In Northlanders, four-time Eisner nominee Brian Wood (creator of the excellent DMZ) offers a departure from his usual work, a bloody tale of usurped power set against the backdrop of the Viking Age. Newcomer Davide Gianfelice provides the dynamic, gritty artwork, awash in the muted grey of the north.

Northlanders is a promising new monthly series with parallels to today’s clash of cultures. The series will explore the dying off of traditional beliefs in the face of a rapidly changing European power at the close of history’s first millennium.

Wood did extensive multi-year research to bring Norse history to life, which should pay off as this epic saga unfolds.

Grade: A

Northlanders #1 is currently available.