Advance Review: Sword Daughter #1
The Forty Swords, came through the night to massacres an entire village. All that remains, a two year old girl called Elsbeth and her comatose father, Dag. With all that they have lost, they are now on a quest that may well serve to help them find each other, through their revenge driven swords.
This Viking world is a tad dreary to say the least, with an existence that belies the definition of hardship. Through it though, Elsbeth has carved a niche for herself and as her father awakes after years of her care, she may find life even harder. It seems that Dag has revenge in his heart, which is understandable to say the least. But, the parent child bond is so strong and unconditional that where Dag goes, Elsbeth doth follow, even if it seems that the unconditional love elements seems to flow, unusually from child to parent.
Writer Brian Wood and artist Mack Chater, hot off their success of Briggs Land return with a different type of story. Wood has had a Viking series, Northlanders, published previously by Vertigo. Whether you feel that Northlanders was a way to find his Viking feet, is a matter of perspective. For fans of Wood’s writing, the pacing will be perfect; small steps in a world building exercise that is full of little moments that will pay dividends down the line. There isn’t a great deal of dialogue, though Elsbeth’s inner monologue goes someway to clue readers in to at least some of the facets of her life.
Mack Chater’s art in Briggs had a very real style about it. Here, he tries to recapture that feel and is mainly successful, albeit with Viking clothes and weapons taking the place of the modern-day versions. Chater’s strength, for me, lies in setting the environment. Without a doubt, from page one, the reader totally buys into Elsbeth struggles. Her interaction with her father is as awkward for her as it is for the reader, yet under Chater’s pencils, there is no mistaking the emotions in play.  The Viking world is fully realised through the expert colors of  José Villarubbia who gives the world a dirty brown and green look that echoes the desolation of the ransacked island in which Elsbeth and Dag call home, at least for now!
I am probably the only person who isn’t enamoured with the Vikings TV show, nor was a big fan of the animated versions seen in movies such as How to Train Your Dragon. True, the latter definitely falls outside the remit of Wood’s and Chater’s new book, yet the point is still valid. Books about past civilisations don’t hold much weight for me. That said, you cannot help but be impressed by the level of storytelling detail that the pair, along with Villarubbia have managed to put into a comic that is as bleak as it vocally sparse.
Sword Daughter #1 is out on June 6th and for an interview with both Brian Wood and Mack Chater, please click here
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Brian Wood
Art by; Mack Chater
Colors by; José Villarubbia
Published by; Dark Horse Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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