Titan Comics 2016
Written by Cavan Scott
Illustrated by Staz Johnson
Kattegat sequences by Andrea Mutti
Coloured by Rodrigo Fernandes
Lettered by Rob Steen
...And so, by the will of Odin, or by his own, Ragnar Lothbrok, has risen from a simple
farmer in the town of Kattegat to a powerful earl and one of the most feared of all Viking Raiders.
Defying his naysayers, he has led the first raiders to England, where he finds a country ripe for plunder. Yet Ragnar’s plans extend beyond pillage; he has sought an alliance with the English King, Ecbert of Wessex, hoping to allow the Vikings permanent settlements on these fertile lands. Ragnar has accepted a commission by Ecbert to deal with a rival Viking, Felman, who is plundering his lands. But that deal is causing discord among his own men…
I love the opening here, to have it narrated by Ragnar estranged ex-wife who obviously still has some feelings for him was brilliantly done. I am especially fond of the description of his backside now just to see it lol. There’s another reason it’s so good and that’s because it depicts how loyal they are to their King. You need to remember that this kind of loyalty while prevalent back then is also rare since even when they think he’s wrong they are willing to fight and die beside him.
Ah Floki he’s so hellbent on being this vocal opposing voice to what’s happening in England. He’s blinded by his own hatred and mistrust and while he still fights for Ragnar it gets clearer and clearer that something dangerous is coming. While the ambush they face this issue isn’t one of King Ecbert’s doing that will not stop him from damming this Island Nation. Even with proof that doesn’t matter this is a volatile man and possibly slightly touched in the head I can’t decide, regardless he does add something to this story though whether it is potential treason, mutiny or entertainment has yet to be seen.
Jaska likes to run her mouth and why a culture such as this doesn’t just either cast her out or kill her is beyond me. She’s detrimental to the well being and soundness of the Kattegat i’d have her removed one way or another. I guess we need the drama though to iterate what is happening during their absence. Though she is doing wonders for tearing friendships apart we’ll see to what extent her long game is by it.
King Ecbert did as Ragnar and his people to help protect his land from a band of murderous Vikings and they agreed. We’ve seen this Felman and his treatment of Brother Bernard. A showdown was inevitable but I have to say way to go Cavan because this was quite the way to go about it. I’m super impressed with the storytelling here, the creativity in how it’s presented and the thought that goes into such machinations that come out on the page. Very genius stuff and I must confess I hadn’t seen it playing out this way so well done.
Ah the interiors here a wonderfully done. You’d never know that there are two artists on the book because both are incredibly talented. I appreciate all the attention to detail and the way that the story flows through the pages and panels. The use of backgrounds and filling up the panels give us a much larger view and feel of what’s going on there and that’s nice to see. There’s just that something special here that capture the imagination and doesn’t let go.
Fans of the series will devour this and if you haven’t watched the show no worries this is completely new reader friendly. You can enjoy this as is and understand everything that’s happening through the story and dialogue. It’s really best of both worlds.