Northlanders: Sven the Returned (2008) by Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice
God damn, Vertigo – this is a deal. Their 9.99 strategy for the first volumes of new series is a pretty kick-ass way for getting me to break out a few extra bucks. The first volume of Northlanders makes it an even sweeter pot with eight issues filling the book.
Sven, the Returned reads like a nihilistic Quentin Tarantino-penned Conan. Wood handles modern dialogue within a fairly accurate historical setting well and with far more maturity than what my previous description might suggest. I was surprised by how filling the story was despite being such a quick read.
It’s nice to have a book that would make a great, prematurely-canceled HBO show again. I’m not arguing for that treatment but Vertigo has always been a place for unique storytelling that can really carry serialized drama outside the echo chamber.
Gianfelice’s art is a fluid, gritty cartooning style. It’s not my favorite but it serves the story well. If the book went for a more realistic, impressionistic style it could have easily over-emphasized the explicit trappings of the story.
A lot of credit should go to Dave McCaig for his fantastic colors in the book and my instant connection to this book. He reflects the environment and temperature so well that I could feel the cold, wet days in the Orkney Islands and the numbing relief of a night’s fire.
I actually don’t know if I want to sell this now.
Grade: A-
