Review: Northlanders #1
I could easily write an expansive volume entitled Exactly What Kevin Church Does Not Know About Vikings, so I came into the new Brian Wood title Northlanders with very little in the way of preconceptions or academic knowledge that would allow me to effectively pick the nits in this particular release. From all indications, however, Wood's done his research and spent a long time working on the title1, so I'm going to work with the assumption that it's all good in the hood in that regard and instead tell you what I thought of the comic itself.It's pretty good. It's not groundbreaking in any way outside of being the second Viking comic I've ever enjoyed2 and main character Sven, perhaps because of his inherent badassedness, initially comes off more like a Garth Ennis creation than the flawed protagonists that I associate with Brian Wood. As is a Vertigo Standard Habit, the first issue is devoted to laying out the players and setpieces for the eventual collection, lacking any satisfying internal arc for me to hang onto. There's chunks of plot scattered in here, but very little story.
I'm aware of the problems with moving directly to a graphic-novel format (lost ad revenue, high price point for a new reader) for serialized comics, but if I went to a bakery and they offered razor-thin slices of cake instead of just giving me the damned pastry I wanted, I'd never visit again. There's nothing, outside of some very good art from David Gianfelice, that makes a second issue in the serialized format compulsive for those not thoroughly indoctrinated in the Vertigo or Wood camps already. Wait for the trade; I will.
1Own-Horn Tooting Time: Wood offhandedly mentioned that he was working on a Viking title when I interviewed him last year.
2Own-Horn Tooting Time Two: There's a story in this volume by some handsome young up-and-comer that got some praise. Pre-order the trade paperback on Amazon now!
