VIKING #3

Review by: daccampo

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Avg Rating: 3.5
 
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Size: pages
Price: 2.99

This is a tough decision, but I think I’ve decided to drop VIKING as a monthly(-ish) title.

I don’t come to the decision lightly. Ivan Brandon’s “crime” book for the 9th century is a good concept, and Nic Klein’s art is truly magnificent, but we’re three issues in, and I find myself still struggling to make sense of the characters and their motivations. I do believe the character and motivation is there — I just feel the execution is a bit off. If you asked me who was who, I’d be hard pressed to tell you. I can tell you the gist of what’s happening, but I shouldn’t have to struggle as I’m reading it.

There’s something in the basic storytelling that is not quite clicking with me. Some of it is the way characters are introduced to us. Brandon throws us right into the action, which I appreciate, but I’m not getting a sense of the personality of each character (and I totally believe that Brandon has this in his head, I just don’t think it’s coming through to me). On a more detailed level, there are some panel-to-panel storytelling flaws that force me to re-read to figure out the sequence. I specifically remember such a scene in the second issue, but I do admit that this one reads a bit better.

By the end of this issue, we’ve picked up another character with a nice introduction, and it appears we begin the “caper” — but I’m still not sure why.

I hate to drop the title. I do still feel like VIKING is finding its legs. And if there was ever a book to buy just for the art, this is it. Nic Klein renders fantastic characters, and the colors are lush and moody; the Golden Age format is a great showcase for this work. Just amazing to look at. But… we’re three issues in and I’m not invested at all.

I may try this again as a trade if people like the way the story goes. For now, however, I think I have to let this one go.

Story: 2 - Average
Art: 5 - Excellent

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