Brian Wood - Comics + Graphic Novels

Northlanders #11 Review
The Vikings struggle to contain the citizens of Ireland.
by Daniel Crown

Brian Wood’s approach to is an incredibly risky one. By constantly jumping perspectives and eras, the author runs the risk of losing some of his base readership at the first sign of trouble, as there are no residual endearments to carry his audience through any potential rough patches. Luckily enough, he’s yet to take any serious missteps, and “The Cross + The Hammer” seems geared to become his most entertaining arc to date.

Switching gears to the end of a Viking dominated Ireland, Woods latest introductory installment, ostensibly, serves as a long chase scene. Yet somehow, the author manages to instill a fascinating existential dilemma in between all the hectic violence. The relationship between Magnus and his daughter holds an immense amount of potential as Wood sets up a dynamic straight out of “Lone Wolf and Cub.”

Despite its heavy tilt towards action, “The Cross + The Hammer” feels much smaller in scale than “Sven the Returned”, in that it drops Shakespearean dramatics in favor of an analytical look at ancestry and family obligation. Brigid’s reluctant involvement in her father’s campaign is at the same time inspiring and disturbing. In the span of a few pages, Wood sets the stage for an investigation into the extent of loyalty, as well as the moving contradictions that family allegiances can pit against one’s personal view of morality.

Speaking of diversity, I’m mildly surprised by how well Ryan Kelly drew this story. Not that I doubted his talent in anyway, it’s just that the only exposure I’d had to the artist was his work on Local, which is comparatively grounded in nature. This is a far cry from introspective Indie comics, and Kelly makes the transition seamlessly.

Though in retrospect, his adeptness for this sort of story should have been obvious. Considering the inner-debates swelling within the character of Brigid, Kelly may have been the perfect choice for this arc, in that his experience with more understated stories has given him the tools to convey emotions without descriptive dialogue. Brigid’s reluctance is painted all over her face, becoming apparent long before Wood expounds on the subject.

For those of you who haven’t picked up Northlanders to this point, now would be a perfect time to start. This arc is already showing signs of the sort of sensibilities that make Wood’s stories so relatable, even when epic in nature, providing even more proof that the author is one of the best character writers in the industry.

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