UPDATE: Dave McCaig did the colors for Northlanders, not Davide Gianfelice (he did the illustrations). I, correctly, praised the coloring, but incorrectly gave Gianfelice credit. It was Dave McCaig, and he did a great job.
Because of the holiday, new comics day--which normally falls on Wednesday--will be tomorrow, Thursday. However, due to negligence on the part of local comics store (not Infinite Monkey, I'm back in Murderopolis), I was able to pick up this weeks comics. I'd like to review this month's Northlanders, its the sixth issue of an eight-issue arc, by Brian Wood, with illustrations by Davide Gianfelice.
I've been puzzled as of late by Wood's work on this series. Last week's issue was mostly back story, and the momentum he had built in the first four issues stalled out. To put it bluntly, Northlanders seemed like it had bitten of more than it could chew.
This latest issue, however, has (somewhat) put my fears to rest. The promise of the first four issues has returned, and the seemingly out-of-place fifth issue makes a great deal more sense.
Thematically, Northanders is incredibly dense work. Of course, there's plenty of scorching-hot Viking sex and cringe-worthy gore and violence, but there's a well-crafted sense of depth to it, as well. My confusion arose from Wood's juggling of two seemingly disparate themes. The first four issues told the story of Sven's, the protagonist (this word is here used loosely...) internal struggle between his Viking roots and his civilized life. The second theme, much broader, was the age-old story of the fight against the inevitable: the inexorable, insatiable appetite of modern culture versus the rotting obsolescence of the old ways. This latest issue is the coming together of the two.
I had to re-read the entire run thus far to really get how achingly beautiful this story is. Gianfelice's is almost Wagnerian in its use of color. The pacing and use of decompression is subtle and essential. Wood has largely finished the first theme--Sven's coming-of-age. His beard has grayed, his bright red cloak has faded, its color mute. Mute like the landscape and people. Mute like his partner (girlfriend?), Enna, the Hunter's Daughter, the last of follower of a way of life blotted out by the Vikings. Enna's pale gray/blue face, is masterfully contrasted with the bright, almost garishly luscious earlier trysts of Sven's--Theora, a Viking, his first love, and eventual Judas and Zoe, his Constantine girlfriend (killed by orders of his uncle), his connection with civilization.
Sven is finally a Northlander, finally a Norseman. He kills with impunity, crazed, and it is no longer for money, it is "to bring the dead back." We can only assume he means not only his girlfriend, but Ivarsson and his family, Sven's only Viking friends. In this transformation, he has acquired an army, and he prepares to do battle with Gorm (his usurping uncle--it's always an uncle, isn't it) and his men.
Before the battle comes a heartbreaking and somewhat twisted poignancy. Theora, beaten and worse by Gorm and his men, speaks with Sven, her rotting complete, her face as grayed and withered as the land:
THEORA: All I wanted, Sven, was for you to take me away. That's all. I just needed to escape. I didn't care how.
It's too late for that now.
It's just too late.
SVEN: Theora.
If you mean that... If you still need me to do that for you, to help you escape this...
Later, during the battle, come find me.
Make sure you have a sword.
Do you understand? This is all I can do for you now.
Her face lights up, once more bright. This means, of course, he'll kill her, and, as she carries a sword, send her to Viking heaven.
But this is only the first layer, the layer of Sven's transformation. This issue, however, ends on a cliffhanger--the coming of the Saxon's. This is the beautiful fight; Sven's transformation, his feud with his uncle, it's all trivial now.
It's early enough in the run that you can probably find all six issues; I doubt the trade will be out for another six months. Go get it. It's impressive storytelling. Wood isn't always as subtle as I'd like, but, in away, this fits. Just go get it. It's worth it.
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