Northlanders

Vikings finally done right!.
—Entertainment Weekly
More modern and current...than most Viking stories could ever be.
—New York Magazine

Northlanders is a comic book series featuring fictional stories about Vikings set in different historical periods. Most of the stories take place outside of Scandinavia.

It's written by Brian Wood of DMZ fame and illustrated by various artists for each storyline. Cover art is painted by Massimo Carnevale. The first issue of the series was published on December 5, 2007. (The publication date was "February, 2008").

So far, the following artists have illustrated Northlanders story arcs:

  • David Gianfelice - "Sven the Returned" and "Sven the Immortal"
  • Ryan Kelly - "The Cross + the Hammer"
  • Dean Ormston - "Lindisfarne"
  • Vasilis Lolos - "The Viking Art of Single Combat"
  • Danijel Zezelj - "The Shield Maidens"
  • Leandro Fernandez - "The Plague Widow"
  • Fiona Staples - "The Sea Road"
  • Ricardo Burchielli - "Metal"

Northlanders is characterized by medieval subject matter and themes handled in a modern way. The dialogue is modern, replete with modern euphemisms and foul language in a manner reminiscent of HBO's Rome. It is extremely gritty and violent - as it should be considering the subject matter. Despite the modern take it is very historically accurate.

Tropes used in Northlanders include:
  • Badass Beard: Sven grows one in "Sven the Returned" as he comes to accept his identity as a Orkney Viking.
  • Badass Grandpa: Sven in "Sven the Immortal."
  • Black and Gray Morality:
  • Country Matters: "Cunt" is used liberally.
  • Downer Ending: The Cross and the Hammer. Turns out Magnus is a delusional murderer, and gets stabbed to death.
  • Horny Vikings: Completely averted. The comic book is noted for being historically accurate, with not a horn to be seen.
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