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Northlanders
Northlanders, Vol. 1: Sven the Returned
Meet Sven, an exiled Viking prince who must return to the desolate lands of his birth to reclaim his vast inheritance upon the death of his father.
In this first volume collecting NORTHLANDERS #1-8, DMZ writer Brian Wood stabs Viking lore in the face with a fresh take on what it means to be a warrior. See why Entertainment Weekly calls it "a well-reserched, richly realized world that illuminates politics and culture without getting bogged down in history-book stuff."
In this first volume collecting NORTHLANDERS #1-8, DMZ writer Brian Wood stabs Viking lore in the face with a fresh take on what it means to be a warrior. See why Entertainment Weekly calls it "a well-reserched, richly realized world that illuminates politics and culture without getting bogged down in history-book stuff."
200 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2008
18 people are currently reading
1796 people want to read
About the author
Brian Wood
1,174 books961 followersBrian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.
From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.
His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.
He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.
From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.
His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.
He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 302 reviews
May 15, 2023
Brian Woods's collection of short story tales of the Northlanders from the 6th to the 12th century. Pretty interesting, although not really really a must-read, unless you have a fondness for Viking stories. The story starts with Sven of Orkney, an exiled Viking prince seeking to return and take up his inheritance. A well researched Viking historical fiction. 7 out of 12, Three Stars.
2017 read
2017 read
November 15, 2009
Good art, interesting themes, and the crappiest writing ever.
A)Brian, do your fucking research. Oh, your women are going to Valhalla? Sons are inheriting their father's kingdoms? I think not. You fucking hack.
B)Brian, women are not just holes and tragedies. Feel free to include even ONE woman who is not sexy and brutalized. You fucking fuck.
C)Brian, have you ever HEARD human speech? Or do you just copy out as many cliches as will fit into a word-bubble?
D)Brian, your plot is NOTHING BUT HOLES. Every single plot point makes no sense once examined.
E)Brian, your main character is an unlikable bastard. So why do so many characters fawn over him?
That said, there are some good bits buried in the drek of Brian Wood's Issues. What ruling means, how far intelligence will take you, the relative importance and recognition of honor, identity politics. It's still an awful book that I would recommend to no one, but the art and some of the concepts (if not their execution--the writing is excreble) raise this from one star to two.
A)Brian, do your fucking research. Oh, your women are going to Valhalla? Sons are inheriting their father's kingdoms? I think not. You fucking hack.
B)Brian, women are not just holes and tragedies. Feel free to include even ONE woman who is not sexy and brutalized. You fucking fuck.
C)Brian, have you ever HEARD human speech? Or do you just copy out as many cliches as will fit into a word-bubble?
D)Brian, your plot is NOTHING BUT HOLES. Every single plot point makes no sense once examined.
E)Brian, your main character is an unlikable bastard. So why do so many characters fawn over him?
That said, there are some good bits buried in the drek of Brian Wood's Issues. What ruling means, how far intelligence will take you, the relative importance and recognition of honor, identity politics. It's still an awful book that I would recommend to no one, but the art and some of the concepts (if not their execution--the writing is excreble) raise this from one star to two.
September 16, 2015
One of the problems with writing an unrelentingly grim, serious story is that it can become unintentionally goofy fast. If it's uneven, if you do anything to undermine that tone, if the psychology is shallow, it's easy for the whole structure to topple.
In a more balanced story, even if the serious parts aren't working, you still have the humor, the human relationships, the twists of the plot to bear it up--but if the entirety hinges on one thing, you have to make sure you do that thing right. It's cool that you want to make things gritty by having the hero shot completely through the arm with an arrow, but when, in the next scene, he drinking from a stein with the bloody and bandaged arm without a hint of pain on his face, it's going to come off pretty silly.
It always confuses me when an author wants to write a historical piece, but has no ability to make that other time come to life. All the characters here are modern personalities, and think along modern lines. All the dialogue is painfully modern, with no attempt to capture the archaic tone of the Viking Eddas.
The main character refers several times to his 'girlfriend', he says 'I've been here all of five minutes', as if that's how a man would conceptualize time before the invention of the pocketwatch (though it was worse when Vaughan made the same mistake with lions), and another soldier gives us the Whedon-worthy line 'Do I need to remind yeh this is an invasion? Like with pointy swords and people dying and shit?'
If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was a parody, along the lines of A Knight's Tale, but there is no levity in this story to bear up that theory. If it is a parody, it's a failed one.
I didn't love the art, either, since all the characters seemed to be grimacing and screaming and squinting through every bit of dialogue, their faces covered in Liefeld lines. In every battle scene (and there are plenty) our main character poses with his sword like a thug on the cover of a rap album. The whole style was just so desperately 'edgy' that it was hard not to laugh.
Then there's the depiction of gender and sex in the book, which isn't doing anything to help the common conception that comics are chauvinistic. Every female character who isn't an old woman is young and hot and ends up writhing around naked with the main character--sometimes just literally rolling around nude, delivering lines. Unfortunately, we don't get an equal amount of cheesecake from the men, who are all brutish and craggy and scowling.
The story definitely doesn't pass the Bechdel Test, but I think the whole problem is well summed-up by a single scene. Our main character is hanging out with his aforementioned medieval girlfriend, and he mentions that 'she had other men', at which point we see her hanging out with an older man at a party, laughing and having a drink. He then continues 'I had other women' and we get a scene of him banging a hot young thing with her boobs hanging out. Clearly, whores sleep with old dudes for money, while cool guys do hot babes all the time like it ain't no thang.
Now the main character tells us that he loved her, and some of the other women, too, but that's part of another problem. I didn't realize until after reading this that it was by Brian Wood, author of DMZ, but this book has many of the same problems: a lot of the story is told to us through internal narration of the main character.
I don't understand why an author would choose to write for comics medium, and then proceed to unload his story in a long, wordy narration. If you're going to work in a visual medium, then remember that the images are there to tell half the story (or more!). You don't have to sit back and explain everything to us, because we can see it. If there's a picture of a guy hitting his thumb with a hammer, don't give us a little thought box where he says 'then I hit my thumb with a hammer, it hurt a lot'.
Again and again, we get pictures and dialogue that are telling us the exact same thing, which means this story is not taking advantage of what comics are capable of. More than that, all the conflicts and emotional relationships are explained to us, which drove me nuts.
If you show the main character sleeping with a girl he cares nothing about, knowing what a risk it was for her to come, but casually ruining her life by doing so anyways, then killing her because she has been disfigured and lost hope, it's completely redundant to have him sit and tell the reader 'I was an asshole for treating her like I did'. Yeah, we know. We're human, we comprehend relationships and emotions. We don't need everything spelled out for us, and some of us even like a little subtlety, now and again.
But perhaps worse than that is when the main character's internal narrative tells us things that we never saw in the text. Like when he talks about the various ways in which he grew to love some of the hot naked women who always seem to hang around him. Since we never actually witnessed those relationships developing in scenes of meaningful interaction, telling us that it was a deep relationship after the fact isn't going to suddenly change our perception.
Ah well, I'm sure some day I'll find an up-and-coming author of the new generation who is great at writing comics, but between this and DMZ , I'm very unimpressed with Wood as a storyteller--and kinda as a human being. It hardly surprised me when I heard, years after reading his work, of his (alleged) notorious reputation in comics culture. If you'd asked me which comic author was most likely to harass women (after I laughed and said 'where do I start?') I'd continue 'probably the one who writes abusive, escapist relationships with no emotional content which the narrator then tries to excuse and justify later in hopes of making himself look good'.
My Suggested Readings in Comics
In a more balanced story, even if the serious parts aren't working, you still have the humor, the human relationships, the twists of the plot to bear it up--but if the entirety hinges on one thing, you have to make sure you do that thing right. It's cool that you want to make things gritty by having the hero shot completely through the arm with an arrow, but when, in the next scene, he drinking from a stein with the bloody and bandaged arm without a hint of pain on his face, it's going to come off pretty silly.
It always confuses me when an author wants to write a historical piece, but has no ability to make that other time come to life. All the characters here are modern personalities, and think along modern lines. All the dialogue is painfully modern, with no attempt to capture the archaic tone of the Viking Eddas.
The main character refers several times to his 'girlfriend', he says 'I've been here all of five minutes', as if that's how a man would conceptualize time before the invention of the pocketwatch (though it was worse when Vaughan made the same mistake with lions), and another soldier gives us the Whedon-worthy line 'Do I need to remind yeh this is an invasion? Like with pointy swords and people dying and shit?'
If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was a parody, along the lines of A Knight's Tale, but there is no levity in this story to bear up that theory. If it is a parody, it's a failed one.
I didn't love the art, either, since all the characters seemed to be grimacing and screaming and squinting through every bit of dialogue, their faces covered in Liefeld lines. In every battle scene (and there are plenty) our main character poses with his sword like a thug on the cover of a rap album. The whole style was just so desperately 'edgy' that it was hard not to laugh.
Then there's the depiction of gender and sex in the book, which isn't doing anything to help the common conception that comics are chauvinistic. Every female character who isn't an old woman is young and hot and ends up writhing around naked with the main character--sometimes just literally rolling around nude, delivering lines. Unfortunately, we don't get an equal amount of cheesecake from the men, who are all brutish and craggy and scowling.
The story definitely doesn't pass the Bechdel Test, but I think the whole problem is well summed-up by a single scene. Our main character is hanging out with his aforementioned medieval girlfriend, and he mentions that 'she had other men', at which point we see her hanging out with an older man at a party, laughing and having a drink. He then continues 'I had other women' and we get a scene of him banging a hot young thing with her boobs hanging out. Clearly, whores sleep with old dudes for money, while cool guys do hot babes all the time like it ain't no thang.
Now the main character tells us that he loved her, and some of the other women, too, but that's part of another problem. I didn't realize until after reading this that it was by Brian Wood, author of DMZ, but this book has many of the same problems: a lot of the story is told to us through internal narration of the main character.
I don't understand why an author would choose to write for comics medium, and then proceed to unload his story in a long, wordy narration. If you're going to work in a visual medium, then remember that the images are there to tell half the story (or more!). You don't have to sit back and explain everything to us, because we can see it. If there's a picture of a guy hitting his thumb with a hammer, don't give us a little thought box where he says 'then I hit my thumb with a hammer, it hurt a lot'.
Again and again, we get pictures and dialogue that are telling us the exact same thing, which means this story is not taking advantage of what comics are capable of. More than that, all the conflicts and emotional relationships are explained to us, which drove me nuts.
If you show the main character sleeping with a girl he cares nothing about, knowing what a risk it was for her to come, but casually ruining her life by doing so anyways, then killing her because she has been disfigured and lost hope, it's completely redundant to have him sit and tell the reader 'I was an asshole for treating her like I did'. Yeah, we know. We're human, we comprehend relationships and emotions. We don't need everything spelled out for us, and some of us even like a little subtlety, now and again.
But perhaps worse than that is when the main character's internal narrative tells us things that we never saw in the text. Like when he talks about the various ways in which he grew to love some of the hot naked women who always seem to hang around him. Since we never actually witnessed those relationships developing in scenes of meaningful interaction, telling us that it was a deep relationship after the fact isn't going to suddenly change our perception.
Ah well, I'm sure some day I'll find an up-and-coming author of the new generation who is great at writing comics, but between this and DMZ , I'm very unimpressed with Wood as a storyteller--and kinda as a human being. It hardly surprised me when I heard, years after reading his work, of his (alleged) notorious reputation in comics culture. If you'd asked me which comic author was most likely to harass women (after I laughed and said 'where do I start?') I'd continue 'probably the one who writes abusive, escapist relationships with no emotional content which the narrator then tries to excuse and justify later in hopes of making himself look good'.
My Suggested Readings in Comics
November 25, 2012
It's the 10th century AD in the cold lands of the North, the Orkney Islands. Years after leaving his village of Grimness (haha, great name for a miserable place - nice to see some 10th century humour!) for life abroad in the city of Constantinople, Sven returns to claim his birthright as leader of the village and the riches that come along with it. But the village has changed in the time since he left and his father's successor is a weak, cowardly, and highly superstitious leader who wants nothing but Sven dead.
Brian Wood constructs an exciting historical thriller with plenty of action and blood thrown in. The story has Sven taking off into the wild and dramatic mountain scenery surrounding Grimness and beginning a guerrilla campaign against the usurper's men, picking off his enemies in a variety of ways, most memorably whilst hiding in the body of a dead deer and emerging soaked in blood, sword in hand. In this respect the book reminded me of the excellent "Slaine" comics I read when I was a kid, from the pages of "2000AD". There's a lot less magic in "Northlanders" (which isn't a bad thing as I think Slaine lost it when it became embroiled in that kind of storytelling) but no less action or brilliant writing.
Davide Gianfelice's artwork in "Northlanders" is fantastic. He goes from battle scenes to landscapes to character conversations with ease and skill, his art perfectly complimenting Wood's strong narrative. It really makes the book beautiful to look at.
I'm wary of historical fiction as getting too bogged down in detail, and while I'm sure Wood and Gianfelice have done their research, they don't let it get in the way of a good story. In "Northlanders", Vertigo scores again with another amazing original comic book series. The ending will make you wonder how the rest of the series will be written and made me hungry for more. "Sven the Returned" is an excellent comic book and a great read.
Brian Wood constructs an exciting historical thriller with plenty of action and blood thrown in. The story has Sven taking off into the wild and dramatic mountain scenery surrounding Grimness and beginning a guerrilla campaign against the usurper's men, picking off his enemies in a variety of ways, most memorably whilst hiding in the body of a dead deer and emerging soaked in blood, sword in hand. In this respect the book reminded me of the excellent "Slaine" comics I read when I was a kid, from the pages of "2000AD". There's a lot less magic in "Northlanders" (which isn't a bad thing as I think Slaine lost it when it became embroiled in that kind of storytelling) but no less action or brilliant writing.
Davide Gianfelice's artwork in "Northlanders" is fantastic. He goes from battle scenes to landscapes to character conversations with ease and skill, his art perfectly complimenting Wood's strong narrative. It really makes the book beautiful to look at.
I'm wary of historical fiction as getting too bogged down in detail, and while I'm sure Wood and Gianfelice have done their research, they don't let it get in the way of a good story. In "Northlanders", Vertigo scores again with another amazing original comic book series. The ending will make you wonder how the rest of the series will be written and made me hungry for more. "Sven the Returned" is an excellent comic book and a great read.
March 30, 2016
Muhahahaha. Not two pages after my last status update and it got really bloody. This book was as gritty and full of battle as one would expect from a story about Northlanders. However, the story was surprising.
It starts with Sven, originally from Orkney Island, who somehow ended in Constantinople (how, we are told later) and became a member of the Emperor's famous Varangian Guard. He returns home when he hears that his father has died since that means inheritance. Apparently there is no love lost between him and his family and he doesn't care about anyone but himself.
However, his uncle has declared him dead and taken everything that is rightfully his so there isn't exactly your typical welcome-home-party waiting for him.
I was surprised that this 1st volume dealt with a Viking who didn't believe in any of the Viking traditions and gods. But Sven was an intriguing character nevertheless since his will to survive (as opposed to the usual will to die in battle to get to Valhalla) meant that he was cunning and liked to apply a mix of different tactics. That thing was brilliant. *lol*
We have him as the "modern" warrior and his uncle as the supersticious man firmly rooted in the old world.
Then we also have Enna. I won't spoil anything about her but the insights/viewpoint she gave were very interesting too.
All in all, I have to say that the drawing style was as gritty and edgy as the story and I loved it. There was intrigue, blood, battles, more blood, betrayal, body parts, sex, loss, more body parts, kindness, even more blood ... ;)
I definitely want more.
It starts with Sven, originally from Orkney Island, who somehow ended in Constantinople (how, we are told later) and became a member of the Emperor's famous Varangian Guard. He returns home when he hears that his father has died since that means inheritance. Apparently there is no love lost between him and his family and he doesn't care about anyone but himself.
However, his uncle has declared him dead and taken everything that is rightfully his so there isn't exactly your typical welcome-home-party waiting for him.
I was surprised that this 1st volume dealt with a Viking who didn't believe in any of the Viking traditions and gods. But Sven was an intriguing character nevertheless since his will to survive (as opposed to the usual will to die in battle to get to Valhalla) meant that he was cunning and liked to apply a mix of different tactics. That thing was brilliant. *lol*
We have him as the "modern" warrior and his uncle as the supersticious man firmly rooted in the old world.
Then we also have Enna. I won't spoil anything about her but the insights/viewpoint she gave were very interesting too.
All in all, I have to say that the drawing style was as gritty and edgy as the story and I loved it. There was intrigue, blood, battles, more blood, betrayal, body parts, sex, loss, more body parts, kindness, even more blood ... ;)
I definitely want more.
February 11, 2014
You know, I wanted to like this, but it just didn't happen. It could have been because I never liked the main character, Sven. He's a jerk at the beginning, and he's a jerk at the end. It could be because I never understood his motivations, which seemed to change at the author's whim. He does things because the story wills it, not because it makes sense for him to will it. It could be because the women in this book only existed as sexual outlets and vicarious motivations for Sven. They're only important in so far as they affect Sven. Especially galling is how the murder of one and the brutalization of another is written as something that happens to Sven, because their own pain couldn't possibly matter. It could be because there was absolutely no depth of emotion from any character at any time. When, towards the end of the book, Sven's narration says he's fallen in love with one of the women who exist to throw themselves at him, preferably undressed, my response was, "Really? When did that happen?" Or it could have been the weird, jarring use of modern slang in a book set in Medieval Europe. Every time Sven called the woman he left behind "girlfriend", I cringed. Put it all together, and it's no wonder I didn't care for this book.
December 21, 2020
That was dope! It is by no means realistic but in this case it was just right (although realism would be preferable since this is based in real history as far as I can tell.) But as a simple comic this just rocks, from the main viking story to little story offshoots of multiple character’s everything is just so interestingly written I was hooked.
The art of the first issue is good but doesn’t really “fit” the mood in my opinion, still it gets better over time as the artists change. But the series has some of the most gritty cool comic art pages I ever had the pleasure of reading (the shield maidens).
Something I can recommend easily! 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
The art of the first issue is good but doesn’t really “fit” the mood in my opinion, still it gets better over time as the artists change. But the series has some of the most gritty cool comic art pages I ever had the pleasure of reading (the shield maidens).
Something I can recommend easily! 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
February 15, 2015
Sloppy storytelling, based on even sloppier historical research. For starters, the Viking Age characters not only think and talk like modern people, but develop in ways that wouldn't make sense in any period. Still, the story is adequately illustrated and has its moments if you are looking for pulpy, escapist, hypermasculine fantasy.
January 15, 2020
Loved this!
September 4, 2015
I wanted to enjoy it, I just couldnt. The main character was horrible, the language totally out of time, and while the art was fine it was just unrelentingly violent (and not in a good, fun way).
August 17, 2013
I quite liked Northlanders, but I wanted to love Northlanders. My favourite comic of right now is Brian Wood's The Massive (Dark Horse), his current runs on Star Wars (Dark Horse) and X-Men (Marvel) are excellent, and his work on Conan the Barbarian (Dark Horse) is fascinating. Plus, a friend of mine recommended this with his highest praise, so I was excited to journey to the 10th Century Orkney Islands.
There was very little wrong with this book. I've read numerous complaints about Wood's use of modern vulgarity and speech patterns, but I dismiss those out of hand. The same criticism could have been laid at the feet of Shakespeare in any of his "history" plays or the Greek and Roman plays, because surely those he was writing about didn't speak with the colloquialisms of Elizabethan England, but we don't critcize Shakespeare for that, nor should we criticize Wood here. He is doing what authors do, and unless he is going to be writing in some archaic Norse, no matter how he writes will include a measure of anachronism.
There are times, however, when Sven -- the Northman returning from a life in Constantinople to reclaim his land and titles -- and his self-awareness and contemporary anxieties pull me out of immersion in the story. Much like the use of vulgarity, Wood is doing nothing with his period characters that other authors who write about the past have done. It is the nature of historical writing. It succeeds better, however, when readers don't notice the contemporaneousness. When I do, when it pulls my consciousness out of the narrative, when it becomes a distraction, as it does in this first arc of the Northlanders, it diminishes my enjoyment of the piece. But I completely understand that anyone reading this completely subject complaint of mine could dismiss it as readily as I dismissed the complaints about vulgarity. If you do not share my feelings about contemporaneousness, my complaint will mean little to you.
Yet there is still much to dig in these pages. I was genuinely surprised when the "revenge" narrative took a turn to the self-defensive; I thought there was some genuine emotional truth to be found in Sven's relations with the women in his life; the setting of the Orkney islands and the accompanying artwork by Davide Gianfelice was properly isolating and desolate, and I loved the symbolic flourish -- which Wood is a fan of producing -- of the raven following Sven through his return and retreat.
I hope that it gets better in the arcs to come because this is a promising beginning. Moreover, I hope that Wood engages in some Demo style writing, wherein the arcs move from one Northman to another rather than sticking with Sven forever. I feel like I've seen all I need to be about Sven. I want someone else. I want a new tale. And if if goes that way I can see it rising to meet the expectations I -- perhaps unfairly -- had when I started reading Sven the Returned.
There was very little wrong with this book. I've read numerous complaints about Wood's use of modern vulgarity and speech patterns, but I dismiss those out of hand. The same criticism could have been laid at the feet of Shakespeare in any of his "history" plays or the Greek and Roman plays, because surely those he was writing about didn't speak with the colloquialisms of Elizabethan England, but we don't critcize Shakespeare for that, nor should we criticize Wood here. He is doing what authors do, and unless he is going to be writing in some archaic Norse, no matter how he writes will include a measure of anachronism.
There are times, however, when Sven -- the Northman returning from a life in Constantinople to reclaim his land and titles -- and his self-awareness and contemporary anxieties pull me out of immersion in the story. Much like the use of vulgarity, Wood is doing nothing with his period characters that other authors who write about the past have done. It is the nature of historical writing. It succeeds better, however, when readers don't notice the contemporaneousness. When I do, when it pulls my consciousness out of the narrative, when it becomes a distraction, as it does in this first arc of the Northlanders, it diminishes my enjoyment of the piece. But I completely understand that anyone reading this completely subject complaint of mine could dismiss it as readily as I dismissed the complaints about vulgarity. If you do not share my feelings about contemporaneousness, my complaint will mean little to you.
Yet there is still much to dig in these pages. I was genuinely surprised when the "revenge" narrative took a turn to the self-defensive; I thought there was some genuine emotional truth to be found in Sven's relations with the women in his life; the setting of the Orkney islands and the accompanying artwork by Davide Gianfelice was properly isolating and desolate, and I loved the symbolic flourish -- which Wood is a fan of producing -- of the raven following Sven through his return and retreat.
I hope that it gets better in the arcs to come because this is a promising beginning. Moreover, I hope that Wood engages in some Demo style writing, wherein the arcs move from one Northman to another rather than sticking with Sven forever. I feel like I've seen all I need to be about Sven. I want someone else. I want a new tale. And if if goes that way I can see it rising to meet the expectations I -- perhaps unfairly -- had when I started reading Sven the Returned.
May 6, 2012
This story barely works; whatever momentum it retains is via arresting sequences of brutality and grue rather than a well structured plot or outstanding characterisation. Sven runs away from his Orkney home because he doesn't like the fact that vikings are supposed to stand up and fight even in the face of unbeatable odds - which seems fair enough really, only how exactly did his father fail to pass on the usual viking values to his son? Anyway, Sven gets enslaved then finally finds his place in Constantinople as bodyguard and lover to a young, wealthy woman. One fine battle, he hears that his father is dead and even though he has it all - a place in a modern, civilised society, an open relationship with a lovely woman and experiences that he could never have had back on that cold isle he came from, he decides to go and claim his inheritance and come back. Even though apparently leaving means he can never come back - unless he is able to bribe his way back. And we have no reason to believe that the treasures he may inherit as prince of the aptly-named village of Grimness will be enough to bribe his way back.
The story keeps running off the rails as Sven's personality undergoes random changes from self-seeking cynicism to urbane disdain to some sort of belated sense of community and - the only understandable change - a desire for a quiet life. Various people are hacked to bits and Sven's uncle, set up as the big villain, take second place to a bodyguard who kills everyone Sven loves but still emerges as some sort of ally, while the uncle is eventually dispatched pretty easily. Really, the word bathetic doesn't begin to cover it. And all three of the major female characters are love and sex interests for Sven of course, and all the women involved with him die horribly except the one who becomes his wife, presumably by virtue of remaining alive long enough for him to get around to it.
There are hints of magic and I did like the fact that they are kept very limited and subtle. I loved the bleak, harsh art. I found Sven's inner monologues increasingly asinine but there's a certain craggy appeal to it all in spite of the confused way in which 'clash of worldviews' and 'call of the blood' tropes are deployed. There's potential for this team to tell a good story, but this isn't it.
The story keeps running off the rails as Sven's personality undergoes random changes from self-seeking cynicism to urbane disdain to some sort of belated sense of community and - the only understandable change - a desire for a quiet life. Various people are hacked to bits and Sven's uncle, set up as the big villain, take second place to a bodyguard who kills everyone Sven loves but still emerges as some sort of ally, while the uncle is eventually dispatched pretty easily. Really, the word bathetic doesn't begin to cover it. And all three of the major female characters are love and sex interests for Sven of course, and all the women involved with him die horribly except the one who becomes his wife, presumably by virtue of remaining alive long enough for him to get around to it.
There are hints of magic and I did like the fact that they are kept very limited and subtle. I loved the bleak, harsh art. I found Sven's inner monologues increasingly asinine but there's a certain craggy appeal to it all in spite of the confused way in which 'clash of worldviews' and 'call of the blood' tropes are deployed. There's potential for this team to tell a good story, but this isn't it.
September 21, 2010
As graphic novels go, NORTHLANDERS VOL. 1: SVEN THE RETURNED, was a bit of a letdown. The main thing is I never actually liked Sven "the Returned," so I really didn't care whether he lived, died, sailed off yonder, or got buggered sideways. He starts out as a miserable bastard and pretty much ends this arc as a miserable bastard, despite having achieved most of what he set out to do.
I reckon some of you who have been reading my reviews are starting to see a trend in my reviews, but if we don't identify (at least a little!) with the main character, doesn't it make it pretty darned difficult to enjoy what we're reading to the fullest? I feel like series author, Brian Wood, could have done more with a story that is ultimately anticlimactic, featuring characters who are ultimately irritating. I mean, he has this great setting and Vikings to write about and he just sorta gives a half-assed effort here.
Davide Gianfelice's art was good, albeit cartoony in places, especially the fight scenes, and some panels seemed rushed and too gritty; although, most of the grit was from the newsprint paper quality as it rubbed off on my hands. I understand DC cuts costs sometimes with lower selling books, but I have to wonder if Gianfelice's work would have been better served by a better paper stock--a roll of Cottonelle would have produced better quality color and ink retention!
I'm giving NORTHLANDERS VOL. 1 two stars, mainly because I like the general premise but I think Wood could have done more research and given a better effort. I understand the guy is a good writer in general (DMZ had a solid fan base), and he might have a plan to develop Sven more in the next story arc, who knows. I'll give NORTHLANDERS VOL. 2 a try, despite the second-rate quality in fairly every aspect of "Sven the Returned."
Two stars (out of five).
--
I reckon some of you who have been reading my reviews are starting to see a trend in my reviews, but if we don't identify (at least a little!) with the main character, doesn't it make it pretty darned difficult to enjoy what we're reading to the fullest? I feel like series author, Brian Wood, could have done more with a story that is ultimately anticlimactic, featuring characters who are ultimately irritating. I mean, he has this great setting and Vikings to write about and he just sorta gives a half-assed effort here.
Davide Gianfelice's art was good, albeit cartoony in places, especially the fight scenes, and some panels seemed rushed and too gritty; although, most of the grit was from the newsprint paper quality as it rubbed off on my hands. I understand DC cuts costs sometimes with lower selling books, but I have to wonder if Gianfelice's work would have been better served by a better paper stock--a roll of Cottonelle would have produced better quality color and ink retention!
I'm giving NORTHLANDERS VOL. 1 two stars, mainly because I like the general premise but I think Wood could have done more research and given a better effort. I understand the guy is a good writer in general (DMZ had a solid fan base), and he might have a plan to develop Sven more in the next story arc, who knows. I'll give NORTHLANDERS VOL. 2 a try, despite the second-rate quality in fairly every aspect of "Sven the Returned."
Two stars (out of five).
--
July 6, 2017
Holy shit where was this my whole life? Did I just not see this ever? Like DAMN this was pretty awesome! Sven is a dude coming back to take his land back. He was once amongest the viking, left, and returns to find Gorm, the guy who took over his land after his father had died. Fuck that guy. Sven going to handle it but it's not going to be easy. He's all by himself and learns to take them out. This is like a thriller meets medievil epic, mixed with espionage because of Sven fighting style.
Before I get to it just know this isn't history accurate. I'm okay with that. Even more so they took out old english that's boring and shitty and replaced it with more modern language. So Sven will be like "Fuck yourself" and I'm so okay with this because it feels more natural. I'm not reading comics to get a history lesson, I'm reading to see some epic grimy shit in Viking world. I got just that.
What I liked: Sven is a piece of shit half the time. I love that though. We don't always need or deserve a heroic hero. Then we also got a vast land to take over and loved the hell out of the design of the land. I also loved the fighting as it was screwed up and brutal as hell. Also enjoyed a lot of the characters and how each one made another stronger or weaker. I also loved the storytelling and pacing as it was quick but ALWAYS entertaining. Never once was I bored with this one.
What I didn't like: The first two issues take a bit to get in to it. It's a shock how different it is to historical accurate properties. So that took a bit.
Overall I freaking loved it. It takes abit to go but once it does it's damn fun. I got to say I'm super impressed and ordering the next 6 volumes right now.
Before I get to it just know this isn't history accurate. I'm okay with that. Even more so they took out old english that's boring and shitty and replaced it with more modern language. So Sven will be like "Fuck yourself" and I'm so okay with this because it feels more natural. I'm not reading comics to get a history lesson, I'm reading to see some epic grimy shit in Viking world. I got just that.
What I liked: Sven is a piece of shit half the time. I love that though. We don't always need or deserve a heroic hero. Then we also got a vast land to take over and loved the hell out of the design of the land. I also loved the fighting as it was screwed up and brutal as hell. Also enjoyed a lot of the characters and how each one made another stronger or weaker. I also loved the storytelling and pacing as it was quick but ALWAYS entertaining. Never once was I bored with this one.
What I didn't like: The first two issues take a bit to get in to it. It's a shock how different it is to historical accurate properties. So that took a bit.
Overall I freaking loved it. It takes abit to go but once it does it's damn fun. I got to say I'm super impressed and ordering the next 6 volumes right now.
January 13, 2024
Who knew Vikings were so emo?
As a huge fan of Brian Wood’s Brigg’s Land and Rebels series, I wanted to check out his earlier work and picked up this Viking saga set in A.D. 980 on the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Norseman Sven, who has been banished from his ancestral home, returns home after his father’s death to claim his inheritance.
Told in non-linear form throughout eight chapters, we meet Sven as a petulant only child of a father who is constantly away from home as he pillages up and down the Irish coast for riches. An envious local farmer attacks Sven’s mother and although Sven had known about the threat, he is not home to defend her. She curses him for his cowardice and he runs away from home only to be kidnapped and enslaved. After a few years of hard labor on a ship, he is sold to a merchant in Constantinople. There he grows to manhood and becomes the lover of Zoe, the merchant’s daughter, who sets him free. As a soldier of the Varangian Guard, he learns from a passing Norse ship that his father has died and his uncle has claimed his inheritance rights.
Sven decides to head home to claim his birthright and leaves Zoe forever. His uncle has absolutely no intention of giving up his leadership, and Sven becomes a rebel, terrorizing the villages to get his uncle Gorm to concede. It is the riches that Sven really wants, as he does not want the leadership role, for he views his ancestral home as backward and too tied to pagan rituals. The military tactics and battle scenes were interesting and appropriately bloody. But some of the narrative is uneven and Wood has his characters use terms that are modern and were jarring to be used in this Viking era.
While in hiding he meets Enna the last of her clan who is tied to the coast and ancient rites, but before he commits to her he is an absolutely selfish beast to Thora, a woman he sexually uses and throws away. Sven is not likable in the least from his childhood on, and the tired trope of a good woman taming a bad boy is used here. So I wasn’t rooting necessarily for Sven’s victory but for Enna’s. I really liked the last few pages, for it finally showed a mature Sven making decisions that weren’t just for his own ease and gratification.
The artwork was a mixed bag. It was at times very evocative of the Constantinople opulence with a more red and orange color palate and then the ruggedness of the Scottish islands with a duller blue-green color aesthetic. Research was certainly done to capture the landscapes and clothing styles of the era. But the artist seemed to have an issue with eyes- in several crowd panels he didn’t give people eyes, they were just smudges, as if he didn’t take the time to draw in final details. It was done again with Enna in a close-up, and while her eyes had been blue when we first met her, they were distinctly green in the last panels. Plus, the way Sven’s beard grayed dramatically from when he first returned to Orkney, made me keep checking the dates to see if many years had passed, but no- it was all one year. These little inconsistencies added up and took away from the art as a whole.
I have to admit if this was the first time I read Brian Wood’s work, I would have stopped here. I caught glimpses of fine writing within the narrative, but he has certainly grown as a writer since then, and now gives women a more equitable and balanced representation than he did in this story. While I did enjoy a glimpse back to my Scottish ancestry (I’m a bit of everything) and the relationship between Sven and Enna, this is a series that continues with different characters and dates I will not continue. (Edit- I reconsidered and ended up reading the entire seven-book series!)
This review can be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2018/04/2...
As a huge fan of Brian Wood’s Brigg’s Land and Rebels series, I wanted to check out his earlier work and picked up this Viking saga set in A.D. 980 on the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Norseman Sven, who has been banished from his ancestral home, returns home after his father’s death to claim his inheritance.
Told in non-linear form throughout eight chapters, we meet Sven as a petulant only child of a father who is constantly away from home as he pillages up and down the Irish coast for riches. An envious local farmer attacks Sven’s mother and although Sven had known about the threat, he is not home to defend her. She curses him for his cowardice and he runs away from home only to be kidnapped and enslaved. After a few years of hard labor on a ship, he is sold to a merchant in Constantinople. There he grows to manhood and becomes the lover of Zoe, the merchant’s daughter, who sets him free. As a soldier of the Varangian Guard, he learns from a passing Norse ship that his father has died and his uncle has claimed his inheritance rights.
Sven decides to head home to claim his birthright and leaves Zoe forever. His uncle has absolutely no intention of giving up his leadership, and Sven becomes a rebel, terrorizing the villages to get his uncle Gorm to concede. It is the riches that Sven really wants, as he does not want the leadership role, for he views his ancestral home as backward and too tied to pagan rituals. The military tactics and battle scenes were interesting and appropriately bloody. But some of the narrative is uneven and Wood has his characters use terms that are modern and were jarring to be used in this Viking era.
While in hiding he meets Enna the last of her clan who is tied to the coast and ancient rites, but before he commits to her he is an absolutely selfish beast to Thora, a woman he sexually uses and throws away. Sven is not likable in the least from his childhood on, and the tired trope of a good woman taming a bad boy is used here. So I wasn’t rooting necessarily for Sven’s victory but for Enna’s. I really liked the last few pages, for it finally showed a mature Sven making decisions that weren’t just for his own ease and gratification.
The artwork was a mixed bag. It was at times very evocative of the Constantinople opulence with a more red and orange color palate and then the ruggedness of the Scottish islands with a duller blue-green color aesthetic. Research was certainly done to capture the landscapes and clothing styles of the era. But the artist seemed to have an issue with eyes- in several crowd panels he didn’t give people eyes, they were just smudges, as if he didn’t take the time to draw in final details. It was done again with Enna in a close-up, and while her eyes had been blue when we first met her, they were distinctly green in the last panels. Plus, the way Sven’s beard grayed dramatically from when he first returned to Orkney, made me keep checking the dates to see if many years had passed, but no- it was all one year. These little inconsistencies added up and took away from the art as a whole.
I have to admit if this was the first time I read Brian Wood’s work, I would have stopped here. I caught glimpses of fine writing within the narrative, but he has certainly grown as a writer since then, and now gives women a more equitable and balanced representation than he did in this story. While I did enjoy a glimpse back to my Scottish ancestry (I’m a bit of everything) and the relationship between Sven and Enna, this is a series that continues with different characters and dates I will not continue. (Edit- I reconsidered and ended up reading the entire seven-book series!)
This review can be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2018/04/2...
February 11, 2013
re-read, feb 11, 2013
I could practically feel the cold coming off the page.
Sven is not a nice guy, he just happens to be the main character in this story, so you sort of accept him as the "hero".
But the fact of the matter is, there are no heroes in this world, anyone heroic tends to die pretty quickly.
A world of cold tends to breed cold people.
The vikings were a hard, cold, merciless people.
Writer Brian Wood gives us a new interpretation of the "barbarian", an actual one... Northlanders takes you into a well-researched, richly realized world that illuminates politics and culture without getting bogged down in history-book stuff and is a great opening to what will become a fantastic series, mixing action, suspense, and realistic drama in the gritty setting of Viking-era Scotland.
The blurb in the back of this book states that Northlanders is "Vikings finally done right!!. I am usually very wary of hype and take most of these "praises" with a grain of salt but after finding myself unable to put this book down I have to agree with that succint reviewer: Northlanders does what many books and graphic novels attempt but never achieve...it brings the past alive and recreates Viking civilization in a way I have never seen depicted in comics before.
The story is about Sven, an amoral warrior who fights for the Byzantine Emperor as part of his elite Varangian Guards. The Varangian Guards were Norsemen specifically recruited by the Greeks due to their legendary ferocity in battle. Sven loves Constantinople...it's a city of wonders, where all shades of skins and religion and culture mingle in the streets. He has turned his back on his cold, snowy homelands and couldn't be happier for it. That is until the day, messengers arrive with the news that his father, a king in the Orkneys, has died and that his uncle has usurped his throne, kingdom, wenches and riches.
Sven could care less about ruling a northern wasteland...he just wants to take his inheritance and come right back to sunny, golden Greece...where the story takes us after that is what really makes his book a rarity: a mature look at war and culture and how enemies deal with each other.
About the art. I'm a picky fan when it comes to art. I want to see beautiful, eye popping things and any other day I would dismiss the art of Northlanders as simplistic. But at closer inspection you see that the art is subtle and efficient. It's filled with details you'll miss until the second reading, the characters all have their own "look" unlike the pin-ups of so many popular artists who draw all their characters with bulging muscles, rage lines and huge breasts. I wouldn't want the art any other way. The colors are rich and enhance rather than detract.
I highly recommend "Northlanders". A true graphic novel epic and a blockbuster film just waiting for Hollywood to notice it.
I could practically feel the cold coming off the page.
Sven is not a nice guy, he just happens to be the main character in this story, so you sort of accept him as the "hero".
But the fact of the matter is, there are no heroes in this world, anyone heroic tends to die pretty quickly.
A world of cold tends to breed cold people.
The vikings were a hard, cold, merciless people.
Writer Brian Wood gives us a new interpretation of the "barbarian", an actual one... Northlanders takes you into a well-researched, richly realized world that illuminates politics and culture without getting bogged down in history-book stuff and is a great opening to what will become a fantastic series, mixing action, suspense, and realistic drama in the gritty setting of Viking-era Scotland.
The blurb in the back of this book states that Northlanders is "Vikings finally done right!!. I am usually very wary of hype and take most of these "praises" with a grain of salt but after finding myself unable to put this book down I have to agree with that succint reviewer: Northlanders does what many books and graphic novels attempt but never achieve...it brings the past alive and recreates Viking civilization in a way I have never seen depicted in comics before.
The story is about Sven, an amoral warrior who fights for the Byzantine Emperor as part of his elite Varangian Guards. The Varangian Guards were Norsemen specifically recruited by the Greeks due to their legendary ferocity in battle. Sven loves Constantinople...it's a city of wonders, where all shades of skins and religion and culture mingle in the streets. He has turned his back on his cold, snowy homelands and couldn't be happier for it. That is until the day, messengers arrive with the news that his father, a king in the Orkneys, has died and that his uncle has usurped his throne, kingdom, wenches and riches.
Sven could care less about ruling a northern wasteland...he just wants to take his inheritance and come right back to sunny, golden Greece...where the story takes us after that is what really makes his book a rarity: a mature look at war and culture and how enemies deal with each other.
About the art. I'm a picky fan when it comes to art. I want to see beautiful, eye popping things and any other day I would dismiss the art of Northlanders as simplistic. But at closer inspection you see that the art is subtle and efficient. It's filled with details you'll miss until the second reading, the characters all have their own "look" unlike the pin-ups of so many popular artists who draw all their characters with bulging muscles, rage lines and huge breasts. I wouldn't want the art any other way. The colors are rich and enhance rather than detract.
I highly recommend "Northlanders". A true graphic novel epic and a blockbuster film just waiting for Hollywood to notice it.
January 22, 2016
Brian Wood pens Vol 1 of Northlanders and it is amazing. Truly. It is a series about the Norsemen. Volume 1 is the story of Sven. Sven is an exile from the Orkney Islands who ends up joining the Varangian Guard (the Norseman bodyguard to the Emperor of Constantinople). He returns home to claim his birthright of leadership from his uncle Gorm. I truly enjoyed this tale of Sven and Mr Woods style of writing is excellent. This Volume collect the 8 issues that make up the Sven storyline. I shall not ruin what happens by spoiling the plot, but suffice to say Sven's return is not easy and his development from a selfish and greedy Varangian, to thinking of himself as an Orkney Norseman, to the ending where he is protecting his family is well done. The writing is fairly close to history that I shall not complain and Mr. Woods knowledge of Norse culture and traditions is excellent (though his history is a wee bit off...but I shall not quibble-it's a damn comic book get over it). Now, that being said-my one quibble- the art. I didn't find the art to be terrible, but neither was it very good. The artist uses a less detailed sketching style that seems to be all the rage in many of the Vertigo line. This was a story that could have used sharp, detailed art to show the blood and the violence. Instead, we are treated to decent enough artwork, but it really lacked the visceral effect a good artist can have. Some of the characters (Gorm and Hakkar) are hard to tell apart due to the art and that is a shame. I really enjoyed this tale and hope for Vol 2 Mr. Wood gets another artist. That's just my take. Please understand the art does not detract from the story, just does nothing to enhance it. If you are a fan of a good Norse adventure-well here you have it. Looking forward to reading Volume 2.
November 29, 2011
This just became my third-favourite graphic novel of all time (behind ABC Warriors and Slaine: The Horned God). The art is intricate, capturing every detail of the (frequent) violence and (occasional) tenderness, while the script drives the story forward at a heady pace.
The year is 980 AD. The place: the Scottish isle of Orkney. Upon receiving news that his father has died, Sven returns home to Orkney to claim his father's lands and assets. Having spent the previous two decades training as a warrior in Constantinople, Sven is more than a little handy with a sword. Lucky for him, really, as neither his Viking uncle Gorm nor Gorm's band of badass followers have any intention of handing over Sven's birthright. Brutal battles ensue, after which Sven flees to the coast and shacks up with a Celtic witch who's rather nifty with a hunting bow. To say any more would be to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it. If you like Vikings, Celts and old-school battles, this is for you. Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice paint an original picture of Vikings, blending historical facts with action from their imagination.
The book was so damn good that I rattled through it in an hour. I wanted to savour the detail of each picture, soaking up its nuances, but the compulsion to turn pages drove me onwards. That's what happens when excellent script meets evocative artwork.
Highly recommended.
The year is 980 AD. The place: the Scottish isle of Orkney. Upon receiving news that his father has died, Sven returns home to Orkney to claim his father's lands and assets. Having spent the previous two decades training as a warrior in Constantinople, Sven is more than a little handy with a sword. Lucky for him, really, as neither his Viking uncle Gorm nor Gorm's band of badass followers have any intention of handing over Sven's birthright. Brutal battles ensue, after which Sven flees to the coast and shacks up with a Celtic witch who's rather nifty with a hunting bow. To say any more would be to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it. If you like Vikings, Celts and old-school battles, this is for you. Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice paint an original picture of Vikings, blending historical facts with action from their imagination.
The book was so damn good that I rattled through it in an hour. I wanted to savour the detail of each picture, soaking up its nuances, but the compulsion to turn pages drove me onwards. That's what happens when excellent script meets evocative artwork.
Highly recommended.
January 31, 2016
This graphic novel caught my eyes on Goodreads and I thought it looks interesting because it was about the Vikings (Yay!). Unfortunately, it wasn't very good, the art was fine, but the story and the language were not to my liking.
Sven gets news that his father has died and travelers’ home to take back his land from his uncle that has usurped it. Then he spends the rest of the 7 issues fighting his uncle and the Vikings. The end! I don’t have anything against fighting, but Sven isn’t really a nice guy (the first thing he does is to kill the messenger that delivers the note that his father has died, what a nice guy!) so it’s hard to cheer him on, to root for him to win when you really don’t get to know him. Except that all he wants is money, not his land, not his title. What a man! He's not even an interesting anti-hero...
Then we have the language; modern language and modern profanities. It was fuck this and fuck that. All through 8 issues! Meh! If they should swear at least they could use “by Odin's beard” or something. No, it felt like a Tarantino movie. And I love Tarantino movies but Vikings shouldn’t sound like they are part of one.
Anyway, I struggled through the last issues and finished off the first volume last night. Will I read the next one? Perhaps, perhaps not. There wasn't much I liked with the first one so I will probably read something more to my liking than struggling through a volume with more of this crap. The only redeeming fact was that I liked the artwork, but without a decent storyline, what's the point?
Sven gets news that his father has died and travelers’ home to take back his land from his uncle that has usurped it. Then he spends the rest of the 7 issues fighting his uncle and the Vikings. The end! I don’t have anything against fighting, but Sven isn’t really a nice guy (the first thing he does is to kill the messenger that delivers the note that his father has died, what a nice guy!) so it’s hard to cheer him on, to root for him to win when you really don’t get to know him. Except that all he wants is money, not his land, not his title. What a man! He's not even an interesting anti-hero...
Then we have the language; modern language and modern profanities. It was fuck this and fuck that. All through 8 issues! Meh! If they should swear at least they could use “by Odin's beard” or something. No, it felt like a Tarantino movie. And I love Tarantino movies but Vikings shouldn’t sound like they are part of one.
Anyway, I struggled through the last issues and finished off the first volume last night. Will I read the next one? Perhaps, perhaps not. There wasn't much I liked with the first one so I will probably read something more to my liking than struggling through a volume with more of this crap. The only redeeming fact was that I liked the artwork, but without a decent storyline, what's the point?
November 12, 2018
Sven starts as the a$$hole who (literally) kills the messenger, then has a long, mostly implausible redemption arc... Still, I loved the art and the plain-speaking characterization of the Norse enough to rate this pretty highly, and I'm quite interested in carrying on to the second volume now.
(and this review is absolutely, positively in NO WAY influenced by my current obsession with the Norwegian comedy series Norsemen on Netflix. Nope, not at all)
(and this review is absolutely, positively in NO WAY influenced by my current obsession with the Norwegian comedy series Norsemen on Netflix. Nope, not at all)
July 27, 2017
Great book, though be warned - this one is more real than most. The protagonist isn't always good, and his goals aren't always noble. But just a great tale, and hits you with an impact on multiple levels.
October 11, 2011
The vikings were a visceral people. They were not the romanticised or idealized warrior, but plunderers and rapists, pillaging and burning on their raids during their own winter months. In their harvest times they would farm, but come winter, the men would leave to new shores to loot and plunder. Leave the women to the cold while they traveled to new places, saw new people, and murdered them.
Northlanders posits no new theories about the viking lands or culture. It shows them to be a nasty and brutal and savage people. This book is populated by brutalized peasantry, brutalized women, and brutalized prisoners. Wood isn't the best writer going. The book has one too many flaws in pace and plot and has nearly a complete break in the middle with a 20-page flashback from 20 years prior to the current events. Some of the plotting is rocky at best and seems more of an afterthought than anything else. But the redeeming parts of the book far outweigh any holes you may feel yourself slipping through in this first trade. Especially if you are a fan of hardboiled fiction, this book delivers on every level in that regard. Its practically a Richard Stark novel set in 980 AD. The best part of the dialogue, though? We get none of the cheesy, corny 'thee's and 'thou's and 'have at you's you often see in period pieces.
However, the dialogue and writing is too good to ignore in the featured prose. It is just as visceral as the characters within the pages. A great talent named Davide Gianfelice illustrates with the same gritty brutality that the characters have been shaped with. Its rare to find someone who understands the importance of paneling on the pages and not just the composition within the panels.
I've seen a few different reviews that claim this work is wholly misogynist. It isn't. Misogyny stems from the author's intent and not from your own interpretation of the events of the book. Most readers who would dismiss the book as such typically have an agenda before reading and their minds are made up from the first page. The women in this book are treated brutally, no doubt. But I prefer that to a revisionist take on the manners of Norsemen, of which they had none.
Grade: B-
Northlanders posits no new theories about the viking lands or culture. It shows them to be a nasty and brutal and savage people. This book is populated by brutalized peasantry, brutalized women, and brutalized prisoners. Wood isn't the best writer going. The book has one too many flaws in pace and plot and has nearly a complete break in the middle with a 20-page flashback from 20 years prior to the current events. Some of the plotting is rocky at best and seems more of an afterthought than anything else. But the redeeming parts of the book far outweigh any holes you may feel yourself slipping through in this first trade. Especially if you are a fan of hardboiled fiction, this book delivers on every level in that regard. Its practically a Richard Stark novel set in 980 AD. The best part of the dialogue, though? We get none of the cheesy, corny 'thee's and 'thou's and 'have at you's you often see in period pieces.
However, the dialogue and writing is too good to ignore in the featured prose. It is just as visceral as the characters within the pages. A great talent named Davide Gianfelice illustrates with the same gritty brutality that the characters have been shaped with. Its rare to find someone who understands the importance of paneling on the pages and not just the composition within the panels.
I've seen a few different reviews that claim this work is wholly misogynist. It isn't. Misogyny stems from the author's intent and not from your own interpretation of the events of the book. Most readers who would dismiss the book as such typically have an agenda before reading and their minds are made up from the first page. The women in this book are treated brutally, no doubt. But I prefer that to a revisionist take on the manners of Norsemen, of which they had none.
Grade: B-
September 10, 2016
En este tomo tenemos dos historias, la principal y la que da nombre al tomo, "el regreso de Sven" y una pequeña historia de dos capítulos llamada "Lindisfarne".
En la primera tenemos a Sven, un nórdico miembro de la guardia varega de Costantinopla, que recibe la noticia de que su padre ha muerto y su tío Gorm se ha apropiado de sus tierras y riquezas, decide volver a las islas orcadas, su lugar de nacimiento, para recuperar lo que es suyo por derecho.
En la segunda se nos cuenta el saqueo vikingo del monasterio de Lindisfarne, desde el punto de vista de un niño medio nórdico que nunca dejó de creer en los antiguos dioses de las creencias de su madre.
Es un buen cómic, el dibujo es muy adecuado para trasmitir la ambientación vikinga, reflejando con toda crudeza la violencia de los combates. Pero la verdad es que aunque las historias están bien, me parece que les falta trabajo, hay algunos momentos en los que la coherencia interna se va al garete, y sinceramente, los personajes no están todo lo trabajados que debieran, como digo es un cómic que está bien, es entretenido y el arte es bueno, pero no esperes una obra maestra.
La verdad es que no se si seguiré la colección, lo bueno es que este tomo no necesita continuación, así que es posible que lo deje aquí.
En la primera tenemos a Sven, un nórdico miembro de la guardia varega de Costantinopla, que recibe la noticia de que su padre ha muerto y su tío Gorm se ha apropiado de sus tierras y riquezas, decide volver a las islas orcadas, su lugar de nacimiento, para recuperar lo que es suyo por derecho.
En la segunda se nos cuenta el saqueo vikingo del monasterio de Lindisfarne, desde el punto de vista de un niño medio nórdico que nunca dejó de creer en los antiguos dioses de las creencias de su madre.
Es un buen cómic, el dibujo es muy adecuado para trasmitir la ambientación vikinga, reflejando con toda crudeza la violencia de los combates. Pero la verdad es que aunque las historias están bien, me parece que les falta trabajo, hay algunos momentos en los que la coherencia interna se va al garete, y sinceramente, los personajes no están todo lo trabajados que debieran, como digo es un cómic que está bien, es entretenido y el arte es bueno, pero no esperes una obra maestra.
La verdad es que no se si seguiré la colección, lo bueno es que este tomo no necesita continuación, así que es posible que lo deje aquí.
October 26, 2019
This is a warrior tale: blood, guts, violence, savagery all brought to an ending which hopes for something better. There are no heroes in this graphic novel, only men and women who live with the hope of dying in battle.
I enjoyed this. The art is not as clearly defined as I generally prefer but the drawings enhance the brutality of the story. Most of all I enjoyed the sense of a saga focused on the life of one man as he seeks to regain his heritage. I shall definitely read more from this series.
I enjoyed this. The art is not as clearly defined as I generally prefer but the drawings enhance the brutality of the story. Most of all I enjoyed the sense of a saga focused on the life of one man as he seeks to regain his heritage. I shall definitely read more from this series.
May 21, 2012
I really enjoyed this, especially the artistic depiction of Norse life over the black borders, but I have no interest in reading any further. See, I erroneously believed that each of the Northlanders volumes followed Sven the Returned --the main character of this volume. But this volume has his entire story arc, and the additional volumes are all unrelated viking stories, so there is no hook for me to continue this series.
January 3, 2017
Had always wanted to read a viking book. But this one could not get me hooked. Just did not care about the characters. Sven's arc ended with this volume, so the next volume will consist of a different story I guess.
March 19, 2014
Awesome story about what it was like to be a viking colony, and life during that period. Cultures clashing, and limited land. Beautiful artwork.
June 30, 2019
(This review was originally published by GraphicNovelReporter.com on July 10, 2012)
Created and written by Brian Wood, Northlanders goes far back in time, to 980 A.D., to explore Viking history. A serious period piece, it explores the dynamics of Viking culture on the cusp of change, amidst the spread of Christianity.
After learning that his father is dead and his uncle has claimed control of the family estate and wealth, Sven, a Varangian soldier, returns home to reclaim what is rightly his. His reappearance in Orkney, of course, does not go well and he soon finds himself an outcast single-handedly waging war against his uncle and his soldiers.
While the overall plot has been the subject of countless historical epics, Wood crafts a story that is uniquely his own. For starters, Sven is not acting out of any high ideals for his land or countrymen. His desires are selfish—he seeks only to get his cut of the money and return to Constantinople, his true home. He doesn’t care about the people his uncle shoddily rules over, or the damage that has been done to the land in the wake of his father’s death. It’s enough, simply, that his uncle fears him and gives him what is his by virtue of birthright.
Wood wisely makes Sven an outsider amongst his own people. Cut off from his family and sold into slavery at an early age, he lived the majority of his life in Constantinople, far away from his native home in Orkney in the northern reaches of Scotland. The reader is able to experience the clashes in culture alongside Sven, learning about the Viking’s warrior ways and their fundamental beliefs and ideals.
By aligning ourselves with Sven early on, it makes his growth as a character all the more personal. Although he starts off as a selfish, almost would-be conqueror, his immersion into Viking culture and the characters he interacts with provide for a sense of honest, well-earned change. Over the course of the issues collected in this volume, readers are given a strong composite of his life from childhood to present-day, and the events that have defined and shaped him. His relationships with Thora, a child-hood love that has become nothing more than a sex slave to his uncle, and Enna, an orphaned Scot who snipes people with her bow and arrow for amusement, are layered and complex. Each relationship evolves and changes over time, and in turn changes Sven and his outlook on what it means to be a Norseman. Sven becomes so richly defined over the course of the book that by the end he’s an entirely different person. It’s a very natural progression as a character, and a terrific example of the old writer’s maxim of “show, don’t tell.”
Gianfelice’s pencils are, largely, well-drafted. There are instances where his lines become muddled, and facial features are lost in the thick lines, creating an oddly deformed appearance here and there. It’s a small complaint, however, since the characters appear to be historically accurate, as they should be—rugged, scarred, and shaped by the harsh climates and history of violence. These are not the pretty boys of superhero comics, but an honest depiction of men and women living lean lives, scraping what they can from one another and the earth they inhabit.
Also included are the covers that graced the monthly issues, crafted by Massimo Carnevale. His art is a unique beauty that changes over time, alongside the story being told. Initially, the images are composites of finished work and rough draft sketches, half colored, half black-and-white line art. By the time the last chapter opens, and the story itself has progressed and become more defined and fulfilled, Carnevale’s art is presented as a final, finished image.
Northlanders is really a terrific book, and unlike any other comics on the stand. It’s a well-crafted story about change and death during a pivotal moment in history as one culture slowly began to cede to another, and, ultimately, ceased to exist. An epic, historical narrative about Vikings—really, what more could someone ask for?
Created and written by Brian Wood, Northlanders goes far back in time, to 980 A.D., to explore Viking history. A serious period piece, it explores the dynamics of Viking culture on the cusp of change, amidst the spread of Christianity.
After learning that his father is dead and his uncle has claimed control of the family estate and wealth, Sven, a Varangian soldier, returns home to reclaim what is rightly his. His reappearance in Orkney, of course, does not go well and he soon finds himself an outcast single-handedly waging war against his uncle and his soldiers.
While the overall plot has been the subject of countless historical epics, Wood crafts a story that is uniquely his own. For starters, Sven is not acting out of any high ideals for his land or countrymen. His desires are selfish—he seeks only to get his cut of the money and return to Constantinople, his true home. He doesn’t care about the people his uncle shoddily rules over, or the damage that has been done to the land in the wake of his father’s death. It’s enough, simply, that his uncle fears him and gives him what is his by virtue of birthright.
Wood wisely makes Sven an outsider amongst his own people. Cut off from his family and sold into slavery at an early age, he lived the majority of his life in Constantinople, far away from his native home in Orkney in the northern reaches of Scotland. The reader is able to experience the clashes in culture alongside Sven, learning about the Viking’s warrior ways and their fundamental beliefs and ideals.
By aligning ourselves with Sven early on, it makes his growth as a character all the more personal. Although he starts off as a selfish, almost would-be conqueror, his immersion into Viking culture and the characters he interacts with provide for a sense of honest, well-earned change. Over the course of the issues collected in this volume, readers are given a strong composite of his life from childhood to present-day, and the events that have defined and shaped him. His relationships with Thora, a child-hood love that has become nothing more than a sex slave to his uncle, and Enna, an orphaned Scot who snipes people with her bow and arrow for amusement, are layered and complex. Each relationship evolves and changes over time, and in turn changes Sven and his outlook on what it means to be a Norseman. Sven becomes so richly defined over the course of the book that by the end he’s an entirely different person. It’s a very natural progression as a character, and a terrific example of the old writer’s maxim of “show, don’t tell.”
Gianfelice’s pencils are, largely, well-drafted. There are instances where his lines become muddled, and facial features are lost in the thick lines, creating an oddly deformed appearance here and there. It’s a small complaint, however, since the characters appear to be historically accurate, as they should be—rugged, scarred, and shaped by the harsh climates and history of violence. These are not the pretty boys of superhero comics, but an honest depiction of men and women living lean lives, scraping what they can from one another and the earth they inhabit.
Also included are the covers that graced the monthly issues, crafted by Massimo Carnevale. His art is a unique beauty that changes over time, alongside the story being told. Initially, the images are composites of finished work and rough draft sketches, half colored, half black-and-white line art. By the time the last chapter opens, and the story itself has progressed and become more defined and fulfilled, Carnevale’s art is presented as a final, finished image.
Northlanders is really a terrific book, and unlike any other comics on the stand. It’s a well-crafted story about change and death during a pivotal moment in history as one culture slowly began to cede to another, and, ultimately, ceased to exist. An epic, historical narrative about Vikings—really, what more could someone ask for?
December 3, 2008
I like Vikings.
Okay, that isn’t true. I LOVE Vikings; I think they are, without question, one of the most fascinating groups of people every to rape and pillage their way across Europe (there’s a surprising amount of those, if you think about it).
All joking aside, however, I really do love Vikings. There is something about their culture, history, mythology, and overall world-view that I find deeply fascinating. I suspect some of it is a result of my Tolkien love, as he borrowed liberally from bits of Viking myth, as well as my reading of D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths as a youth. So when my friend Diego Montoya recommended that I start reading the Northlanders comic, I took him seriously. I also realized that I couldn’t add another book to my pull list, so I just decided to pick the first trade up.
The first trade collects the saga of Sven the Returned, a Viking warrior who abandons his post in the Varangian Guard to return home and claim his title and lands from his uncle, who has usurped his place. Sven’s motives for doing this are a little shaky, since he makes it clear, constantly and without end, that he hates Norway, hates the Viking ethos and world view, and in general, wants nothing to do with the whole thing. Yet back he goes. What follows is a saga full of all of things you ought to expect from a good Viking tale: fighting, betrayal, fighting, arctic survival, fighting, old rune seers, fighting, feuds of honor, fighting, philosophizing, and yes, some fighting.
Okay, there’s actually a lot of fighting, though perhaps not quite as much as I make it seem like. But there is a damn lot of it, no matter how you count it out. Most of the fighting is quite brutal. Some of it is brutal to the point of being cartoonish, frankly. There’s a particular scene involving a deerskin that just comes out as being over the top silly.
The dialogue is variable. Sometimes it flows well. Other times, it feels stilted and forced. Sven’s witticisms sometimes come out as being very clever, and other times, just sound damn silly. Likewise, the rest of the characters are a bit variable, though some more consistent than others.
I think the hardest thing I had with this, honestly, is that I didn’t like Sven terribly much. He comes across as a bit of a whiner at times, and his attitude grates for a while. Granted, that may be the point, as he does undergo some interesting growth and change as the story moves along, but I did find it hard to care about him consistently. Several of the other characters are rather superficial, particularly the female lead, who’s name escapes me at the moment (which may say something in itself).
The art is good; it fits the story and the setting well. I’m not an art critic, so that’s all I’ll say about that.
Overall, I enjoyed this. It’s not the most amazing work I’ve ever read, but as a modern Viking tale, it’s pretty solid. Worth picking up, if you are into this sort of thing.
Okay, that isn’t true. I LOVE Vikings; I think they are, without question, one of the most fascinating groups of people every to rape and pillage their way across Europe (there’s a surprising amount of those, if you think about it).
All joking aside, however, I really do love Vikings. There is something about their culture, history, mythology, and overall world-view that I find deeply fascinating. I suspect some of it is a result of my Tolkien love, as he borrowed liberally from bits of Viking myth, as well as my reading of D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths as a youth. So when my friend Diego Montoya recommended that I start reading the Northlanders comic, I took him seriously. I also realized that I couldn’t add another book to my pull list, so I just decided to pick the first trade up.
The first trade collects the saga of Sven the Returned, a Viking warrior who abandons his post in the Varangian Guard to return home and claim his title and lands from his uncle, who has usurped his place. Sven’s motives for doing this are a little shaky, since he makes it clear, constantly and without end, that he hates Norway, hates the Viking ethos and world view, and in general, wants nothing to do with the whole thing. Yet back he goes. What follows is a saga full of all of things you ought to expect from a good Viking tale: fighting, betrayal, fighting, arctic survival, fighting, old rune seers, fighting, feuds of honor, fighting, philosophizing, and yes, some fighting.
Okay, there’s actually a lot of fighting, though perhaps not quite as much as I make it seem like. But there is a damn lot of it, no matter how you count it out. Most of the fighting is quite brutal. Some of it is brutal to the point of being cartoonish, frankly. There’s a particular scene involving a deerskin that just comes out as being over the top silly.
The dialogue is variable. Sometimes it flows well. Other times, it feels stilted and forced. Sven’s witticisms sometimes come out as being very clever, and other times, just sound damn silly. Likewise, the rest of the characters are a bit variable, though some more consistent than others.
I think the hardest thing I had with this, honestly, is that I didn’t like Sven terribly much. He comes across as a bit of a whiner at times, and his attitude grates for a while. Granted, that may be the point, as he does undergo some interesting growth and change as the story moves along, but I did find it hard to care about him consistently. Several of the other characters are rather superficial, particularly the female lead, who’s name escapes me at the moment (which may say something in itself).
The art is good; it fits the story and the setting well. I’m not an art critic, so that’s all I’ll say about that.
Overall, I enjoyed this. It’s not the most amazing work I’ve ever read, but as a modern Viking tale, it’s pretty solid. Worth picking up, if you are into this sort of thing.
January 27, 2009
Vivid, violent, vengeful Vikings! Sven receives a messenger on his way back to his homeland telling him that he must return to Grimness immediately and remove his uncle Gorm from power. Sven hears him out, then, ruthlessly murders him – he’s already on his way back. He hasn’t really decided that he wants to rule Grimness, mostly he just wants his uncle deposed. Grimness is a terrible, cold, grim place and the common people are depressed and oppressed while the warriors feast and make war on one another. Any sane person just wants to leave – as does Thora, Gorm’s concubine. She takes up with Sven in the hopes that he’ll deliver her from the awful place. It’s not to be. Sven finds understanding and comfort in the arms of the unlikely Enna, whose home and people were destroyed by his. And it is they who stand against Gorm and his minions on the cusp of civil war, until all the Vikings are routed by the arrival of the British. Sven can only hope to buy his people some time, so he surrenders to the Brits, and then he and Enna make their escape in a small boat to another land.
This was a bloody and violent comic – lots of decapitations, and killing, and nudity and sex. The Vikings were, apparently, a coarse and hard people. Sven seems pretty young in the beginning – early twenties, perhaps – but by the end he looks to have aged a great deal (either through the passage of time – it all seems to have taken place in the same year, though - or through privations he’s suffered). Sven’s personality seems to undergo a change as well – initially he’s very ruthless and cruel, but later he seems more amenable and reasonable. It wasn’t clear exactly what had caused him to change so much both physically and mentally, and this is where the story could have used more depth. It was ok if you like a lot of slash and bash excitement, but it peters out at the end when Sven and Enna escape without really having raised arms against anyone in the final battle.
This was a bloody and violent comic – lots of decapitations, and killing, and nudity and sex. The Vikings were, apparently, a coarse and hard people. Sven seems pretty young in the beginning – early twenties, perhaps – but by the end he looks to have aged a great deal (either through the passage of time – it all seems to have taken place in the same year, though - or through privations he’s suffered). Sven’s personality seems to undergo a change as well – initially he’s very ruthless and cruel, but later he seems more amenable and reasonable. It wasn’t clear exactly what had caused him to change so much both physically and mentally, and this is where the story could have used more depth. It was ok if you like a lot of slash and bash excitement, but it peters out at the end when Sven and Enna escape without really having raised arms against anyone in the final battle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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