Markosia 2019
Story by Pedro Mendes & Andre Mateus
Written by Andre Mateus
Illustrated by Pedro Mendes
Coloured by Patrik Caetano
Lettered by Ryan Bielak
A horror/fantasy miniseries set in the Viking Age, “Deiciders #1” follows Ulfrith, Svein and Olaf, three seasoned warriors facing their biggest challenge yet…a wolf-like god!
I saw this and thought to myself I wanted to give it a try. Hendry Prasetya's cover here is amazing, he's also currently doing covers for Power Rangers, and it's what attracts the eye so that we want to see what's inside. It's beautifully done and once the cover grabs your attention you read the description and then I was in like Flynn, Errol Flynn baby. We don't see enough books set in Vikings era and more so when they still prey to Thor, Odin and the rest. So yeah I couldn't wait to read this and ya know what my instincts were right I did need to read this one.
I like the way that this is structured. The idea behind how this is being told is something we've seen before and yet it fits this beautifully and it has that ability so that each issue could be a one and done story. Also the chance encounter that opens the book is done flawlessly and sets us on the journey to follow. I also like that we have no idea if the storyteller here is old or not as his head is cloaked leaving us without a clear look. All of it has this great sense of mystery surrounding it that I found an unexpected delight.
The story & plot development that weaves through the book with sensational pacing and character development has this great ebb & flow to it. As we read the story it really does move quickly in the sense that you are so caught up in what is happening that you don't realise how quickly your moving through the book. It has this great mesmerising effect from the way that it is told and you literally get lost in these characters and the adventure they are in the midst of. Also the choice for the first of the pantheon of Norse Gods is brilliant to me as I am not sure how many people are familiar with this one and what they represent. For me I was thrilled by this and how we saw it and the fact that mere mortals could do exactly what they did it has that whole ring of a story and of the will of man that the Vikings were known for.
The interiors here are really quite stunning. I love the way that we see the linework here and how the varying weights have been utilised and manipulated to create this amazing attention to detail. The detail work is so impressive and it brings to life the wildlife that we see and the way the frozen tundra looks as rock is white and cracked. Everywhere you look there is something to see that want to notice so that the eye roams and picks something new with every sweep. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a great eye for storytelling I mean really strong. The only thing I wish there more of are backgrounds because what we see of them are truly stupendous. The colour work too is just out of this world stellar. From the white's and blues to denote the cold, snow, sky and breath to the way we see the rocks and the beasts everything is done to perfection.
If you aren't familiar with this little company Markosia then you really to get out there and try some new things. The books they put out continually impress me with the level of skill, talent and creativity. This is just the latest in a the line of books that you should be reading, it's extremely well written and illustrated and introduces us to a the world of Norse Mythology in a way that is delightful and interesting. Tell your shop that you need this book, hell that they need to stock this book I promise you will not regret it.