Northlanders # 1, 2, 3, 4
Writer: Brian Wood; Pencils and Inks: David Gianfelice; Colors: Dave McCaig; Lettering: Travis Lanham; Covers: Massimo Carnevale, Adam Kubert, Dave Gibbons;
DC – Vertigo
I blame Jason Aaron for Northlanders ending up on my pull list. I was ready to pass it over, when he pointed to issue #1 and said it was something I’d definitely want to pick up. I’m glad he introduced me to it, as Northlanders is shaping up to be one of my favorites.
What I find particularly interesting is that Wood has mostly avoided the tried and tired reluctant hero drama. (You know, the one where the protagonist doesn’t want to be a hero, but the love of a good woman and the smiling face of a little girl warms his heart, giving him the strength to be a good man rather than the cold-hearted bastard he’s always been. Bleech.) Sven returns to his homeland for the express purpose of reclaiming his father’s wealth, and he is not deviating from the goal. Hopefully, Wood will continue Sven’s crusade as mostly, if not entirely, selfish.
I don’t know much about Davide Gianfelice’s previous work, but Northlanders looks fantastic. And putting Dave McCaig on colors wasn’t a bad choice, either, as his work with The Other Side shows he knows how to handle war-related art.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Yedna // Mar 11, 2008 at 10:08 am
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve been picking up Northlanders since #1, and the latest (4) is the best issue yet.
2 JP // Mar 13, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Hello, Yedna. Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad to see that someone else enjoys the series as much as I do.