There has been a lot of debate this summer over the multitude of superhero movies and whether or not it's overkill. As someone who grew up reading comic books, I say that can never have too many superhero movies, as long as someone is working hard to make it a quality product. A great by-product of this phenomenon are the things which are released to capitalize on the name recognition of a specific superhero movie. It has become commonplace for some sort of animated project to arrive around the time that the movie is premiering in theaters. What a coincidence. Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers may be a little late to the dance, as the Thor movie opened several months ago, but that title is still fresh enough in the public's mind to explain this release.

Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers takes place in the city of Asgard and when the story opens, Loki (voiced by David Blair) has defeated Thor (voiced by Daniel Thorn) and is now the ruler of Asgard. Loki orders that Thor be sent to the prison and then attempts to enjoy his new position as ruler. But, this is not to be. The many people who he convinced to assist him to gain power immediately come forward to collect their rewards. At every turn, Loki is asked who shall be put in place to protect the Rainbow Bridge -- the main entrance into Asgard. Loki visits some of his newly imprisoned foes -- Balder and Sif (voiced by Elizabeth Diennet) -- who ask why he is so cruel. Loki gives them specific examples of how he has always felt ostracized and how he’s lived in Thor’s shadow. He is visited by Hela (Katherine Chesterson), who demands that Loki kill Thor so that she may claim his soul. Loki realizes that while he’d always craved power, he doesn’t know what to do now that he has it.

Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers is based on a 2004 Marvel Comics mini-series entitled Loki which was written by Robert Rodi and illustrated by Esad Ribic. To say that this isn’t your average superhero story would be an understatement. The piece was called Loki because the tale focus almost solely on him and is told from his point of view. There is no comic book action here. As noted above, the story begin after some epic battle with Thor wherein Loki was the victor. This is much more of a character study than anything else. Even casual comic fans are familiar with Loki as Thor’s half-brother and constant nemesis -- his jealousy of Thor has always lead him to treachery. Here, we see Loki with his grandest wish having been granted -- he is now the ruler of Asgard.

From here, the story become a drama mixed with absurdist comedy. For years, Loki has dreamed of ruling Asgard, but he clearly didn’t understand that ruling Asgard also meant running Asgard, and he’s annoyed by the constant questions which he gets. The man who has always felt alone suddenly can’t get any solitude, as his chambers receive constant visitors. When he visits other characters, such as Sif, to gloat about his victory and their imprisonment, he finds himself having to defend his position by describing his pitiful past. Then, someone from Loki’s past arrives and causes further embarrassment. The whole thing feels like a Shakespearian farce, as we watch the impotent king do a poor job running his kingdom.

The movie is broken up into four chapters, which I assume correspond to the comic book stories, and it’s presented as a “Motion Comic”. This is the technique where the art from the comics is animated. Ribic’s paintings remind me of Alex Ross (this is meant as a compliment) and they do an excellent job of representing the mood of the story. While the colors are saturated, the pieces are quite impressive and the animation gives them a dynamic quality.

It doesn’t take a marketing genius to grasp that the title was changed from Loki to Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers in order to grab the attention of those who are only familiar with Thor. But, be warned, those expecting a Norse god free-for-all battle will be quite disappointed by this movie. However, if you like the more dramatic of Thor’s stories, especially those which focus on the pageantry of the royal family in Asgard, then this may be worth crossing the Rainbow Bridge for.

Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers uses the word concubine on DVD courtesy of Shout! Factory. The movie has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no grain and no defects from the source material. Again, the piece isn’t very colorful, the but the hues that peek through here look good and the image is never overly dark or bright. The transfer doesn’t reveal any gaps or stuttering in the animation. The DVD carries a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are very well done, as we get a nice illustration of sounds occurring off-screen. The surround sound effects sound nice during crowd scenes and in the prison cells. The thumping footsteps of a large character provide subwoofer action.

The Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers DVD contains a few extras. "Sons of Asgard - Looking Back at Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers" (14 minutes) contains comments from Writer Robert Rodi and Artist Esad Ribic. The two talk about how the project came together, the new direction of the story, and the look of the art. We get to see Ribic working on a painting, while Rodi describes his goals for the story. They also comment on the motion-comic. "Behind the Scenes" (20 minutes) is broken up into three parts and contains comments from the filmmakers behind the movie. They talk about how they got involved and the challenge of adapting the comic. The piece then looks at the animation process and the decisions made in taking the art from the comic and animated it. The final chapter takes a very detailed look at how the panels are animated. The final extra is a TRAILER for the movie.