A Viking prince is cursed and finds himself on a quest to save his life with two of his friends in Image Comics’ new series from writer Doug Wagner, artist Tim Odland, colorist Michelle Madsen and letterer Ed Dukeshire.
I don’t read enough creator-owned comics, but when I see a local creative team creating a series that just sounds like a lot of fun, I have to make sure to pick it up.
Beware the Eye of Odin is a new fantasy miniseries from Image based heavily on Norse mythology. His people always thought Prince Helgi was cursed. When a frost giant attacks his village though, he finds himself with an artifact that will guarantee he’ll suffer a horrible death within weeks if he doesn’t return it to its rightful owner. The young prince soon finds himself on a quest to save his life with a one-armed blacksmith and an impulsive young woman who may or may not be a valkyrie.
Everyone loves mythology, and when the mythology being used is anything other than Greek, it’s even more fertile ground for storytelling. Wagner and Odland go deep into Norse mythology here, and they do it in some very smart ways.
Wagner is best known for crime comics like Ride and Vinyl, so this is a big change of pace for his work, and I had a lot of fun with it. Norse mythology is, of course, the basis of Marvel’s Thor franchise. Outside of the MacGuffin being Odin’s missing eye, Wagner smartly avoids the gods of Asgard and bases the story instead on other creatures and myths. Our three heroes are all interesting characters — Helgi as the immature young man who has a lot of growing up to do, Stigr as the classic old warrior with a lot to prove, and Kadlin as the over-the-top kid who clearly has more to her than meets the Eye of Odin.
Ultimately, though, Wagner steps back and lets Odland go nuts. For this being his first comic, he steps onto the page with a ton of confidence and energy. His characters are cartoony and expressive, and he does a great job telling the story clearly. The biggest draw, though, is the incredible work on the various creatures that show up throughout the pages, from frost giants to oversized boars to trolls. Each time a new monster shows up, I slow down to look close at the incredible amount of detail he puts into the design.
Madsen’s colors are bright, which helps the heightened fantasy of the story pop off the page. Dukeshire uses fonts that are reminiscent of old-style scrolls but are still clear to read. All together, the creative team combines to give us an incredibly fun book full of an energy we don’t see often enough, especially in a debut.
This is just plain fun, and it’s worth picking up, whether you’re a fantasy fan, a fan of Thor comics looking for something unique in the same vein, or even just someone who appreciates hyper-detailed comic art. I’m definitely looking forward to the next issue, and what the team has in store for both their heroes, and us readers, next.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
