Northlanders Vol. 1: Sven The Returned

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Amazon reviewers GilGaMish and graphic_persona: this is a rather poor plot- or concept-driven comic with very little character development. I am not an avid comic reader, but I enjoyed them in my youth and am often wistful when seeing the frequently well-done cover art of modern comics. I'm also partial to things Northern. I found Northlanders by going on a search for Viking comics. I wanted very much for this to be a knock-out piece. But neither the story line, the writing, nor the illustration stood up with the cover art and hype.As the comic opens, Sven the Varangian Guard of Byzantium ruthlessly kills a messenger sent to inform him that his uncle has usurped his birthright back in the Orkney Islands. This is about par in the sense that violence supercedes sensibility throughout the comic. The protagonist is a worldly, materialistic, atheistic, nihilist who, over the course of the comic, transforms into an isolationist pagan family man. However, there are no real turns in the storyline that explain this transformation. Predictable characters appear (e.g., the girl-left-behind who has grown into a hot blonde bombshell... Ophelia for an age of violence and porn), and everyone changes loyalties and motivations for no apparent reason (except the deus ex machina ending). Ultimately, you can judge characters in literature only by how much they affect you. At the end of the comic, I really didn't care what happened to Sven or the other characters.The illustration has left me conflicted. It is cartoonish in a way I was not quite expecting, although the landscapes depicted are of a much higher quality than the renderings of people. Perspective, angle, and foreground/background are all used effectively, but equally as often individual panels are laid out awkwardly. People appear in poses that interrupt the eye and that could be avoided by consulting a text on figure drawing.Although this is supposed to be an "historical" depiction of Scandinavian life circa 1000, anyone who has been to Scandinavia or Scotland will notice that the plot takes place exclusively on overcast days in the dirt. This is supposed to feel "gritty" and "realistic" but is actually just a visual reflection of the nihilism and lack of imagination shown in the plot. Yes, the norsemen lived close to the earth in an extreme climate and harsh social conditions, but they also had summers, celebrations, love, art, and the range of human experience. This comic perpetuates the notion that you are either a young, beautiful, and rich swinger living on the Mediterranean coast, or your life is barely worth living and consists of a series of hardships interspersed with social conflicts.After being disappointed by this purchase, I read through some reviews of Northlanders on the web. Most liked it, although I did find one review by someone who panned the first series, but quite liked subsequent stories. So, I'll probably try the next two volumes anyhow. I can't recommend this one, though.

I have been hearing about this series for a long time and have avoided getting into it. This is regrettable since I love the sword and sandals genre. I did not believe that a grimy pop take on Vikings could hold my attention I mean not every can be Frank Miller right? I am glad I was absolutely wrong. When I read that this series was cancelled and looked at the visuals I said I had to try this series out and at ten bucks could not hurt. This first volume is impressive and for a trade paperback that is 200 pages long it still feels taut and minimalist in its approach.This is not just masterfully written for a graphic novel but really good for any kind of pulp fiction. I agree that the protagonist is not likeable and maybe the storyline is not truly original but that is why this is so shockingly good. This is a story and a character we have seen before but not necessarily told this way. Sven is ultimately more interesting and just plain cool than many a hero or anti-hero as well. A character progression that feels classic old school(in a good way) but is presented in a modern language and psyche that fits authentically with the time period backdrop of the story. The art and coloring just quality. The visuals make the story pop in a graphic style that is clean,gritty, and stylish. For a tale set in ancient times the visuals have a very urban visceral feel to it. What Brian Woods has done may not appeal to all and I must warn this book has mature visuals so this is not meant for the general public. This however is just good art and original work.This is one of those rare intelligent well executed adult graphic novels. For those willing to immerse themselves in the story it is also thought provoking with a message that is unset tilling but meaningful!

This is the first story arc of Brian's latest comic series, Northlanders, which is, as Brian stated, a "nihilistic crime saga."A nihilistic crime saga indeed.There's plenty of killing in this one. Sven, our protaganist, returns to his homeland, in Orkney, with one objective in mind, to reclaim his inheritance and then leaving Orkney forever. But Gorm stands in the way, having stolen Sven's birthright.His heritage was mocked by his own people and he no longer had faith in his own lands. So, he has decided to become a sort of self-made man. A man of battle and of lust and of passion. He ended up in Constinople, in the great city of Miklagard. It was there that he grew and matured into the man he is now. This story is about his struggle and his pain. And along the way, he finds his past coming back to bite him in his ass.Plenty of sympathetic characters in here, from Sven's past and present. It's almost heart breaking sometimes to turn these pages. The characters are so desperately torn, either physically or emotionally. You will find yourself thinking alot about them, not just in relation to the plot, but as people, real people. You will sympathise with their broken history and that's what I think Brian is very good at. He makes us care.And when you care about the characters, you will inevitably care about the lands these people live in. Their culture, their lifestyles, their predicament. That's the beauty of this book. Plus, the battle scenes are awesome.One thing to note is that these pages contain some very graphic scenes that even I can't shake from my mind easily. very graphic stuff.Get this book. Vikings in a good morality tale? It doesn't get better than that.

This just became my third-favourite graphic novel of all time (behind  ABC Warriors: Khronicles of Khaos AND Hellbringer (2000 AD)  and  Slaine: The Horned God (2000 AD) ). 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 bloodthirsty 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. ABC Warriors: Khronicles of Khaos AND Hellbringer (2000 AD)Slaine: The Horned God (2000 AD)

Outstanding story and art ,better than the 300,real vikings, true hero's fantastic pacing ,and great story telling ,do your self a favour and read this ,cheers

Like a comic book version of an Icelandic saga. Okay.

Got the comic as a gift for a friend and he loves it. It arrived safely and it was in good condition as described by seller. Thank you!

I really enjoyed this comic book, the artwork was really good and very evocative. The main character of Sven was pleasingly complex and not an outright hero but hes not a villain either. Id recommend this to anybody who is interested in the vikings. Its not historically accurate but I think people should just get over it, its a comic book at the end of the day not a history book.