Colorado Springs Gazette on Northlanders
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It’s a big departure for Wood, who is probably best known for “DMZ,” another Vertigo title, which is set in an urban war zone in the near future.
Vikings, he said, have long been a source of fascination for him.
“I always found them interesting in a few different ways,” Wood said in an e-mail interview.
“They were these great, violent men who lived life completely on their own terms. They were religious, but it didn’t rule their lives.
“They were fighters, explorers, craftsmen and traders. They expanded their world in incredible ways in a short period of time.”
The first story arc, set in A.D. 980, follows Sven, a young warrior returning to his home after a long absence.
After that eight-issue arc, “we’ll switch gears entirely and start a new story with new characters and situations, but still under the Northlanders’ umbrella,” Wood said. “The point of this is not just to keep things moving and provide a varied reading experience, but also to give a wellrounded look at Vikings and their history.”…
With that dialogue, Wood didn’t attempt to cook up any kind of flowery “Viking speak.”
The language in the book is simple and sometimes profane.
“This was a thousand-year-old culture where most people were not educated enough to read,” Wood said. “Their vocabularies were limited compared to today. And specifically in this first story about Sven, they lived in rural backwater settlements. I figured they would speak directly, bluntly, and would curse a lot.”
Sven, by the way, is not exactly a noble warrior. In the first issue, at least, he’s driven by money, not duty. And he doesn’t mind spilling a little unnecessary blood.
“I love flawed characters,” Wood said. “I think they may be all I write.”
As a result, he tends to steer clear of the superhero side of comics.
“The few times I’ve written them, I tend to butt up against editorial edicts requiring that the characters be handled in a certain way, an idealized heroic way that doesn’t at all jibe with how I see the world.”
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