Verily, can you dig it?
A run of Marvel Comics's Journey into Mystery, with Kathryn Immonen (as writer) and Valerio Schiti (as artist) taking over from Journey into Mystery (Gillen) as part of the Marvel NOW! initiative.
This storyline focuses on longtime The Mighty Thor supporting character Lady Sif, who hopes to become a better warrior by use of the Berserker incantation, and fights monsters with a group of Asgardian savages.
This iteration of Journey into Mystery ran for ten issues before being cancelled in October 2013.
Tropes:
- Amicable Exes: Beta Ray Bill is on friendly terms with his ex-girlfriend Sif, aside from some bickering. Justified, given that Bill's girlfriend just died.
- Anchored Ship: Sif still has some feelings for Bill, and while they've acknowledged their past relationship, he's astutely devoted to Ti Asha Ra. Sif helps reunite the couple after she saves Lady Gaea from a mysterious infection.
- Back for the Dead: Subverted. Beta Ray Bill's girlfriend Ti Asha Ra is brought back in issue 653, only to die! She comes back again in #654, only to be revealed that something or someone planted Bill's ship AI in her body when his ship crashed. But then she comes back for good alongside a healed Lady Gaea in #655 and a cube housing Skuttlebutt.
- Bullying a Dragon:
- Sif literally bullies a dragon like creature in issue 646.
- Issue 647 has other examples such as a bar patron attempting to get physical with Norse goddess Sif and Sif battling her near Odin level powered brother Heimdall.
- The Cameo: Kids dressed like Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny are among those
◊ that play with Sif in a snowball fight. - Central Theme: Sif's run seems to continue on theme of change, though Sif herself believes that change leads to decadence from past glory.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Sif in nearly all of her fights in the first arc including a severe one to Fandral.
- Dirty Kid: Hilde, who simply grins with pleasure upon seeing a fully naked Thor out of bed in the middle of a situation while everyone else covers their eyes.
- For the Evulz: Svip was revealed to have killed most of his own men for his own amusement and tried to attack Broxton simply to satisfy his thirst for battle.
- Friends with Benefits: Sif and Thor.
- From the Mouths of Babes: Volstagg's kids, whose sharp comments on their own culture make Sif question their society's current path.
- Modesty Bedsheet: The warriors three visit Thor's room to warn of a potential invasion and find Thor and Lady Sif in bed under a bedsheet. Sif puts on a nightgown before venturing out but Thor simply goes to fight wearing nothing but a bedsheet around his waist, which seems to be glued to his waist as it never comes off during battle.
- Mythology Gag: The Monsters that appear in issue 649 of the first arc are actually taken from pre-Thor anthology issues of Journey into Mystery original 1960s run.
- Papa Wolf: Volstagg.
- The Missus and the Ex: Sif and Jane crack a few puns at Thor's expense when Sif comes to see Jane for medical advice about Lady Gaea.
- The Snark Knight:
- 'Berserker' Sif loves to tear into foes verbally as well as physically.
- The Superior Spider Man guest stars and obviously shows his own talents.
- Trickster Mentor: Aerndis the witch, her 'Berserker' spell only loosened Sif's normal restraints and everything was just meant to show Sif that the defenders of Asgard were not weaker then those of the past, enemies had just become craftier.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: The summaries for the Seed of Destruction arc indicate that this will occur between Sif and Beta Ray Bill.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: A big theme in Sif's first arc, thanks to the Berserker Spell power up she gets in the first issue.
