"The poison spills into Loki's mouth and eyes; he writhes, and a city falls: and in the moment of pain he gains a certain clarity. The master manipulator realizes how, ultimately—how strangely, how elegantly—he too had been manipulated. Perhaps the sound he makes is laughter."
January 1, 1970
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(comic_book)