a 17-issue run that tied into Original Sin, Axis, and the Secret Wars event, with the complete series later collected and reprinted multiple times in trade paperback form; the issue itself received enough reader demand to warrant at least a 3rd printing.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Verity Willis (Earth-616): a human woman whose power to perceive all lies — derived from accidentally ingesting the magical ring Andvaranaut as an infant — makes her unique among Loki's allies and later earns her the informal title of Loki's best friend in the Marvel Universe.
- Lorelei returns to active Marvel continuity here after her last substantial appearance in The Defenders vol. 2 #1–4 (2001), marking her first reappearance in approximately 13 years.
- Written by Al Ewing with art (pencils and inks) by Lee Garbett; colors by Nolan Woodard; letters by Clayton Cowles. Standard cover by Jenny Frison; a Jamie McKelvie design variant was also published.
- Lorelei is depicted in flashback as a fugitive con artist running heists at a Monte Carlo casino — operating as the younger sister of Amora the Enchantress — before Loki outmaneuvers and recruits her rather than returning her to Asgardia as ordered by the All-Mother.
- Amora (Enchantress), Freyja, Gaea, Idunn, Hades, Pluto, and Thor Odinson all appear in flashback sequences establishing the broader Asgardian context of Loki's covert mission assignment.
- The issue's 'speed dating' framing device — in which the incognito Loki tells the entire Monte Carlo heist story to Verity across a speed-dating table — seeds the central narrative tension of the series: Loki's compulsive dishonesty tested against someone who cannot be deceived.
- Issue #2 received multiple printings (at minimum a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd print), indicating stronger-than-expected reader demand after launch.
- The issue was later adapted as part of the Loki: Agent of Asgard Infinity Comic series (2023), a vertical-format digital retelling of the first five issues released on Marvel Unlimited ahead of Loki Season 2 on Disney+.
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 (2014), Loki: Agent of Asgard - The Complete Collection #[nn] (2019), Loki - Agent of Asgard #1 (2021), Marvel Legendary Collection #86 (2022), Loki: God of Stories Omnibus #[nn] (2023)
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