Northlanders

Brian Wood is easily one of the biggest stars in the comic book world right now. His series of short, self-contained comics called Demo made quite an impression and his popularity has exploded with the continuing series DMZ.

Personally, I hadn't had all that much exposure to Wood until DMZ went into trade paperback a few years ago. While I was initially unimpressed, it was Wood's story that drew me in. His characters, his plots were mostly uninteresting, and occasionally laughable. Especially in the most recent "Public Works" story arc (recently collected in trade paperback), Wood has shown such a penchant ham-handed story-telling that it has driven me away from the series. In the end, I couldn't take the irritating mixture of a byronic hero and a bubbling baby, or the Law and Order "ripped from the headlines" plot-lines for more than three books. Perhaps the next trade will redeem DMZ in my eyes, but I digress.

Wood has redeemed himself in my eyes, if only for using Vikings, in his newest continuous series from Vertigo called Northlanders. The story is set in 980 C.E., and follows the dark and violent story of a young Norseman who returns home to find his father dead, and his family's power usurped by his evil uncle. It's all very Shakespearean.



Despite the cast being headed by another brooding, dark-haired man, Northlander holds much more promise than the early DMZ issues did. Sven, the main character, may be dower but he's also capable and has motivation unlike the DMZ's aimless and endlessly naive Matty. This drive seems, at least in the first two installments, to be enough to hold the story together and keep readers interested.

What has impressed me most thus far is how well Northlander represents the period. The big things, like houses, clothing and boats are less movie-Viking and much closer to the real thing. Beyond that, the story is masterfully atmospheric, sometimes with whole panels showing the distant mountains and dark, alienating sea set against grey skies. It doesn't make the Orkney Islands look like a major vacation attraction, but it does capture the quiet majesty, and subtle grimness of Nordic life. The panels look like grittier, dirtier figures from illuminated manuscripts or stained glass. Figures idealized by history, but touched with humanity and reality.

Also, the premise of the story -- a young Viking abroad with the varangians, returning to seek his inheritance from greedy family -- is spot on for period Nordic stories. Even the land-grabbing, similar to the consolidation of power in the Norse world toward the end of the Viking age, seems quite natural.

If I must complain, and I must, I am annoyed by Wood's main character -- but just a bit. While he's more palatable than DMZ's lead, he falls more into the traditional comic book male role. Strong, violent, oppressed, aloof. While these characteristics are certainly natural for a Viking, it's handling seems thoroughly modern. The use of modern-english curses, for instance, just ruins the moment for me, and while I acknowledge that Vikings were probably a surly bunch I am certain that they weren't using words that I know. It's not that I don't think they should be swearing, it's just annoying to see "cursing" passing for being "atmospheric" or "character development."

What might be most exciting, especially for people like me, is not where Northlander is now but where it will be soon. 980 C.E. was the tail end of the Viking Age, and already the world was starting to squeeze them out. By 1000 C.E., Christianity had spread as far as Iceland and the sixty-six years later King Harald would be defeated in England, bringing an end to the fury of the Norseman. A comic series featuring some of the least celebrated and most interesting groups in history, poised on the edge of massive social upheaval is really something to get worked up about.

Personally, and I did say I was biased toward Vikings, I think this is a series that is certainly worth a look. It's very early in the series now, so it could easily go sour, but it has enough going for it to have me signed up -- at least for now.

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The author wishes you to note that he did not go into an extended discussion of how happy he was to see scorn poles, and other such Norse minutia, and tried to be all "professional."
The Author is also feeling much better, and considers himself no longer sick.

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Corrected the year Iceland converted.