Northlanders: Book One - Sven, the Returned
Review by Chris Partin
October 22, 2008
Writer:
Brian Wood
Artist: Davide Gianfelice
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Original Series Cover Artist: Massimo Carnevale
Published
by DC Comics/Vertigo
Reprints:
Northlanders #1-8
When the
announcement came out that Brian Wood would be
writing a comic book about Vikings, I really
didn't react one way or the other. The
reason for that is I haven't read much of Wood's
work over the years except for a few issues of
Local and DMZ. I really
wasn't jumping up and down with excitement, but
its funny what happens when you sit down and
actually read the material.
DC/Vertigo
goes out of their way to get new readers into
their books when it comes to the trade paperback
market. This trade has eight issues in it
and its all for a cover price of $9.99. I
know a lot of the first volume of Vertigo line
get this price point and its really hard to pass
up, even if you weren't excited about the series
before the trade gets released. I've spent
a lot of my time reading Vertigo titles this
way, and I know I'm not alone. Its such a
good marketing plan to get new readers into a
series, and to get eight issues of
Northlanders under ten dollars its hard to
pass up.
The story
in this trade is about Sven, a Viking prince who
leaves his homeland as a boy who returns after
receiving word that his father has died and his
uncle has assumed control in Sven's absence.
Sven's return to his homeland is not grand or
celebrations. Sven is met by a desolate
land and his uncle's men who attack him and
bring him to his uncle. From this exchange
between Sven and his uncle readers are given a
certain view of Sven that seems selfish and we
learn as the story goes on that isn't exactly
the true Sven. The story unfolds over the
course of the next eight issues and we see who
Sven really is and what he really wants out of
his life.
Brian Wood
has really created a very in-depth character
driven story that is so intertwined with the
action and violence. As I said before, the
idea of this series really did not get me
excited when I first heard about this series.
Over the last few months I had heard some good
things about it, but still had my own
hesitations. Reading this trade from cover
to cover in one sitting really gave me an
appreciation for the story and this series as a
whole. What I was not aware of is Brian
Wood would use each arc to tell stories about a
variety of characters. Sven's story is
just the first of many.
The art in
this series, provided by Davide Gianfelice, Dave McCaig,
and Travis Lanham is amazing! I
immediately fell into this world thanks to the
art. Its a very brutal story and the
characters are very real and the artwork really
fed into that kind of storytelling and helped
drive the story as much as the narration and
dialogue. The colors in this book are
amazing. Dave McCraig is such a talented
colorist, and this book really is a testament to
how good he is.
After
finishing this trade, I will admit that I was
wrong about this series. I should not have
dismissed it so early on without giving it the
proper chance to show me how good it could be.
Brian Wood and the talented artists that worked
on this first arc have put together a story that
everyone should try out. This trade is on
my top ten list for 2008, so far.
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