Northlanders #12

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Ryan Kelly

The first issue of 'The Cross and the Hammer' left me a little cold - I enjoyed the story, and of course loved the art, but I wasn't sure about the concept. This is a CSI-style story set in 11th century Northern Ireland. A native is killing Norsemen, and the King has sent some men after him. Their leader, Ragnar Ragnarsson is tracking them using his subtle readings of crime scenes, footprints and splatter-patterns.

This issue takes a little more time to flesh out the characters, and we begin to see the realities of the Norse occupation. The story moves at a quick pace, and sets up some hints of battles to come.

Wood and Kelly are a great team. This work is by no means as powerful or beautiful as Local was, but it still reads as a collaboration between two people who understand each others' strengths.

I like the format of Northlanders - the rotating story arcs that revolve around the Viking theme. It should have more imitators, like Battlefields, which I just reviewed (otherwise I don't think I'd see the similarity).