Collects Northlanders 1-8Written by Brian Wood
Artwork by Davide Gianfelice
Review by Michael Lindal
I might be Danish, but I’m not really into Viking stories. They seem too distant from my own life and the world, I live in, which may sound silly as they are very much a part of my cultural heritage. But I admit it: I can be quite narrow minded sometimes. So sue me.
I tend to prefer books (be that both comic books and “real” books) about the world we all live in. I like stories to say something profound and intelligent about the state of the modern world and the human condition in general, which is probably why I think Brian Wood is one of the best writers in American comic books at the moment. Books like DMZ, Demo, Supermarket and Local all tell stories about social issues, the complexity of modern (geo)politics as well as emotionally profound stories about the individual and communities. Woods characters are complex and realistic and he knows more about the modern world, than I will ever know. He gets it.
So it was quite a surprise, when it was announced that Wood’s new book would be a Viking book. I honestly couldn’t picture it, but I decided that the guy had more than earned the benefit of my doubt. And indeed, I was rewarded. Northlanders is a great book!
The first volume in the series is called Sven the Returned and it more than delivers as a Viking story. Battles, violence, hard men and rough landscapes. It’s all there. But this first volume is about so much more than that. It’s about a small community’s place in an increasingly globalized world. It’s about the clash of cultures and it’s about politics. In other words: It’s a real Brian Wood book.
Wood doesn’t spend his time getting tangled up in historical details. He just tells his story. Another thing that sticks out during the first couple of pages is the rather modern dialogue, which (as with most Vertigo books) drops its fair share of F-bombs. This is not Thor from Marvel and there is no “I SAY THEE NAY” type dialogue. Which is quite refreshing.
Wood is at his best when he tells small stories. Both Demo and (the AMAZING) Local did single issue stories and even the ongoing DMZ is composed of small stories from the war zone, even if they are parts of a larger narrative. It seems that Northlanders doesn’t tell stories in single issues, but in story arcs. This tradepaperback IS a story in itself. And it seems that the next story arc will be about entirely different characters. Unfortunately this also means that the artist will change from arc to arc. Which is a shame as the artwork by Davide Gianfelice is rather amazing. Detailed, rugged, subtle and realistic. The colouring also deserves a special mention. A very nice job.
I do look forward to Ryan Kelly’s artwork on a future story arc, but that’s because I love anything to do with Local. It will be interesting to see this artist, who is so good at drawing the modern world, try something completely different.
Northlanders is another home run from both Brian Wood and Vertigo. The fact that Wood is doing BOTH Northlanders AND DMZ (best book on the stands) is rather incredible.
8/10
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1 comment:
Just read this one, and I agree it's a great book. The story is interesting and not really like anything I can remember reading. It's hard to say why the story of Sven should interest the reader, there are many elements in it. I think the theme of globalization, although seemingly underplayed, is important here, both to the story as well as to the character of Sven. A lot of stuff is left unsaid, but this only makes it a more interesting read.
Sorry to hear that the artist has left the title, because that is one of the best drawn books I've read in a while. I wonder if he will be doing anything else in the US in the future?
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